ARGENTINA: ARGENTINE TANGO TROUPE 'THE DAMES OF THE TANGO' TURNS MALE FEMALE DANCE INTO A WOMEN ONLY EVENT

Record ID: 859944

  • Title: ARGENTINA: ARGENTINE TANGO TROUPE 'THE DAMES OF THE TANGO' TURNS MALE FEMALE DANCE INTO A WOMEN ONLY EVENT
  • Date: 7th October 2003
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PRODUCER OF SHOW, CARLOS GALLEGO, SAYING "It occurred to us that, well, the last male bastion is tango, so we are going to destroy it, to destroy machismo."
  • Embargoed: 22nd October 2003 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
  • City:
  • Country: Argentina
  • Topics: Entertainment,Quirky,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA2S6JAZ7F5W252QLQ6WP22R5K3
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: An Argentine tango group has turned this intense male-female dance into a women's only event.
    While tango has traditionally been seen as the quintessential dance of sexual tension between a man and woman, a group of Argentine women is breaking the gender barrier with the first all-women's tango group.
    Calling themselves The Dames of the Tango, the group performed in its native country before its U.S. tour, openly admitting that its intent was both artistic and social.
    "It occurred to us that, well, the last male bastion is tango," said producer male Carlos Gallego.
    "So we are going to destroy it, to destroy machismo."
    While preserving the intensity of the art form, the performers replaced the traditional male roles of orchestra members and dancers with women.
    The women danced in pairs, while one of each pair, dressed in a dark suit and men's shoes, provided the man's lead and twirled the other one around.
    A fusion of styles, the tango was a late 19th century dance of the lower classes that acted out the sexual passion between a pimp and a prostitute. Men in the seedy areas of Buenos Aires danced the first tangos with other men to compete for the attention of the few women available. Eventually, the dance spread as a unique sensually-charged symbol of Latin romance.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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