About Plymouth Tango
Plymouth Tango offers events and classes in authentic Argentine tango, a partnered social dance that originated in Buenos Aires at the end of the 19th-century and which continues to be danced there and around the world. We hope this site will help you become more familiar with Argentine tango and its rich musical heritage. Sign up for classes, explore our educational materials, or send us questions!
Plymouth Tango was founded to create a welcoming community of dancers in the Massachusetts south shore, and to connect surrounding communities in Boston, the Cape, and Providence R.I. Our philosophy is based on the Argentine tango lifestyle, which creates joy through physical, emotional, and musical connection. Plymouth Tango’s classes empower each dancer with confidence, competence, and an insider’s understanding of the music. We are aware that every person learns differently and have developed a variety of approaches to enable each dancer reach his or her full potential.
Learning Argentine tango as a social dance does not require a dance background. Nor is it competitive or gymnastic. Many people begin to learn tango later in life, and continue to enjoy dancing tango well into their 80s. The dance has health benefits: it improves posture, balance, and an overall sense of well-being.
Stereotypes and misconceptions about the nature of tango have arisen from theatrical stage performances and from various depictions in film and the media, which have often promoted a sexualized, athletic version of the dance that––while certainly fun to watch––is rehearsed, impossible to execute by non-professionals and, most importantly, is not the way people dance at social events, called milongas. At these events, one need not bring a partner, since it is customary to change partners after each set of 3 or 4 songs. In fact, historically, it used to be considered somewhat improper to dance more than two sets (called tandas) with the same partner, since it suggested a definite romantic interest. Fortunately, the rules have been relaxed today, and not only may you dance as much as you like with the same partner, but the roles of who leads and who follows are no longer strictly gender-based. Many women now enjoy leading, and many men enjoy the “tango Zen” of the follow’s role (more on that below!).
There are a few types of tango that are quite different from the original style of the Argentine tango. These include ballroom tango and international tango, typically taught at ballroom dance studios. These modern adaptations, which were meant to create standard steps and figures that could be easily taught and quickly digested, have a different approach to the lead and follow, to the embrace, to the dance mindset, and to the music. While ballroom tango has certainly earned a place of its own among competitive ballroom dancing, a background in ballroom tango will not be helpful when learning to dance Argentine tango.
So what is it about the Argentine approach that sets it apart from ballroom adaptations of tango? For one thing, Argentine tango is fully improvised. That means that the leader may combine any number of tango figures into sequences as it suits the moment, the music, and the dancers’ level or ability. While this may sound intimidating, in reality it is not only liberating but also more relaxing. The organic nature of the movements allow the couple to physically “converse” in a spontaneous dialogue, with the follower responding in kind and without thinking or pre-meditation; the leader responds seamlessly to the follow. Thus, if something unexpected happens, it is easy to respond in kind, and thus to continue without a hitch in the flow. Many people call this state of flow the “tango zen.” It is at once relaxing, exhilarating, and incredibly satisfying.
We hope you will join us for classes, events, and explore our blog in your personal tango journey.
In the late 19th-century, urban lower classes developed the tradition of the Tango in Buenos Aires. European immigrants and descendants of African slaves contributed their customs and rituals to what became a distinct national identity. Especially important to the creation of tango music were the syncopated rhythms of Afro-Uruguayan candombes and the Cuban habaneras. Through the singer Carlos Gardel, tango was transported to Paris in the 1920s and danced by the upper classes. The tango returned to Buenos Aires in its new guise, where it now enjoyed wider acceptance by the Porteños. The Argentine dictatorship (1976 to 1983) forbade the sensual Tango, but it continued to be danced covertly, only increasing its appeal. In the decades since, Tango has become a global phenomenon, connecting people of diverse backgrounds and transcending stereotyped notions of gender identity.
