Tango and Socialism in Yiddish

• In Event: Jewish Tango and Diasporic Dancing

Abstract

Tango is the international dance of diaspora and displacement which became a part of Jewish heritage in its early years. Even though it is primarily understood as an expression of Argentine national identity, tango became particularly resonant to Jewish artists, especially those associated with modernism and revolutionary ideas. Yiddish tango is a global musical phenomenon which originated during a time when socialism was a dominant political current for Yiddish speakers. Though it entered Jewish culture as danceable music, tango became useful in other social settings within Jewish culture. It has already been analyzed from the perspective of diaspora and Holocaust studies. This paper explores the intersection between Yiddish tango and the socialist politics of Yiddish songwriters.. How do typical lyrics about loss-- of erotic or romantic love, of family, of home, of the community—reflect Jewish socialist ideology? What is the intersection between protest songs and the erotic charge of the dance? The analysis will include political songs such as those of Mordechai Gebirtig (which are written as tangos but necessarily as dance songs) alongside conventionally danceable tangos.

Author

• Sara Feldman, Harvard University