Traditional or Nuevo

11 Oct 2024 - by Graham (from Newsletter)

The question of what makes tango “traditional” or “nuevo” has been around since the 1970s but in that time there has never been any real consensus as to what these words mean. People say “he is a nuevo dancer” or “that is a very traditional style” as if that explains everything, but what is being described? Is it the hold? The steps or techniques? The way they stand? The rhythm?

The music choice may be an obvious difference, but does it affect the dance all that much? The rhythmic structure of a track by Pugliese is no different to a Tanghetto track or something from the modern album chart, and there is at least as much musical variance in a jazz or blues piece as in anything from the golden age. So whilst different music may give the dance a different feel, it does not change anything fundamental about how we dance it.

We all learn the dance itself in the same way and from the same sources, and - crucially - we can all dance with anyone from a different background. So it seems unlikely that there are any huge differences in the technique or the steps used.  And if you look at film of some of the earliest tango performances you will see that the dancers used steps and tricks that these days are promoted as “new” or “modern”. So no change there either.

Some people say that nuevo (or neo) tango is danced in an open hold, whereas traditional is a more close embrace. But again this ignores the wide range of holds and frames used from the earliest tango days. Tango was never one style, and the close milonguero embrace was never as ubiquitous as some teachers would have you believe.

The 'traditional' side of tango is all about recreating the sounds and atmosphere of old Buenos Aires, and that may work for some people. But the last note was played in the Golden Age many years before most of us were born. Instead we want to dance to music that is current and relevant, and in venues with a modern and lively atmosphere. The dance itself remains the same, but if some people want to call what we do “neotango” or “nuevo” then that is okay.

We just call it tango.