Tango
245 performances · avg 25.23
Tango
Charts
Article
Tango
Category: International Standard
Also known as: Ballroom tango, International tango
DWTS performances in dataset: 245
Average total score: 25.23
First appearance: Season 1, Week 3 — Rachel & Jonathan (Toxic)
Lift rule on DWTS: Not allowed (core ballroom/Latin style on DWTS).
Origins and history
Ballroom tango descends from the Argentine tango that formed in Buenos Aires and Montevideo around the late 19th century, blending milonga, habanera and European influences in immigrant neighborhoods. After a European “tango mania” in the 1910s, English teachers reshaped it into a smoother competition dance. By the late 1920s the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing’s Ballroom Branch helped fix International Standard technique, tempos and figures still used today.
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Tango — Buenos Aires origins c. 1880; European craze
- OUPblog / Oxford University Press: The origins of dance styles — Ballroom popularization overview
- World Dance Foundation: History of ballroom dance — ISTD standardization 1920s
- WDSF: WDSF Competition Rules — tempi — Tango 31–33 bars/min
How it is danced
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Time signature | 4/4 (sometimes notated 2/4) |
| Tempo (MPM) | 31–33 (WDSF) |
| Tempo (BPM, approx.) | 124–132 |
| Character | Dramatic, staccato, feline; sharp head snaps, contrasting slow walks and sudden stops; no rise and fall. |
| Hold / frame | Closed Standard hold but often more compact and slightly offset; promenade positions are common. |
| Basic steps & figures | Walks, link, closed promenade, rock turns, open reverse, corte. Staccato articulation; feet often brush close; contrasting soft and sharp dynamics. |
| What judges look for | Sharp character without looking angry, clean lines, contrasting dynamics, correct tango hold and head weight, no rise-and-fall, no lifts (core Standard). |
Competition tempi cite WDSF Competition Rules E.3.2 and related DanceSport charts where applicable; theatrical styles are song-driven.
History on Dancing with the Stars
Statistics below are computed from the Data with the Stars SQLite performance and score tables (not invented).
- Times danced: 245
- Score range: 9.0 – 45.0 (total judges’ score as stored)
- Perfect nights (every judging mark = 10): 9
Average score by era
| Era | Performances | Average total |
|---|---|---|
| S1-10 | 60 | 24.43 |
| S11-20 | 56 | 26.95 |
| S21-30 | 81 | 25.95 |
| S31+ | 48 | 22.85 |
Best scores
- 45.0 — S31 W6: Shangela & Gleb — ?
- 40.0 — S18 W6: Meryl & Maks — Feel So Close (Calvin Harris)
- 40.0 — S21 W5: Alexa & Derek — Pompeii (Bastille)
- 40.0 — S31 W5: Gabby & Val — Good Girls Go Bad (Cobra Starship, featuring Leighton Meester)
- 40.0 — S32 W8: Xochitl & Val — _ I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) _
Lowest scores
- 9.0 — S34 W1: Corey & Jenna — It's Still Rock and Roll to Me
- 10.0 — S34 W1: Scott & Rylee — Abracadabra
- 12.0 — S34 W1: Danielle & Pasha — Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)
- 13.0 — S29 W1: Chrishell & Gleb — Raise Your Glass
- 13.0 — S34 W1: Lauren & Brandon — Yes, And?
First perfect nights (all marks 10)
- S2 W6: Drew & Cheryl — Shut Up (total 30.0, 3 judges)
- S3 W9: Mario & Karina — Whatever Lola Wants (total 30.0, 3 judges)
- S4 W10: Joey & Kym — Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band (total 30.0, 3 judges)
- S18 W6: Meryl & Maks — Feel So Close (total 40.0, 4 judges)
- S21 W5: Alexa & Derek — Pompeii (total 40.0, 4 judges)
Most-used songs
- Toxic — Britney Spears (3×)
- Simply Irresistible — Robert Palmer (3×)
- Holding Out for a Hero — Bonnie Tyler (3×)
- Disturbia — Rihanna (3×)
- Seven Nation Army — The White Stripes (3×)
- Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) — Eurythmics (3×)
- Oh, Pretty Woman — Roy Orbison (3×)
- Get Ready — The Temptations (3×)
Charts
Watch top performances
- Maksim Chmerkovskiy & Meryl Davis dancing Tango on DWTS 4 21 14 — S18 W6, score 40.0, Feel So Close
- Alix Earle’s Prince Night Argentine Tango | Dancing with the Stars — S34 W7, score 39.0, Bury a Friend
- Dancing with the Stars Con 2026: Designing the Look with Jenna Johnson - Full Show, Front Row — S33 W3, score 36.0, Rock You Like a Hurricane
- Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas’s Super Bowl Night Tango | Dancing with the Stars — S35 W5, score 33.0, Only Girl (In the World)
- Pete & Jowita American Smooth to I Had Some Help by Post Malone & Morgan Wallen ✨ BBC Strictly 2024 — S33 W9, score 27.0, I Had Some Help
Educational fan reference. Dance histories paraphrased from cited sources; DWTS stats from project data. Not affiliated with BBC Studios or Disney.
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