Salsa Vs Tango: What Are Differences Between Salsa And Tango


Salsa and Tango are fabulous dances, and you can’t get wrong learning to dance any of them, or even better both. However, many people confuse these two dances, so I will shed some light by explaining the most important differences between Salsa and Tango dance.

What is the difference between Salsa and Tango? Tango is a very intimate and sensual dance style danced between two people and is done in a slow gliding style across the dance floor. On the other hand, Salsa can be done solo or with a partner. Salsa consists of lots of spinning, hip movements, and fast moves. 

I have danced Salsa and Tango, and they differ in so many ways. Salsa is more fun and joyful dance; whereas, Tango is a very technical dance style. Both dance styles are lovely, and I just found it more difficult transitioning from Salsa to Tango. 

What Is Salsa Dance? 

Salsa is an energetic, fun, and sensual partner dance. Although it is a partner dance, it is a very sociable type of dance, so you don’t need to have a consistent partner to dance Salsa. It has become increasingly popular worldwide, and Salsa clubs can be easily found in almost every city. 

Many salsa lovers are opening doors to new opportunities for social life. 

Salsa is a Latin dance that originated in the 1960s and combines Cuban, Dominican and Puerto Rican dances. It was mainly developed by Dominicans and Puerto Ricans in New York between the ’60s and ’70s. 

In salsa dancing, a dancer shifts their weight by moving into the middle to have 50/50 weight. The upper body remains almost unaffected by those changes. The main movements are in eight steps that cause hips to move and adding more sensuality. 

The arms are used by “lead” to indicate to “follow” to which direction she should go. It could be either an open or closed position. The open position requires the dancers to hold one or both hands. This is especially very important for moves that involve turns, putting arms behind the back, or moving around each other. In the closed position, the lead puts the right hand on the “follow’s” back, where the “follow” puts the left hand on the leader’s shoulder.

Salsa tempo is between 150 bpm to 250 bpm; therefore, the pace is very fast. Salsa composition is based around clave rhythm that has four types. The key instrument that gives the core groove to salsa music is the clave. Salsa songs are played with two wooden sticks called claves that are hit together. 

A great thing about Salsa dance is that it will continue to change and grow as people add new techniques, steps, and individual styles that others will love, too.

Here is an excellent example of Salsa dance: 

What Is Tango Dance? 

Tango is strictly a partner dance originating from Rio de la Plata, the border between Argentina and Uruguay. 

Argentine Tango is the most popular Tango style. Argentine Tango is a music and dance style that originated in the 19th century in Montevideo and Buenos Aires. 

Argentine Tango music has a 2/2 or 4/4 rhythmic time signature. Traditionally, Argentine Tango has been danced strictly to Tango music. However, many dancers started dancing the Tango to alternative genres such as electro-tango, blues, experimental rock”, and others in recent years. 

Argentine Tango can be danced in an open position where the leader and follower connect at arm’s length. Also, it can be danced in a closed position where the leader and follower connect chest to chest. 

Essentially, Tango dancers drag their feet on the floor while mirroring each other. Unlike Salsa, Tango dance is a very technical dance style. Salsa has many steps and patterns that you can mix and improvise, but you cannot do that with Tango. In Tango dance, you must follow specific steps and patterns to dance correctly and adequately. 

A difference between Argentine and ballroom Tango is in the feel and shape of the embrace. For example, there are open and closed embraces in Argentine and ballroom Tango. 

In Argentine Tango, dancers’ chests are closer to each other than their hips. In the closed position, dancers’ chests are in contact, and their heads almost touch each other. There can be lots of space between dance partners in an open position, but there should be lots of contact with arms to communicate the next steps clearly. 

There needs to be clear communication between dance partners because Argentine Tango is entirely improvised. 

Argentine Tango is danced counterclockwise around the outside of the dance floor, and dancing in the middle of the dance floor generally is not acceptable. Occasionally, you can see beginners dancing in the middle of the dance floor because they lack navigation skills (aka me, haha). 

This video has made me fall in love with the Tango. 

However, the reality is there is no way for beginners, including myself, to dance like that. So here is a video that provides clear instructions on how to dance the Tango as a beginner. 

Should I Learn Salsa Or Tango?

Salsa and Tango are entirely different dance styles, so it is up to you what you prefer better. However, if you desire to learn both dance styles, I suggest learning Salsa first because Tango is very technical and more complicated. 

Also, you will have more opportunities to dance Salsa socially because it is a party dance. Salsa dance is more joyful, whereas Tango is a more serious dance style. So, you will have trouble finding Tango dance events in your city or surrounding areas. 

Finally, Salsa is more popular than Tango across the World. So you will meet more people who know how to dance Salsa and not Tango. 

Final Words

Salsa and Tango are fantastic dance styles but very different. It would be beneficial to learn both dances and keep in mind that music, dance patterns, and movements are very different, so you might have trouble transitioning from one dance style to another. Whatever dance style you decide to learn, you will not regret it. 

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