The Tango has become one of the most popular dances and music worldwide because the music and choreography have so much room for interpretation and improvisation. The origins of Tango have yet to be directly pin pointed. A vast number of theories have proposed where the Tango originated, each with its intransigent advocates. However, after years of research, it has become impossible to find out because the records on it do not exist in the world anymore. The most accepted theory proposes that the Tango sprang from the poor and the disadvantaged areas deep inside Argentina. These Argentinian dancers and musicians gave shape to the original, authentic Tango known around the world. The Tango spread out worldwide and eventually hit America, Europe, and Africa. This spread of the Tango was catalyzed by one influential occurrence in history: The Slave Trade. The Slave Trade served as one of the main influence that caused the evolution and different perception of Tango music around the world. This is on account of The Slave Trade bringing many different cultures and music to unfamiliar land as it brought new people to foreign territory. Through the Slave Trade, Tango music was able to spread and evolve in meaning and perception as it touched new and interesting cultures around the world.

   As people from Europe, Africa, and other places streamed into the heart of Buenos Aires on account of the Slave Trade, cultures started to coalesce. From this cultural brew emerged a new and exciting music known as the Tango. In Argentina, the Tango grew as an integral part of the large city life. The Tango could be found all over Argentina's cafes, milongas, the city's authentic neighborhoods. The mix of cultures evoked the start of this revolutionary music and dance that has now spread around the world. "The Argentinian Tango borrowed from many nations: the rhythms of the African slaves, as well as rhythms associated with the music of early European Spanish colonists" (Fernandez). The meaning and perception of the Tango in Argentina came from the acts and doings of the Slave Trade. The African and European people that did not want to be there sought to escape from their feelings of frustration and anger. They influenced how the Tango was portrayed by channeling that energy into developing a music and dance that embodied them and what they were feeling. The sound and attitude of the Argentinian Tango, speaks of more than frustrated love as it is interpreted in America. It speaks of grievance and pain. It is the dance and song of distress. The article described it as a "sad thought you can dance" ("A sense of where you were - The history of the tango"). This form of the Tango spread throughout Argentina for a number of years. The Slave Trade had brought many European influences to the Tango in Argentina like that of the bandoneon, an accordion-like instrument. The bandoneon is from Germany where it was used to play religious music in churches. Generally, the combined influences from the Slave Trade helped to shape the meaning of Tango music in Argentina. The mix of cultures came together to make Argentinian Tango enjoyed as a stress relief and happy place in their hard working lives.

   For well over 300 years, European countries forced Africans on slave ships and transported them across the Atlantic Ocean. Many different cultures were exposed to and intermixed into the European population during these voyages. Many Argentinians were taken to Europe where the Tango music evolved differently than in its home country. The greater influence of European culture on the original Tango music brought over by Argentinians helped to shape how Europeans perceive Tango music and how the original Tango evolved in Europe. When Tango music first started to be seen around Europe from the young men there from Argentina, polite society in Europe fell in love. To the elite society in Argentina, the Tango had been something that they chose not to associate themselves with since it originated in the poorer parts of town. The tango music that evolved in Europe moved the idea of Tango being associated with the poor to the Tango being associated with the elite. In the Tango music that evolved in Europe, there is more of a more "lyrical style of violin playing, and the melodic influence of Neapolitan song", a key factor in the melodic beauty characteristic of Tango (Denniston). The bandoneon also appears in Tango music that evolved in Europe as well. The perception of the tango evolved differently in Europe than in its home country. The famous musician Gardel sang the story of the abandoned lover with passion and pain, as though he meant every word. The triumph was immense, and the song became popular around all parts of Europe. Tragic love became the backbone of the Tango repertoire, and that idea of the Tango became universal around Europe. Tango was the first couple dance that was ever to be developed in Europe that involved improvisation. "Before the Tango arrived in Europe, couple dance was sequence based, with every couple on the floor dancing the same steps at the same time" (Denniston). Overall the Europeans evolved the Tango to be this very passionate and driven dance between two people. They added in a lot of European instrumentation to the original, authentic Tango that was brought over. In addition they helped to shape how the Tango was received by the general public by allowing it to be accepted by the elite.

  In addition to traveling to Europe, Argentinians ended up in Africa as well. Similarly, they brought their tango music and it evolved differently in Africa. African influences were strong on the original Tango too. African influence on the Tango can be seen because of the candombe societies. Their influences resulted in the quicker steps that can be seen in the tango that developed in Africa. Tango in Africa started life in Africa as sort of a Kongo grind. Then it eventually grew and developed into Africa's own interpretation of the Tango. One of the most confusing aspects of the tango that developed in Africa is that the Africans did not add any drums into the mix. "Even though the presence of drums are not physically there in the tango that developed in Africa, black musicians implemented percussive tactics in the way the strings and bandoneons are played, and special effects like "arrastres," whooshing runs, that pump up the dancers" (Pfeiffenberger). Canyengue is one of the tango that developed in Africa's most identifying features. "Dancers are stone-faced, the knees flexed, rear extended, as couples meet in a leaning embrace derived from European couple dancing. Tango moves like quebradas (a hip twist), cortes ("breaks") and sentadas (the woman seated on the man's thigh)" (Pfeiffenberger). While many of these features are in the original Tango, the straightening up of Tango posture is one of the most obvious way to identify it as the tango that developed in Africa. The tango developed as a form of entertainment for the Africans around the continent. Overall, the dance form of the tango that developed in Africa was the result of a fusion of African, Argentinean, and European culture spurred by the Slave Trade.

   As Argentina became very wealthy due to the wealth it was garnering from the slave trade, the sons of rich families would often go out and travel for either entertainment or for education. While they traveled they brought their culture that they were accustomed to in the cities of Argentina. These people from Argentina introduced the Tango to the American people. The reaction from the American people was amazing and they loved the music and the dance and soon began to add their own twist and interpretation of the dance. Before long, the American style Tango was being influenced by famous dancers of the stage and screen. It was this influence which contributed the most to the tango that developed in America's flamboyant and theatrical character. The Tango mixed in with other popular social dance styles and drew on some Hollywood-inspired theatrics. Hollywood really spread the word about this dance and was a huge influence on how Americans thought of the Tango. The dance became a big hit in the social setting and developed a very simplistic move set. "The tango evolved to highlight all the drama of life which allowed much more open positions and distinctive body lines. It is now a hugely popular ballroom style in the country, both recreationally and competitively" (Renteria). Tango that developed in America is characterized by dance movements that are usually very flowy and fluid, interrupted only by sharp, sudden motions or steps. The music is kept at a medium tempo and is usually very dramatic. The tango that developed in America evolved to be more flexible than the original tango brought in, with its inclusion of percussive downbeats mixed with other instrumentation. These characteristics are key in identifying the tango that developed in America. "Most can identify the tango dance that developed in America by recognizing its timing showcased with a quick, quick, slow action. The final slow in the basic is an unweighted slide back into the starting position" (Renteria). Everything about the American Style Tango is more dramatic, with both dancers being very intense and sexual. This is because Hollywood portrayed the Tango as very dramatic, shaped, and performance-oriented. The tango that developed in America continues to evolve, but the tango that developed in America is still best known as both the simplest and the showiest of all Tangos.

   Tango music comes from a mixture of cultural influences including African, Latin American, and European due to the process of the slave trade. At the heart of the the tango that developed in Argentina is the bandoneon, and the music never has a heavy drum beat, if drums are used at all. The the tango that developed in Europe, in contrast, is a strong march with a steady, consistent downbeat. The tango that developed in Africa creates drum-like beats through the use of their instruments. Lastly, the tango that developed in America portrayed the tango as being very sexualized. Through the strong influences of the slave trade, that helped to spread culture and intermix different types of people, the tango was able to evolve in many different ways throughout the world. Tango music was able to spread and mature in meaning and perception as it went around the world. Each region of the world was able to interpret the Tango how they wanted and was able to add their own twist to the original, authentic Tango.