“I can dim the lights and sing you songs full of sad things
Queen – Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy
we can do the tango just for two”
It takes two to tango – phrase made famous by a song
In those early days of learning I explored what I already knew about tango from popular culture. Freddie Mercury’s playful line of ‘just for two’ perfectly captures the the romance of the dance. Tango is danced to songs about sad things (sometimes) and between two people (always).
The phrase “it takes two to tango” entered popular culture in 1952 thanks to the song by Al Hoffman and Dick Manning, performed by Pearl Bailey. Since then, it’s been used to describe any activity including the active participation of two people. A phrase similar to the saying “it takes two hands to clap”.
Tango the drink – I’ve been tango’d big time
The 1990s kids amongst us will remember the “You know when you’ve been tango’d” TV ads. Tango is a fizzy, soft drink in the UK and refers to its tangy flavour. I have definitely been tango’d big time by the dance, given how much time, energy and money I spend on it!
Scent of a woman, True Lies and Mr. and Mrs. Smith
No mistakes in the tango, darling, not like life. It’s simple. That’s what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, get all tangled up, just tango on.
Al Pacino (as Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade) – Scent of a woman
I remember watching this famous film where a blind Al Pacino dances the tango with a shy, attractive Gabrielle Anwar. I didn’t fully appreciate the scene’s deeper meaning at the time, but once I started dancing, the beauty of the dance and the life lessons of that scene started to make more sense. My tango teacher Kim wrote this memorable commentary on that scene too.
I also then thought of other films, like True Lies and Mr. and Mrs. Smith, those showing the fiery and passionate nature of the dance.
In True Lies, the rose-in-mouth imagery did seem over the top, which even then I realised was Hollywood dramatisation and some sort of exhibitionist style of dance, rather than real tango.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith features a tango full of tension and intensity, matching the dynamic between the two lead characters. Angelina Jolie looked stunning in it with a classy outfit.
Ballroom Tango Vs Argentine Tango – What’s the difference?
When I first started learning tango, friends would ask if I was dancing with a rose between my teeth. A common enough assumption, thanks to the Hollywood portrayal of Ballroom tango, far more theatrical and exaggerated than Argentine tango, the style I’ve been learning.
Ballroom tango focuses on performance, with bold postures and grand movements. The dancers’ heads are often held back dramatically, giving it that “showy” flair. Argentine tango, on the other hand, is more subtle, intimate, and social. It is about connection rather than spectacle, with a closer embrace and simpler movements.
That is in theory though, as a lot of Argentine tango, especially in London is driven by spectacle and is hardly social. But that is a blog post for another time.
The show must go on – I guess I am learning
I guess I’m learning
Queen – The Show Must Go On
I must be warmer now
I’ll soon be turning, round the corner now
The tango of the films looked like a million miles from what I was doing in class, I didn’t even have a rose in my mouth! The tango of pop culture was still inspirational and in some ways motivated me to keep learning. I had learnt to play guitar and learnt many other things before, and tango was looking like my next big project to take on.