Close Embrace and Open Embrace (II)

Close embrace tango and open embrace tango are, in essence, two different dances. Their philosophies, structures, techniques, and feelings are so distinct that people who have learned one dance are not able to dance the other without further training. I know this from personal experience. After three years of studying open embrace tango, my first attempt at close embrace left me completely lost. Everything—posture, connection, axis, balance, spatial awareness, movement, and the way of leading and following—must change. (See The Styles of Tango.)

In fact, open embrace tango shares more similarities with ballroom dancing than with Argentine tango. As in ballroom dancing, in open embrace tango the two dancers maintain a polite distance, with no physical contact except that of their arms and hands. Each dancer remains on their own axis independent of their partner, so they do not rely on one another for balance and support. In case they need such support they resort to using their arms and hands, causing heaviness and discomfort.

In theory, the man is supposed to lead with his torso, but since there is no torso contact, his lead is sent through his arms and hands, and the woman receives the lead through her extremities instead of through her chest. The feeling of dancing open embrace tango is exactly like dancing a ballroom dance. No intimacy between partners. No exchange of feelings through direct torso comminication. No comforting sensation of the two connected bodies moving together in sync to music. No physical surrender and emotional involvement. The fun of dancing open embrace tango mainly comes from a broader range of movement possibilities due to increased space between the partners. Each dancer focuses on their own performance. They do not enjoy the physical presence of the other person.

I enjoy dancing open embrace tango no more than I do ballroom dances. Yes, it is spectacular, intricate, dazzling, and showy, but that’s not what draws me to tango. The reason I love tango lies in its closeness, intimacy, physicality, comfort, soulfulness, sentimentality, and romanticism. In close embrace tango, the two partners lean into each other, chest to chest, cheek touching cheek. His arm encircles her body. Her breasts press against his chest and arm hooks around his shoulder. In this embrace, they feel each other’s bodies, inhale each other’s scent, hear each other’s breath, and sense each other’s impulses. They rely on one another for balance and support, moving as a single, unified body.

With no distance between them, their movements are much more compact, with intense physical interaction and emotional exchange. The man leads the woman with his torso pressed against hers so there’s no need to use arms or hands. The woman receives the lead through her chest. She closes her eyes, surrenders herself to him, relishes the caress of his body and enjoys his attentive ride. It is a very comfortable position in which to be and to dance. (See Close Embrace and Open Embrace (III).)