TANGO
History
When the Argentine Tango was brought to the European ballroom in the early 20th century, it wasn't long before the English dancers started to introduce their own steps and style into the dance forming what became the Ballroom Tango. Elements of the Argentine style remain, with the flexed knees (from where the gauchos would have stiff legs from wearing their leather chaps) and the womans posture with the head held back away from the man (said to be because the gauchos would be smelly from working on the pampas all day).
The costumes are usually more casual for the men, with a short suit jacket instead of tails, and for the woman, the dress will still be a full length gown, but expect to see strong or passionate colours - dramatic black, fiery red, electric blue or purple.
The dance
The Tango is the sexy, passionate dance of the ballroom discipline. No rise and fall in this dance, it should be flat across the floor, with slow, stalking promenades alternating with sharp turns, swivels and head movements. The hold is different for the Tango, in that it is closer and more compact, with the woman dancing in the crook of the mans right arm.
'Staccato' is often used to describe the Tango, by which the judges mean the sharp, clipped movements, not just with the feet, but with head movements, lines and posture.
Strictly statistics
As at the end of Series 10 excluding Christmas Specials.
| Overall | Female | Couple | Male | Couple | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of dances | 89 | 44 | 45 | ||||
| Average score | 29.2 | 30.8 | 27.6 | ||||
| Highest score | 40 | 40 | Kimberley & Pasha (Series 10) | 38 | Austin & Erin (Series 6) Matt & Aliona (Series 8) Jason & Kristina (Series 9) |
||
| Lowest score | 14 | 16 | Esther & Anton (Series 2) | 14 | Diarmuid & Nicole (Series 2) | ||
| Number of 10s | 25 | 18 | 7 |
*For the calculation of averages, the score for any dances marked by five judges have been adjusted down to allow for fair comparison.
The best of Strictly
The benchmark for the Tango was set by Zoe & Ian in Series 3, with a spine-tingling routine, which scored two 10's from Arlene and Bruno, and a total of 38 points. Everything about the dance was right, from the costumes (Zoe in a stunning black beaded gown), to the music (traditional and passionate), to the choreography (intense and mesmerising story telling), making it an absolute joy to watch.
By far the best of the male celebrity Tango routine came from Austin & Erin in week 9 of the sixth series, with a passionate, sharp and dramatic routine danced to "Libertango" which prompted two 10s from the judges and another total of 38 points.
In the final of series 10, Kimberley & Pasha chose the tango as their favourite dance, and in an enormous improvement on their first time, danced an impeccable routine combining fantastic technique and a passionate performance, resulting in the judges awarding them the coveted perfoect score of four 10s.
The worst of Strictly
By week 3 of Series 2, we already knew Diarmuid Gavin wasn't going to be a great dancer, and as hard as Nicole tried, their performance still has the lowest score for the Tango in all of Strictly, with only 14 points. In the same week, Esther & Anton didn't fare much better with only 16 points.
Karen's dress was the start of the downfall of her Tango with Bill Turnbull, as the flamenco styling of the skirt was so long and flouncy, it hid not only her feet, but that of her partner - a cunning plan some thought - but the judges spotted it, and what with the tacky engagement ring prop at the end of the routine, it warranted a score of only 20 points.
Scores for all Tango performances:
Series 1| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Arlene | Len | Bruno | Total |
| Lesley & Anton | Sensation | Week 3 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 29 |
| David & Camilla | La Cumparsita | Week 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 20 |
| Claire & John | Roxanne | Week 3 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 34 |
| Natasha & Brendan | Libre Tango | Week 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 31 |
| Chris & Hanna | Toxic | Week 7 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 21 |
Series 2
| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Arlene | Len | Bruno | Total |
| Julian & Erin | Roxanne | Week 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Esther & Anton | One Way Or Another | Week 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 16 |
| Diarmuid & Nicole | Por Una Cabeza | Week 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 14 |
| Sarah & Brendan | Hernando's Hideaway | Week 3 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 |
| Aled & Lilia | Cell Block Tango (He Had It Comin') | Week 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Jill & Darren | Objection Tango | Week 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 29 |
| Denise & Ian | Goldfinger | Week 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 |
Series 3
| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Arlene | Len | Bruno | Total |
| Bill & Karen | Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps | Week 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 20 |
| Patsy & Anton | Una Música Brutal | Week 3 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 34 |
| Colin & Erin | Ride It | Week 3 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 26 |
| James & Camilla | Mein Herr | Week 3 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 28 |
| Darren & Lilia | From Russia With Love | Week 3 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 33 |
| Will & Hanna | Pretty Woman | Week 6 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 28 |
| Zoe & Ian | Argentino | Week 7 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 38 |
| Zoe & Ian | Argentino | Week 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 38 |
Series 4
| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Arlene | Len | Bruno | Total |
| Ray & Camilla | Money, Money, Money | Week 3 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 29 |
| Matt & Lilia | Stand By Me | Week 3 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 30 |
| Spoony & Ola | Tango D'Amour | Week 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Mark & Karen | Eleanor Rigby | Week 3 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 32 |
| Peter & Erin | Tango Notturno | Week 3 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 31 |
| Claire & Brendan | Ole Guapa | Week 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 29 |
| Louisa & Vincent | Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) | Week 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 |
| Emma & Darren | Maneater | Week 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 35 |
| Mark & Karen | Eleanor Rigby | Week 12 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 34 |
Series 5
| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Arlene | Len | Bruno | Total |
| Gethin & Camilla | Gold | Week 3 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 29 |
| Kenny & Ola | Call Me | Week 3 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 25 |
| Kate & Anton | They | Week 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 19 |
| Letitia & Darren | Material Girl | Week 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Willie & Erin | Obertura | Week 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 23 |
| Kelly & Brendan | Gimme, Gimme, Gimme | Week 3 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 35 |
| John & Nicole | Dance With Me | Week 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 28 |
| Matt & Flavia | What Are You Waiting For | Week 9 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 32 |
| Alesha & Matthew | Jealousy | Week 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 38 |
Series 6
| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Arlene | Len | Bruno | Total |
| Mark & Hayley | Tanguera | Week 3 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| John & Kristina | Boulevard of Broken Dreams | Week 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 22 |
| Andrew & Ola | 20th Century Boy | Week 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 22 |
| Don & Lilia | Whatever Lola Wants | Week 3 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 |
| Lisa & Brendan | La Cumparsita | Week 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 |
| Heather & Brian | Rebel, Rebel | Week 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Austin & Erin | Libertango | Week 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 38 |
| Tom & Camilla | Please Mr Brown | Week 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 |
| Christine & Matthew | Addicted To Love | Week 11 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 28 |
| Rachel & Vincent | Here Comes The Rain Again | Week 12 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 39 |
Series 7
| Judges scores | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Darcey | Len | Alesha | Bruno | Total |
| Rav & Aliona | Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing | Week 1 | 3 | - | 6 | 5 | 5 | 19 |
| Chris & Ola | Sharp Dressed Man | Week 1 | 6 | - | 7 | 7 | 6 | 26 |
| Lynda & Darren | Under Pressure | Week 1 | 3 | - | 6 | 7 | 5 | 21 |
| Joe & Kristina | Cite Tango | Week 1 | 2 | - | 5 | 5 | 4 | 16 |
| Natalie & Vincent | Spider Of The Night | Week 2 | 6 | - | 6 | 6 | 6 | 24 |
| Craig & Flavia | Jai Ho | Week 2 | 5 | - | 6 | 5 | 6 | 22 |
| Laila & Anton | El Chocio | Week 2 | 7 | - | 8 | 7 | 8 | 30 |
| Jo & Brendan | Let's Dance | Week 2 | 3 | - | 5 | 5 | 5 | 18 |
| Phil & Katya | Back To Black | Week 7 | 7 | - | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 |
| Ricky & Natalie | You Really Got Me | Week 8 | 8 | - | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 |
| Ricky & Erin | U Got The Look | Week 10 | 5 | - | 6 | 6 | 5 | 22 |
| Ali & Brian | Born To Be Wild | Week 12 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 42 |
Series 8
| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Len | Alesha | Bruno | Total |
| Scott & Natalie | Palladio | Week 4 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 |
| Felicity & Vincent | Gipsy Tango | Week 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 29 |
| Gavin & Katya | Toxic | Week 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 23 |
| Pamela & James | Love Is The Drug | Week 4 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 34 |
| Michelle & Ian | Killer | Week 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Ann & Anton | La Cumparsita | Week 4 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 21 |
| Kara & Artem | Roxanne | Week 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 38 |
| Matt & Aliona | Hung Up | Week 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 38 |
| June & Vincent | Never Do A Tango With An Eskimo | Christmas | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 28 |
Series 9
| Judges scores | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Jennifer | Len | Alesha | Bruno | Total |
| Holly & Artem | Cell Block Tango (He Had It Comin') | Week 3 | 7 | - | 8 | 7 | 8 | 30 |
| Nancy & Anton | Be Italian | Week 3 | 4 | - | 5 | 5 | 6 | 20 |
| Robbie & Ola | Gimme, Gimme, Gimme | Week 3 | 7 | - | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 |
| Jason & Kristina | I Will Survive | Week 3 | 9 | - | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 |
| Russell & Flavia | Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) | Week 4 | 5 | - | 6 | 6 | 7 | 24 |
| Chelsee & Pasha | Love Potion Number 9 | Week 5 | 7 | - | 8 | 9 | 8 | 32 |
| Harry & Aliona | Psycho Killer | Week 5 | 8 | - | 7 | 10 | 9 | 34 |
| Anita & Robin | Devil Woman | Week 5 | 7 | - | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 |
| Lulu & Brendan | Kiss | Week 6 | 5 | 8 | - | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Alex & James | Relax | Week 8 | 8 | - | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 |
| Jason & Kristina | I Will Survive | Week 12 | 9 | - | 10 | 10 | 9 | 38 |
Series 10
| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Darcey | Len | Bruno | Total |
| Sid & Ola | Here I Go Again | Week 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 17 |
| Nicky & Karen | Weird Science | Week 4 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 26 |
| Victoria & Brendan | White Wedding | Week 4 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 |
| Louis & Flavia | Disturbia | Week 4 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 |
| Lisa & Robin | Let's Stick Together | Week 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 27 |
| Dani & Vincent | Rumour Has It | Week 6 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 34 |
| Kimberley & Pasha | When Doves Cry | Week 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 34 |
| Denise & James | Roxanne | Week 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 39 |
| Dani & Vincent | Rumour Has It | Week 12 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 |
| Kimberley & Pasha | When Doves Cry | Week 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40 |
All dances from highest scoring to lowest scoring
| Couple | Song | Date | Score* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kimberley & Pasha | When Doves Cry | Series 10, Week 12 | 40 |
| Rachel & Vincent | Here Comes The Rain Again | Series 6, Week 12 | 39 |
| Denise & James | Roxanne | Series 10, Week 11 | 39 |
| Zoe & Ian | Argentino | Series 3, Week 7 | 38 |
| Zoe & Ian | Argentino | Series 3, Week 10 | 38 |
| Alesha & Matthew | Jealousy | Series 5, Week 9 | 38 |
| Austin & Erin | Libertango | Series 6, Week 9 | 38 |
| Kara & Artem | Roxanne | Series 8, Week 10 | 38 |
| Matt & Aliona | Hung Up | Series 8, Week 11 | 38 |
| Jason & Kristina | I Will Survive | Series 9, Week 12 | 38 |
| Tom & Camilla | Please Mr Brown | Series 6, Week 10 | 36 |
| Jason & Kristina | I Will Survive | Series 9, Week 3 | 36 |
| Dani & Vincent | Rumour Has It | Series 10, Week 12 | 36 |
| Denise & Ian | Goldfinger | Series 2, Week 7 | 35 |
| Louisa & Vincent | Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) | Series 4, Week 7 | 35 |
| Emma & Darren | Maneater | Series 4, Week 10 | 35 |
| Kelly & Brendan | Gimme, Gimme, Gimme | Series 5, Week 3 | 35 |
| Lisa & Brendan | La Cumparsita | Series 6, Week 7 | 35 |
| Ricky & Natalie | You Really Got Me | Series 7, Week 8 | 35 |
| Scott & Natalie | Palladio | Series 8, Week 4 | 35 |
| Alex & James | Relax | Series 9, Week 8 | 35 |
| Louis & Flavia | Disturbia | Series 10, Week 4 | 35 |
| Claire & John | Roxanne | Series 1, Week 3 | 34 |
| Patsy & Anton | Una Música Brutal | Series 3, Week 3 | 34 |
| Mark & Karen | Eleanor Rigby | Series 4, Week 12 | 34 |
| Pamela & James | Love Is The Drug | Series 8, Week 4 | 34 |
| Harry & Aliona | Psycho Killer | Series 9, Week 5 | 34 |
| Dani & Vincent | Rumour Has It | Series 10, Week 6 | 34 |
| Kimberley & Pasha | When Doves Cry | Series 10, Week 8 | 34 |
| Ali & Brian | Born To Be Wild | Series 7, Week 12 | 33.6 (42) |
| Darren & Lilia | From Russia With Love | Series 3, Week 3 | 33 |
| Mark & Karen | Eleanor Rigby | Series 4, Week 3 | 32 |
| Matt & Flavia | What Are You Waiting For | Series 5, Week 9 | 32 |
| Chelsee & Pasha | Love Potion Number 9 | Series 9, Week 5 | 32 |
| Natasha & Brendan | Libre Tango | Series 1, Week 6 | 31 |
| Sarah & Brendan | Hernando's Hideaway | Series 2, Week 3 | 31 |
| Peter & Erin | Tango Notturno | Series 4, Week 3 | 31 |
| Anita & Robin | Devil Woman | Series 9, Week 5 | 31 |
| Victoria & Brendan | White Wedding | Series 10, Week 4 | 31 |
| Matt & Lilia | Stand By Me | Series 4, Week 3 | 30 |
| Don & Lilia | Whatever Lola Wants | Series 6, Week 3 | 30 |
| Laila & Anton | El Chocio | Series 7, Week 2 | 30 |
| Phil & Katya | Back To Black | Series 7, Week 7 | 30 |
| Holly & Artem | Cell Block Tango (He Had It Comin') | Series 9, Week 3 | 30 |
| Robbie & Ola | Gimme, Gimme, Gimme | Series 9, Week 3 | 30 |
| Lesley & Anton | Sensation | Series 1, Week 3 | 29 |
| Jill & Darren | Objection Tango | Series 2, Week 7 | 29 |
| Ray & Camilla | Money, Money, Money | Series 4, Week 3 | 29 |
| Claire & Brendan | Ole Guapa | Series 4, Week 7 | 29 |
| Gethin & Camilla | Gold | Series 5, Week 3 | 29 |
| Felicity & Vincent | Gipsy Tango | Series 8, Week 4 | 29 |
| James & Camilla | Mein Herr | Series 3, Week 3 | 28 |
| Will & Hanna | Pretty Woman | Series 3, Week 6 | 28 |
| John & Nicole | Dance With Me | Series 5, Week 7 | 28 |
| Christine & Matthew | Addicted To Love | Series 6, Week 11 | 28 |
| June & Vincent | Never Do A Tango With An Eskimo | Series 8, Week Christmas | 28 |
| Julian & Erin | Roxanne | Series 2, Week 3 | 27 |
| Aled & Lilia | Cell Block Tango (He Had It Comin') | Series 2, Week 7 | 27 |
| Spoony & Ola | Tango D'Amour | Series 4, Week 3 | 27 |
| Letitia & Darren | Material Girl | Series 5, Week 3 | 27 |
| Heather & Brian | Rebel, Rebel | Series 6, Week 8 | 27 |
| Michelle & Ian | Killer | Series 8, Week 4 | 27 |
| Lulu & Brendan | Kiss | Series 9, Week 6 | 27 |
| Lisa & Robin | Let's Stick Together | Series 10, Week 5 | 27 |
| Colin & Erin | Ride It | Series 3, Week 3 | 26 |
| Chris & Ola | Sharp Dressed Man | Series 7, Week 1 | 26 |
| Nicky & Karen | Weird Science | Series 10, Week 4 | 26 |
| Kenny & Ola | Call Me | Series 5, Week 3 | 25 |
| Mark & Hayley | Tanguera | Series 6, Week 3 | 24 |
| Natalie & Vincent | Spider Of The Night | Series 7, Week 2 | 24 |
| Russell & Flavia | Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) | Series 9, Week 4 | 24 |
| Willie & Erin | Obertura | Series 5, Week 3 | 23 |
| Gavin & Katya | Toxic | Series 8, Week 4 | 23 |
| John & Kristina | Boulevard of Broken Dreams | Series 6, Week 3 | 22 |
| Andrew & Ola | 20th Century Boy | Series 6, Week 3 | 22 |
| Craig & Flavia | Jai Ho | Series 7, Week 2 | 22 |
| Ricky & Erin | U Got The Look | Series 7, Week 10 | 22 |
| Chris & Hanna | Toxic | Series 1, Week 7 | 21 |
| Lynda & Darren | Under Pressure | Series 7, Week 1 | 21 |
| Ann & Anton | La Cumparsita | Series 8, Week 4 | 21 |
| David & Camilla | La Cumparsita | Series 1, Week 3 | 20 |
| Bill & Karen | Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps | Series 3, Week 3 | 20 |
| Nancy & Anton | Be Italian | Series 9, Week 3 | 20 |
| Kate & Anton | They | Series 5, Week 3 | 19 |
| Rav & Aliona | Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing | Series 7, Week 1 | 19 |
| Jo & Brendan | Let's Dance | Series 7, Week 2 | 18 |
| Sid & Ola | Here I Go Again | Series 10, Week 3 | 17 |
| Esther & Anton | One Way Or Another | Series 2, Week 3 | 16 |
| Joe & Kristina | Cite Tango | Series 7, Week 1 | 16 |
| Diarmuid & Nicole | Por Una Cabeza | Series 2, Week 3 | 14 |
*The score for any dances marked by five judges have been adjusted down to allow for fair comparison, so the score in this column is the adjusted score followed by the actual score in brackets.
Rachel & Vincent's highest scoring tango in series 6:
Austin & Erin's Libertango:
Alesha & Matthew dance to Jealousy in series 5:
Not the highest score, but one of Ultimate Strictly's favourite tango routines from Kelly & Brendan: