Tango: Creation of a Cultural Icon » (New Edition)

Jo Baim is Assistant Organist at historic Trinity Parish Episcopal Church in Seattle and a freelance choreographer. She is an oblate of the Benedictine Monastery of St. Gertrude in Cottonwood, Idaho. She lives in Seattle, Washington.

In Tango: Creation of a Cultural Icon Jo Baim dispels common stereotypes of the tango and tells the real story behind this rich and complex dance. Despite its exoticism, the tango of this time period is a very accessible dance, especially as European and North American dancers adapted it. Modern ballroom dancers can enjoy a "step" back in time with the descriptions included in this book. Almost as interesting as the history of the tango is the cultural response to it: cities banned it, army officers were threatened with demotion if caught dancing it, clergy and politicians wrote diatribes against it. Newspaper headlines warned that people died from dancing the tango and that it would be the downfall of civilization. The vehemence of these anti-tango outbursts confirms one thing: the tango was a cultural force to be reckoned with!

ForeWord

. . .a delightful text, illuminating the fascinating convergence of cultural influences that produce an art form. The book will entice cultural historians as well as lovers of dance and music.

Acknowledgments     ix
Introduction     1
The Origins of the Tango     13
Europe and the United States Discover the Tango     49
Argentina Reclaims Its Native Dance     87
Tango Music     104
Tangos in Waltz Time     133
The Tango in the World of Art Music     140
Tango Steps, 1911-1925     155
A Sampling of New York Times Article Titles on the Tango, 1911, 1913, and 1914     188
Notes     195
Bibliography     205
Index     211