about us

Tango Evolution is a social club of Argentine Tango dancers from Atlanta, GA.

We formed Tango Evolution in 2004 to support existing tango dancers and to promote tango to a new generation of dancers. Tango Evolution supports all forms of Argentine tango. In tango there often seem to be factions that support one style or music over another. We feel that all styles and music are viable.

Here are some of our principles and ideas:

The Dance
Our members dance all styles of tango including: open embrace, close embrace, apilado, milonguero, cayengue, antique tango, etc.  To us, it all goes by one name... TANGO. We do not accept any of these forms as the one true tango. It is clear from early photos, film clips, and written accounts that since the beginning of the dance, many embraces and styles existed within tango. To try and pick just one and prove that it is the one true tango is just silly.

We also believe that not only can early tango dancing not be defined, but that tango still cannot be defined to this day. It is an evolving, vernacular dance. It does not belong to one group or culture. Yes, we do not believe that tango belongs only to Argentines. While we respect the origins of tango and the city that gave it life, it has evolved and will continue to evolve, inside and outside of Argentina. By respecting and studying the past, we can enjoy the present and build for the future.

The Music
Tango Evolution supports all forms of tango music. We do not accept that the only viable tango music was created between 1930 and 1950, the Golden Age of Tango. While we love the music of the Golden Age, and you will hear plenty of it at our milongas, we also love early tango music and we feel that the music continues to evolve, just as the dance continues to evolve.

What if Pugliese had  been born in December 2, 1975 instead of December 2, 1905? Would he have a chance? We feel that Carlos Libedinsky (Narcotango) should have just as much of a chance to be heard as Osvaldo Pugliese did when he was first composing. The newer composers should not be penalized just because they were born in a different time. Their expression of tango is just as relevant.

The Culture
We are not immigrants in a new country, alone and poor. We do not carry knives around for protection. The men where we live do not outnumber the women 20 to one. In other words, we are who we are and we dance tango as we know it. We can't dance like they used to dance because we do not have the same life experiences as they had. 

Tango is a world-wide dance. You can go to practically any large city in the world and dance tango. Each of these cities bring their own cultures into tango, and represent a different tango "dialogue". What is done in Buenos Aires is of interest but does not apply one to one to our experiences. To quote one of our favorite tango teachers, Mauricio Castro, "Be yourself. Everyone else is taken."

We are not iconoclasts who want to break with the past, in this case this rich heritage of tango dance and music. We simply don't want the dance, music or culture to stand still. Evolution encompasses and celebrates the past, while being a process where we can influence how we arrive at the future.