Although the origins of the Tango are somewhat obscure due to the passage of time, the Tango is believed to have originated in the "Milonga". The original Milonga was a local Argentine dance which itself evolved from a mix of the Cuban Habanera and the Polka, sometime in the mid-1800s (in the city where it was popular with the Compadritos the Milonga was sometimes referred to as the "poor man's habanera").

The steps of this original Milonga are no longer known in detail; however it is believed that around 1870-1880 the dance was then modified by inclusion of several elements of an african-argentine dance called the "Candombe". This later form of the Milonga is considered to be the embryonic form of the Tango before the new dance was given it's name.

Because of this association a dance in Buenos Aires is not actually called a Tango Dance, but a "Milonga".

Original of this article can be found at http://www.nhtango.org.

If you want to learn more about tango history please visit http://www.history-of-tango.com