Part 15 – History of Argentine Tango

Lidia and Hector Legrand

If you are interested in learning more about Argentine Tango and Argentine Tango events in SaddleBrooke, please visit our website http://tangoargentino.sharepoint.com where you can also read Parts 1 through 14 of this series.

On September 30, 2009, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization), an organization within the United Nations, declared Argentine Tango (and also Uruguay’s Candombé) as Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The cities of Montevideo, Uruguay and Buenos Aires, Argentina were indirectly recipients of this award as they had been presenting to UNESCO for many years information and documentation supporting the inclusion of Argentine Tango in such a prestigious group.

Most people think of dancing as the most important element, if not the only one, of Argentine Tango. However, those of you who have been faithfully following these series know that this UNESCO award had to be given not only to the dance, but also to the music, poetry, singing, musicians, composers, performers and, yes, dancers of the Argentine Tango culture so much alive in both shores of the Río de la Plata and in the world as a whole.

Candombé, also included in the award, is a music genre born in Uruguay with more African American ancestry than Argentine Tango. Candombé is one of the music genres that contributed to the origins of Argentine Tango.

About the authors: Lidia and Hector are Argentina born U.S. Citizens and SaddleBrooke residents founding members of SATS chartered in both HOAs. They travel to Buenos Aires often to dance Argentine Tango, to participate in International Argentine Tango Festivals and to further refine their Argentine Tango teaching skills. 2014 is Lidia and Hector’s eleventh year as SaddleBrooke Argentine Tango Dance Instructors of both group and private students. They have been teaching Argentine Tango dancing for sixteen years overall. They also offer seminars and workshops on Argentine Tango music, history, culture, and cuisine. Hector has authored a book on Porteño Cuisine associated with Argentine Tango, available at Amazon.com. Please visit their website http://tangoargentino.sharepoint.com