African Myth

In Argentina the only blacks slaves that witnessed the high class Spanish Argentine's dance were the house servants. A favorite dance was the Andulasian Tango which had no resemblance at all to the Milonga that was danced by the poor in those days. It was prominent with the upper classes in the beginning of the 1800s and fizzled out about 40 years later.

"All truths are easy to understand, once they are discovered;

the point is to discover them."

"Nostalgia" por Placido Domingo

The myth established by some, is a painting dated 1832 and entitled "El Tango de los Negros." Proof that the Negros were dancing Tango before the whites. It was a nice picture of a bunch of blacks having a great time dancing. But the title will tell you more if you look for it. And it was not Tango that they were dancing. It was not even the Andalusian Tango, it was the Negro version of the Andalusian Tango that the blacks were dancing.

"La Media Luz" por Julio Iglesias

But the poor whites, mestizos and Indians were not dancing the tango at the time. They were dancing the Milonga which was renamed Tango late in the century and even then carried for a couple decades as Milonga-Tango. Some have expanded the myth to include the word Tango and that it also comes from Africa and it means bla bla bla. Yeah, right.

“Dance may be the oldest, noblest and most elegant of the arts. It may be the
most perfect symbol of religion. It may be that true education in the art
 of dance is education of the whole person.”