The Tango in the United States: A History

by Carlos G. Groppa

Overview

In the earliest years of the 20th century, North American ballroom dancers favored the waltz or the polka. But then a new dance, the tango, broke onto the scene when Vernon and Irene Castle performed it in a Broadway musical. Rudolph Valentino, Arthur Murray, and Xavier Cugat popularized it in the 1920s and 1930s, and thousands of people crowded onto dance floors around the country to hear the music and dance the tango.

This work chronicles the history of the tango in the United States, from its antecedents in Argentina, Paris and London to the present day. It covers the dancers, musicians, and composers, and the tango's influence on American music.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786426867
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	01/16/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	239
File size:	7 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Carlos C. Groppa is the editor of Tango Reporter, a member of the Academia Porteña del Lunfardo of Argentina, and a recipient of the Carlos Gardel Lifetime Achievement Award. He lives in Los Angeles, California.
Carlos C. Groppa is the editor of Tango Reporter, a member of the Academia Portena del Lunfardo of Argentina, and a recipient of the Carlos Gardel Lifetime Achievement Award. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     
Introduction     

1. Antecedents of the Tango in the United States     
2. Some Historic Facts     
3. Argentineans in New York     
4. New York Tango Venues     
5. The Pros and Cons     
6. The Rise of the Castles     
7. James Reese Europe: The Key to Change     
8. The Tango’s Influence on Other Popular Music     
9. Music with the Scent of Tango     
10. Tango Valentino     
11. The Orquesta Tipica Select     
12. Juan Carlos Cobi.n: Pianist and Don Juan     
13. The Arthur Murray Studios     
14. Canaro Already Had His Orchestra     
15. Xavier Cugat, Tango, Rumba and Chihuahuas     
16. Carlos Gardel Enters the Arena     
17. More Argentineans in New York     
18. The Return of Juan Carlos Cobian     
19. World War II and Later....     
20. The Big Surprises     
21. Piazzolla: A Bandoneon Against the World     
22. The Compact Disk Revolution     
23. The American Musician and the Tango     
24. Final Considerations     

Bibliography     
Index     

Editorial Reviews

definitely a book that should be on every tango enthusiast’s bookshelf”—The Tango Times; “charts a century of American interest”—C&RL News; “indispensable”—Ciberlunfa Nro; “investigates why the tango has persisted in the American consciousness”—Dance Teacher.

From the Publisher

"investigates why the tango has persisted in the American consciousness"

Dance Teacher

indispensable

Ciberlunfa

charts a century of American interest

C&RL News

definitely a book that should be on every tango enthusiast's bookshelf

The Tango Times