Originally, the tango developed from a mixture of European and African influences, with the rhythms and sensuality derived from the slave populations and the postures, musical influence and some dance elements coming from Spanish dances such as the flamenco.  The tango made its way to Paris in the early 1900s when travel between continents started to become much more prevalent and accessible to the masses, and Argentine tango dancers from Buenos Aires visited France and brought the dance with them.  Much like everywhere else in Europe, its popularity exploded, and Paris hosted Europe’s first tango craze before it spread to other European cities and then to North America.  

Nowadays, the tango is celebrated annually in Paris in Tango in the Suburbs, a festival which lasts about a month and a half.  In this time, over 250 artists and teachers come to Paris to demonstrate their skill and let others learn from them, and if you are here at this time then it’s definitely worth a visit.  The event is a bit of a “take part if you like, observe if you’d rather” deal – famous tango artists come from all over the world to take part and put on demonstrations and shows on the stage.  You can feel free to just to watch in amazement as they whip their way crisply and smoothly through their routines.

On the other hand, if you fancy getting a little more involved, there will be various dance classes and workshops to take part it.  If learning to swish about the floor was always your goal – or if you want to surprise everyone with your first dance at your wedding – this could be a good opportunity to be surrounded by like-minded people.  Presumably, there will be many different standards, so even the two-left-feet-ers will fit right in.

For obvious reasons, if you’re a Latin music fan this is also going to be a pretty good place to be for you.  Musicians from Argentina and Venezuela have been booked in to provide the soundtrack to the festival – stage shows and lessons will be accompanied by the sultry beats which will hopefully make the city feel a bit warmer, especially through November.

The festival will be spread throughout various locations in Paris, making use of concert venues, cinemas and ballrooms for the different events.  For a full schedule (which is being added to as we get nearer to the event, have a visit to http://festival-paris-banlieues-tango.fr/ (or Google Festival Paris Banlieues Tango and hit the translate button like other non-native French speakers – they haven’t got a site translation).  Then book your tickets to Paris and get ready to sway!