The tango’s origin seems to have begun through African slaves who had been brought to Argentina in the mid-19th century. ‘Tango’ roughly translates into ‘reserved ground’ and this is thought to have been referring to the places in which ex-slaves gathered to dance once Argentina banned slavery in 1853.
History suggests that the ‘tango’ may have been used to describe many types of dance that were performed in African-Argentine venues for dance. These dances moved into Buenos Aires and the poorer bars and dance halls of the time. Over some time, the African rhythms and Argentine dance styles merged, creating dance styles like the Milonga. This dance style was then developed into Tango.
After a few decades went by, attitudes towards this form of dance changed and wealthy Argentine families spread the dance’s popularity to Paris. Here the Tango spread out throughout the world and it became the dance style that we know and love today. Throughout the years, the Tango has adopted many modern twists; however, it has always kept to its original roots generally.