Tango as both music and dance remains a significant part of popular culture even one hundred years after its introduction into North American culture. Words like “sexy” or “passionate” frequently modify the concept of tango. Advertisers capitalize on these connotations in attempts to make their own product appear more appealing. Artists go a step further, not only adding tango for commercial appeal, but they also use tango to enhance the narrative.
In order to deconstruct the image of “sexy tango,” I will examine the history of tango in both Argentina and the United States; analyze the more formal aspects of the dance itself; and utilize the theories of Foucault and Said to clarify the interaction of gender and power in the tango. The tension created by gender and power, that is also based in history, makes tango especially dramatic. I will apply this combination of contexts to four case studies of the use of tango in theatre and film: “Hernando’s Hideaway” from the musical The Pajama Game (1954); the tango revue Tango Argentino (1986); “Tango Maureen” from the musical Rent (1996); and the tango scene from the film Frida (2002).