Voices of Buenos Aires - Lunfardo and Tango; a Dramatic Expression of the Arrabales

Famous tango dancer Carlos Gavito once said, “If you dance your life, you dance better”. This quote beautifully reflects the main motive in of this thesis, namely the existence and development of the tango. The Argentine tango can be considered to be Argentina’s addition to the world’s experiences of dance. Over the past few decades, the tango transformed from a indecent form of dance straight out of the brothels with men and women rubbing their bodies together to a classy and elegant dance inducing an image of upper class, with both men and women dressed in proper evening dress (Trio Garufa). As the tango develops throughout the years, so does Lunfardo. Lunfardo is considered to be the slang of the outer skirts of Buenos Aires, and frequently used within the lyrics of the tango. How did these two phenomena connect? The purpose of this thesis is to research and understand the development of tango and the use of Lunfardo within the lyrics of the tango. By use of a theoretical...Show moreFamous tango dancer Carlos Gavito once said, “If you dance your life, you dance better”. This quote beautifully reflects the main motive in of this thesis, namely the existence and development of the tango. The Argentine tango can be considered to be Argentina’s addition to the world’s experiences of dance. Over the past few decades, the tango transformed from a indecent form of dance straight out of the brothels with men and women rubbing their bodies together to a classy and elegant dance inducing an image of upper class, with both men and women dressed in proper evening dress (Trio Garufa). As the tango develops throughout the years, so does Lunfardo. Lunfardo is considered to be the slang of the outer skirts of Buenos Aires, and frequently used within the lyrics of the tango. How did these two phenomena connect? The purpose of this thesis is to research and understand the development of tango and the use of Lunfardo within the lyrics of the tango. By use of a theoretical framework and an implementation of these findings in the comparison of different tango lyrics, I will try to answer the question “What function did Lunfardo serve within the Tango?”. To understand what function Lunfardo served within the tango, it is needed to have thorough analysis into different literature is needed. The theoretical framework will give an overview of the history of tango and Lunfardo, and the following case study will function as an example of the two trends in the history of tango lyrics writing.Show less

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Voices of Buenos Aires - Lunfardo and Tango; a Dramatic Expression of the Arrabales