Origins
The tango originally came from Spain.  It started as a solo dance for women in Spain in the early 1800s.  It was brought to South America by Spanish settlers and became popular in Argentina by the mid 1850s.  At this time tango became a partner dance in the underground of Buenos Aires.  The men and women who danced the tango wore special clothes-full skirts for women and gaucho with boots and spurs for men.  Couples danced the tango by pressing close together. This version of the tango was called baile con corte, the "dance with a stop." The tango was shocking to society at that time because the dancers' bodies were so close together.

Rich young men would visit the underground for excitement. They discovered the tango and brought it back to wealthier society. They renamed the dance the tango to bring it more respect.  These young men brought the tango to Paris, France in the early 1900s were it became very popular in cabarets. (A cabaret--pronounced ca-buh-ray-is a  special restaurant with dancing and music).  The Paris version of the tango made its way back to Argentina which helped it gain more respectability in wealthy society of Argentina. 

Popularity in America
Maurice Mouvet went to Paris for a brief period at the age of fourteen when his father took him.  while he was there he learned the tango on his own in the Parisian Cafes.   In 1910-11 Maurice Mouvet from New York was fascinated by the dance, and soon he and his partner put basic tango steps into their routine.  in 1911 they  gave demonstrations of the tango at a local restaurant in New York.  Maurice opened a dance studio charging $25 a hour for lessons.  He also got a dancing part in the musical comedy, Over the River. While performing  in this musical, Maurice found a new partner, Florence Walton, whom he later married.  They danced together for several years, touring Europe and the United States.

Tango Today
Today the tango is still popular and keeping sparks of this daring art form burning brightly.  At Walter Kerr Theatre in Broadway, Luis Bravo's Forever Tango is playing and has had a tremendous success as an open-ended run.