Tango Liso

Tango Liso Buenos Aires Tango liso emerged as tango spread from the arrabales (outskirt districts) of Buenos Aires to the dance halls frequented by Italian immigrants. These dance halls were small, more centrally located, and catered to a poorer but more genteel Italian clientele. The combination of new untrained dancers who were unfamiliar with the African rhythms of earlier tango styles and the over-crowded dancehalls caused the rowdy and aggressive cortes y quebradas (cuts and breaks) of the earlier tango styles to be subdued in these settings, keeping only the most ‘basic’ tango steps and figures such as caminadas, ochos(figure-eight patterns), molinetes, etc. Tango liso introduced a general quality of "fatigue" and more monotonous and previsible figures for the enjoyment of all the bodies who could not afford the more demanding forms of earlier tango styles. Traditional tangueros despised tango liso due to its reduced improvisational motifs, but some practitioners saw interesting features in this more democratic, local tango offspring. This Italization present in the creation of tango liso was also reflected in the music with the(shortlived) use of instruments like the mandolin and accordion in some of the primitive tango bands. The popularity of Tango Liso in Paris helped to elevate the status of tango and contributed to its eventual reintroduction and acceptance by the Argentinian elite. == Characteristics ==

• Smooth, simplified choreography • Emphasis on walking steps (caminada), and occasionally incorporating ochos (figure-eight patterns) • Absence of the aggressive and suggestive steps found in earlier styles of tango • Knees are only slightly softened • Partners remain offset to their right • Cycle between close-embrace and open-embrace • A few tiny steps forward then circling with much of the couple-rotation being of the rotary-tango type, waiting for space to open up through the crowd • Boleos, ganchos, sacadas, sentadas, and other fancy moves and acrobatics are not done == Cultural impact ==

The simplification and Europeanization that created tango liso allowed for broader acceptance and tango's rise in popularity in Europe and eventually back in Argentina. Tango liso also paved the way for the codification of tango in dance instruction books which helped to establish the basic steps and techniques of ballroom tango. This Italian influence that created tango liso also gave rise to lunfardo, an expressive Italian-based language used by the writers of tango lyrics. Like tango, lunfardo later became an integral part of the identity and culture of Buenos Aires. == See also ==