Argentina has a rich cultural tradition expressed through literature, music, theatre, dance, and film. Some of Argentina's most influential authors include Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortázar. Tango originated in Buenos Aires and is Argentina's most iconic musical tradition, developing from European, African, and indigenous influences. Theatre has also thrived in Argentina since the late 18th century with many prominent theatres established. The tango dance emerged from the brothels of Buenos Aires and became internationally popular in the early 20th century.

1. Argentina’s
Culture
Tammy Williams

2. Literature
 Best know and most influential authors: Domingo Faustino
Sarmiento, Jose Hernandez, Jorge Luis Borges, Adolfo Bioy Casares,
Roberto Arlt, Julio Cortazar, Manuel Piug and Ernesto Sabo.
 The name of the country comes from a Latinism which first appeared in
an epic poem, “La Argentina” (1602) written by Martin del Barco
Centenera.
 Argentina’s literature started around 1500 with the work of Maitias
Rojas de Oquendo and Pedro Gonzalez de Prado.
 Prior to their independence, neoclassical authors such as Juan Cruz
Varela, produced numerous works related to the revolutionary spirit.
 Literatura Gauchesca – European-oriented themes and styles would
remain in Argentina letters. It gave a lot of importance to the nature of
the pampas, imitation-gaucho literature, purporting the use of the
gaucho language and to reflect their mentality.
 Generation 1880 – Emphasized the European color and cultural
supremacy of Buenos Aires.
 Generation ‘37 – Generation 1937 centers on poetry, where it
developed the descriptive, nostalgic and meditation of that time period.
Fiction writers subscribed to idealism and magic realism.

3. Music
 Music of Argentina is mostly known for the Tango. Folk, Pop, and Classical music are
also popular.
 Musica Folklorica – Many forms, developed in different parts of Argentina with
different European and indigenous influences.
 Traditional folk music became increasingly important during the protest movement
against the military dictatorship and the community divisions of the 1970s.
 The Cosquin National Folklore Festival, has been gathering musicians since 1961.
 Tango arose in brothels, bars and port areas of Buenos Aires.
 Came about as a fusion of influences: Old Milonga – rural gauchos; Habanera –
Cuban music; Polka and Mazurka – Slavics music; Contradanse – Spanish music;
Flamenco – Andalucia; and Italian folk music.
 Brought to Argentina and Uruguay by traders and immigrants.
 Cumbia – An important part of contemporary Argentine music, originally from
Colombian cumbia.
 Cuarteto – Similar to Menengue.

4.  Argentine cinema has been active since 1896.
 Argentine theatre traces its origins to Viceroy
Juan Jose de Vertiz y Salcedo’s creation of the
colony’s first comedy theatre (La Rancheria) in
1793.
 The Colon Theatre was established in 1857, it
hosted classical and operatic as well as stage
performances.
 Antonio Petalardo opened the Teatro Opera in
1871, this inspired others to fund the growing
arts in Argentina.
 The Teatro Independente movement was
created to balance professional theatre and
inspired a new generation of young
dramatists.
 Argentina’s last dictatorship posed the
greatest challenge to the local theatre since the
Rosas era of the mid-19th century.
 The theatre thrived before and after the 1983
return to democracy.
Theatre

5. Dance
 Tango – started in the brothels and slums of 19th
century Argentina.
 A fusion of Spanish, Uruguayan, and African dance
and music.
 There is no basic steps from which to build,
communication between partners must be impeccable.
 It’s a social dance, almost intimate interaction.
 By 1912, the music and dance spread from the burrios
to the middle-class and upper-class dancing
establishments.
 In the 1990s, electronic and world music gave the
tango a new twist.
 In the early 20th century, dancers travelled to Europe.
The first European country that went crazy for the
tango was Paris.
 Tango music and dance are popular in gymnastics,
figure skating, synchronized swimming and etc.
because of the dramatic feeling and cultural
associations with romance.
 Tango is from the Rio de la Plata region, was done in a
study and shown to heal neurological disorders, such
as Parkinson’s disease.