Everyone knows dancing is great exercise, so this summer we're taking that idea one step further and looking at opportunities to learn and practice various dance styles wherever you may go.
Considered the pinnacle of partner dances for the alliterative ease in which the "it takes two" cliché rolls off the tongue, tango is revolutionizing itself yet again to adapt to the culture of modern social dancing.
While Argentines can and should forever claim the tango as their creation, the dance so old and so exotic that its debut is hard to pinpoint has evolved, and the different cultures that have embraced it have left their mark and even developed spin-off versions.
Neo-tango, however, is a direct descendent of the real thing, derived from Tango Nuevo, in which Argentine tango composer Astor Piazzolla began to weave jazz and classical tunes amidst traditional bandoneon chords starting in the 1950s.
It wasn't until recently that Buenos Aires dancers Gustavo Naveira and Fabian Salas altered what had once been rigid teaching strategies, applying modern dance analytics to gratify learners without changing the dance itself.
It's rather the culture that's different in today's tango, for which opportunity to learn and dance is plentiful around the world, thanks in part to social networking that has provoked an explosion in popularity.
Gone are the days of high ceilinged ballrooms and limiting oneself to just one partner: Like other lesson formats for social dancing tango is usually taught in rotation, giving everyone the opportunity to dance together at least once and help each other learn.
From a musical perspective, Neo-tango incorporates instruments like the electric guitar and metamorphoses the now outdated harmonic structure of previous generations.
Where to try it
For a social, musical workout this summer, regular tango lessons and social dances are held in outdoor parks and landmarks around the world, even the Great White North.
A long way from Buenos Aires, Montreal's Tango Libre association holds free lessons and social dances in the municipal park of Verdun every Wednesday night from 7:00pm to 10:00pm until August 20.
Every Tuesday a social dance is held from 7:00pm to 9:30pm through August 19 in Sir Wilfried Laurier Park.
In New York City, opportunities to dance the tango outdoors are numerous this summer; for a complete listing, see the 2014 tango at dancetango.com/calendar.html.
Anyone who's been to Buenos Aires knows the tango street performances are hard to miss. To actually learn and dance it, The Real Argentina blog connects the English speaking world to opportunities to attend milongas throughout the city.
It's winter there, so outdoor tango social dances won't be in abundance, and in Argentina social tango sessions are normally held indoors with the exception of La Milonga del Indio, which is held in the lively Dorrego Square every Sunday after sundown.
Dance yourself fit: the Neo-tango revolution
Everyone knows dancing is great exercise, so this summer we're taking that idea one step further and looking at opportunities to learn and practice various dance styles wherever you may go.
Considered the pinnacle of partner dances for the alliterative ease in which the "it takes two" cliché rolls off the tongue, tango is revolutionizing itself yet again to adapt to the culture of modern social dancing.
While Argentines can and should forever claim the tango as their creation, the dance so old and so exotic that its debut is hard to pinpoint has evolved, and the different cultures that have embraced it have left their mark and even developed spin-off versions.
Neo-tango, however, is a direct descendent of the real thing, derived from Tango Nuevo, in which Argentine tango composer Astor Piazzolla began to weave jazz and classical tunes amidst traditional bandoneon chords starting in the 1950s.
It wasn't until recently that Buenos Aires dancers Gustavo Naveira and Fabian Salas altered what had once been rigid teaching strategies, applying modern dance analytics to gratify learners without changing the dance itself.
It's rather the culture that's different in today's tango, for which opportunity to learn and dance is plentiful around the world, thanks in part to social networking that has provoked an explosion in popularity.
Gone are the days of high ceilinged ballrooms and limiting oneself to just one partner: Like other lesson formats for social dancing tango is usually taught in rotation, giving everyone the opportunity to dance together at least once and help each other learn.
From a musical perspective, Neo-tango incorporates instruments like the electric guitar and metamorphoses the now outdated harmonic structure of previous generations.
Where to try it
For a social, musical workout this summer, regular tango lessons and social dances are held in outdoor parks and landmarks around the world, even the Great White North.
A long way from Buenos Aires, Montreal's Tango Libre association holds free lessons and social dances in the municipal park of Verdun every Wednesday night from 7:00pm to 10:00pm until August 20.
Every Tuesday a social dance is held from 7:00pm to 9:30pm through August 19 in Sir Wilfried Laurier Park.
In New York City, opportunities to dance the tango outdoors are numerous this summer; for a complete listing, see the 2014 tango at dancetango.com/calendar.html.
Anyone who's been to Buenos Aires knows the tango street performances are hard to miss. To actually learn and dance it, The Real Argentina blog connects the English speaking world to opportunities to attend milongas throughout the city.
It's winter there, so outdoor tango social dances won't be in abundance, and in Argentina social tango sessions are normally held indoors with the exception of La Milonga del Indio, which is held in the lively Dorrego Square every Sunday after sundown.
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