Dance
Despite Tango being commonly labelled as a dance of the brothels of Buenos Aires, its origins reflect a collision of a dynamic, and often oppositional, fusion of differing cultures, people and habits. In the mid-nineteenth century, almost a quarter of the inhabitants of Buenos Aires were black. Tango origins were clearly influenced by African immigrants and their community dances, as the word Tango was understood to mean "the place where blacks came to dance".
The dance form reached its height of popularity during the 1940s, when dance halls flourished. Dance bands were engaged every night of the week at salons and bailes. Many small suburban sports clubs opened their spaces up for tango events and organised dances with live bands. Some soccer clubs raised enough money at their dances to build their stadiums. Dances were held on tennis courts, soccer fields, basketball courts, and downtown theatres. In any weekend Tango was omnipresent in urban life.
