Finnish Tango

 Here is the Wikipedia definition: Finnish tango is an established variation of the Argentine tango and one of the most enduring and popular music forms in Finland.

Here is a perspective from another blog post on Finnish tango as a response to this definition :

“Being from, and having lived in, Finland causes many people to ask us about the large tango scene that exists in this tiny country.  Many people who dance Argentine Tango mistakenly believe that Finns are dancing some form of Argentine Tango.  This is somewhat understandable given that Wikipedia says, “Finnish tango is an established variation of the Argentine tango…”  How misleading!  Yes, there is a very large tango scene in Finland, but Finnish Tango is just that:  Finnish Tango.  It is not Argentine Tango and does not resemble Argentine Tango in any way.  In fact, it mostly resembles ballroom tango, as does the music.  At a minimum, the majority of the population can dance Viennese Waltz  (they learn to do so in school) and in general they can all dance tango as well.  At it’s most basic form, Finnish Tango involves moving to the music and not much more.”

For a discussion on the differences between Finnish Tango and Argentine Tango!

The Finnish people organize the world’s oldest tango festival: Tangomarkkinat. It is held early every July in Seinäjoki, Finland.Music for public dancing is not restricted to tango: it includes all the dance rhythms popular in Finland: but tango content must, according to the rules, be at least 40%.It atracts more than 10,000 people annually in a country with a population no more than 5 million people.

Here is a blog just on Finnish Tango by John Ward from United Kingdom: http://www.finnishtango.blogspot.com/

The Satumaa is the quintessential Finnish tango. It was written by Unto Mononen, and published in 1955. The most famous recording is probably the one made by Reijo Taipale in 1962. Satumaa roughly translates to “The Fabled Land” or “The Fairytale Land”.

In 2009, the  famous Tango singer in Finland Arja Koriseva celebrates the 20th anniversary in her singing career.

There is also a movie called Finnish Tango (2008). The movie tells the story of a man, who – on his quest of finding the easy way out – discovers his own humanity. Alex is a passionate but unsuccessful musician. Nothing more, nothing less. After a tragic accident, Alex suddenly finds himself without a band and without a plan, but with a mountain of debt and raging metal players breathing down his neck. Searching for a job, he comes across a theater group of handicapped people. Alex invents a handicap, steals a handicap ID, gets the part and moves in with the group.