4. Dance/ Baile

One of my favorite parts about South America in general is the importance of dance in their culture. Argentina is no exception. The Argentine Tango is an intricate dance that is hard to master, but beautiful to watch. The dance is a mix of various influences from African to European to New World. It started out as a banned form of expression that was resented by the upper echelons of society as it was seen as a dance for the lower class. It wasn’t until it the 1920’s when it was embraced by Europeans that Argentinians decided it was good enough to be a cultural treasure. It is now taught all over the world. Texas, on the other hand, has always embraced its own dance called the Texas Two Step. The Two Step evolved from the Foxtrot when Texans added their own smoother glide to the dance to compensate for the fact that they needed to dance with boots on. Like the Argentine Tango, the two step was first adopted by poorer, rural residents that eventually became Texas’ beloved cultural dance. It is taught from a young age in the state and it is the way many young couples have met.

Overall, while the countries are still very different in many ways, they have some interesting similarities. It just shows how powerful immigration truly is on a culture! Have you noticed any similarities between two countries in terms of their culture? Comment below!