[Tango-L] La mujer dressed as a man in theater and tango

[David Koucky]

It may be worth noting that the immigrants to the new world did not arrive with a blank slate.  They brought their training and customs with them. This includes music and dance.  The traditional as well as the newer up to date steps.  These steps change over time with each new generation creating their own variants.

The Waltz (Vals) seems to have become popular in Vienna by the end of the 1780's.  Waltz is often credited with popularizing couples dancing the entire dance in an embrace.  This was rather shocking at the time. Waltz is generally reported in the rest of Europe by the 1820's. There are earlier references, but it is certainly safe to say Dancing in the embrace was on its way by then.  

The Revolutions in 1848 helped spread the Central European Dance.  You may have heard of these : Polka, Mazurka, Redowa, Hongroise etc.  These are danced in the embrace.  

The non-embrace dances have continued along side these.  They remained popular into the 20th century.  Perhaps some of the fun is because the do not require an embrace, and they do not need a lead and a follow.  I enjoy the intricate patterns created by these types of dance.  

I suppose that some interesting suppositions here are that everyone knew something about dancing as an entertainment, and all classes had their favorites.  The dance that became the tango seems to have traveled upward to the higher classes.  Well, they already knew how to dance, and probably employed instructors to teach the proper European dances of the 1880's and 1890's.  These dances are in the embrace and are the descendants of the aforementioned dances.  

So, we have a new dance arriving in a boom town full of lonely men who outnumber the available women. The attend entertainment in places where the men are the customers, and the women get paid to entertain.  So of these places are of a dubious nature and may mix commercial dancing with less savory transactions.  Sometimes the difference between the dance hall and the Brothel may not be perfectly clear.  It could just be a doorway in back.  

In the same city you have large homes with their own ballrooms.  Several generations of the same families greet their friends and relations for an entertaining evening.  Here, the unsavory has to be a greater secret..

In either case, the latest and most popular items will bring life to a party.  The participants may deny their debt to the other side of the fence, but the debt is there.  

The amateur historian may only find the written denial.