Tango originated in the 1880s in the poor port areas of Argentina and Uruguay along the Rio de la Plata. It was often danced in bars and brothels, which led to a racy reputation. When tango began to spread internationally from around 1900, this sensuality was shocking and titillating. So much so that teachers who’d introduced tango to Paris in 1913 were kicked out of the city in 1914.
In 1913, tango arrived in New York and, for some reason, Finland. Discovering the Finland connection sent me off into a whirl of speculation as to whether the linguistic and cultural similarities between Finland and Hungary might be one of the reasons the dance is so popular in this country.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, I couldn’t find any evidence to back up my theory. What I did find, though, is that, apparently, Finnish “milongas,” the tango name for dance marathons, can go on for days and feature saunas and jumping into icy water.
Back in Argentina, tango flourished until the late 1950s when the military dictatorships banned it. For the next 30 years or so, the dance only lived on stages in the United States and Europe, where the great Argentinian tango dancers had fled. To appeal to audiences, it became less folkloric and more visually expressive and spectacular. On enormous Broadway stages, dancers did their thing on small tables.
“When Argentina opens up and dancers surface again, a new generation falls in love with tango,” Andreas Thau Loftager tells me. “It becomes wildly popular. This is the generation that develops ‘tango nuevo,’ one of the several forms of tango we have today. Tango nuevo is influenced by the codes and conventions of the older forms of tango, but they’re slightly different.”
Tango nuevo features a more open, elastic embrace that allows whoever’s leading to introduce moves that can be very complex and didn’t exist in the golden age of tango. It’s danced to music that fuses traditional tango with jazz and electronica to create “electro tango.” Check out Gotan Project’s 2001 album “La Revancha del Tango” or 2010’s “Tango 3.0.”
As Thau Loftager says, “The first European tango tourists encounter a new wave of tango in Buenos Aires. Some get hooked and bring tango back to their own countries. Since then, tango has been growing steadily in Europe.”
European enthusiasm for tango has put some Argentinian tango noses slightly out of joint.
“In Europe, people love doing tango marathons with lots of dancers and DJs where we dance nonstop, and there’s not necessarily any folkloric Argentinian dancing or classes,” Thau Loftager explains.
“Argentinian dancers have told me that this is not ideal. Classes attract the public, which is true, and this is how tango will grow. They’re also not so happy about the privileged aspect of tango in Europe. Not everyone has the money to go to some fancy venue. But they can go to local classes and events, of which there are so many. When I plan my tango trips around Europe, I’m always spoilt for choice,” he notes.
Thau Loftager is an enthusiastic and persuasive ambassador for tango. Asked why he fell in love with the dance, he waxes lyrical.
“It’s a very broad form of expression. You choose the style, movements and music you like, and there are no limits to how you can apply them. In the end, it’s just people coming together to embrace, bringing their personalities to the dance. It’s analog, pure, unique. Every time you go on the dance floor, you’re doing something that will never exist in time and space again.”
Budapest teacher Endre Szeghalmi discovered tango around 2008. His girlfriend was a professional dancer, and the couple wanted to dance together. They found tango and a great teacher who also taught Pilates.
“She explained how the movements of tango were related to body language,” he says, “We liked it very much. I’ve been dancing since then.” That doesn’t mean Szeghalmi fell in love with tango instantly, though.
“I was very lazy for the first few months. Then, I entered a competition for beginners. I’m very competitive. I was forced to pay attention and listen. We won the competition.”
Winning spurred Szeghalmi on. He came first in an advanced Hungarian competition, went to the European tango championships and got to the final. Dancing more, he was invited to perform in tango theater. From there, he became a soloist. Next, he was asked to replace his teacher. But at that time, tango was still a hobby.
Then, in around 2012, Szeghalmi studied tango in Buenos Aires for eight months, learning from teachers who’d been dancing for decades. It was the first of several trips.
“I’ve been to Buenos Aires seven times. My teacher is 81, and he can do things I can’t do now.”
Returning to Hungary, Szeghalmi left his job as a computer programmer and began teaching tango full-time.
For anyone looking to dip their toes in tango waters, it starts with finding a teacher you feel comfortable with.
“You need to be inspired by the teacher and have trust,” Szeghalmi says.
Tango has changed the lives of Szeghalmi and Thau Loftager. It’s a practice they’ll never tire of and will spend their lives learning.
“I feel so satisfied when I’ve been in a tango environment. I come out happier, my shoulders relax, my breath is normal, I’m less stressed,” Thau Loftager says.
Find out more about what Endre Szeghalmi offers at endretango.com. Details of Budapest milongas are listed at milonga.hu
This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of October 18, 2024.
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