Maintaining Shoulder Parallelism

Milonguero-style tango, known for its close embrace, emphasizes an intimate, inward experience. This style requires partners to maintain chest-to-chest contact and keep their shoulders parallel to ensure maximum connection and effective communication.

Yet many dancers underestimate the importance of shoulder alignment. Some women drift too far to the man’s right side, wrapping their left arm around his right arm instead of positioning themselves squarely in front of him, with their left arm resting over his shoulder. This misalignment weakens the connection and restricts the movement of his right arm. Others connect with only one side of their torso, leaving the other side open and forming a V-shape with their partner. Beginners who are uncomfortable with physical closeness often instinctively lean back to create space. Many also rotate their entire bodies rather than dissociating at the hips, which breaks shoulder alignment. Some even tilt their shoulders at a vertical angle to their partner’s just to accommodate a particular movement. Compounding the issue, men often lead complex steps that force women to sacrifice both connection and alignment. These habits not only contradict tango’s intimate, feeling-driven nature but also detract from the compact and cohesive aesthetic of the dance.

It’s important to remember that tango is not about executing complex choreography, but about expressing the music and emotions through intimate, physical interaction. Maintaining chest contact and shoulder parallelism is essential to this dialogue. To truly experience the intimacy, soulfulness, and comfort of the dance, beginners must let go of cultural hang-ups and mental barriers that stand in the way of truly embracing the dance.

Technically, the close embrace relies heavily on dissociation—the ability to keep the upper body stable while allowing the lower body to rotate freely (see Dissociation and Gear Effect). Mastery of this technique is key to preserving shoulder alignment and ensuring a smooth, continuous connection throughout the dance.

Men should avoid leading women into overly challenging movements and instead use natural, simple steps. The body’s capacity for dissociation at the hips is limited—exceeding this range disrupts shoulder parallelism. Therefore, men should refrain from leading steps that require excessive hip rotation, while women should focus on maintaining shoulder parallelism throughout their movements.

In short, preserving chest contact and shoulder parallelism is essential for fully experiencing the intimacy, sensuality, and emotional depth that make close-embrace tango such a soulful and comforting dance. It also makes the dance look more polished and elegant. Tango students should work to unlearn habits that conflict with the spirit of the dance and cultivate skills that embody its essence (see Contra Body Movement and Dissociation).

Beauty Will Save the World

Many are drawn to tango for its profound beauty. In learning to tango, they refine their aesthetic sensibilities and improve their movement and manner. Through this pursuit of elegance and perfection, tango dancers infuse grace into themselves, their lives, and the world around them, creating an environment where beauty truly shines.

Despite this devotion to beauty, however, there is often a paradox within the tango community. Many dancers, while graceful on the dance floor, show less flattering sides of human nature in their interactions with others. Indifference, unfriendliness, arrogance, and a tendency to show off are not uncommon. Some may even go out of their way to exclude others or stoke rivalry. Such behavior stands in stark contrast to the elegance that tango embodies, creating a dissonance between the beauty of the dance and the demeanor of its practitioners.

True beauty is not confined to the aesthetics of appearance. It is rooted in integrity, encompassing the way we treat others, the kindness we show, and the respect we give to fellow dancers. Real beauty is not just performed; it penetrates deeper into our character. A dancer who appears elegant in movement but treats others with disdain fails to capture the spirit of tango. Genuine beauty lies in the harmony between outer expression and inner values.

Dostoevsky once wrote, "Beauty will save the world." This profound statement speaks to the transformative power of beauty, not just in art but in life itself. The pursuit of beauty inspires people to combat all forms of ugliness—be it cruelty, arrogance, or indifference—and to strive for a better world. Immersing ourselves in the beauty of tango should encourage us to carry that beauty into every aspect of our lives.

Tango dancers have a unique opportunity to lead by example. By committing to personal growth and aligning our behavior with the grace we express through dance, we help close the gap between the art we practice and the people we are. It begins with self-awareness and a sincere effort to embody the values that tango represents. When we approach others with kindness, humility, and respect, we not only elevate our own experience—we also help create a more welcoming and beautiful community for everyone.

Ultimately, the beauty of tango lies not only in the dance itself, but in the people who dance it. By striving to become better human beings, tango dancers can inspire one another and contribute to a world that reflects the very essence of this dance of love. The beauty of tango is not limited to what we do on the dance floor; it is a lifelong journey toward making ourselves and the world as beautiful as the dance we cherish.

Contra Body Movement and Dissociation

I didn’t fully appreciate the importance of contra body movement (CBM) until I watched the video below. Although the video focuses on ballroom dancing, I believe tango dancers can also benefit from its insights.

CBM is a fundamental principle in dance that involves rotating one side of the torso toward the opposite moving leg. For example, when the right leg steps forward, the left side of the torso naturally turns toward it, and vice versa. This counterbalancing action is not unique to dance—it occurs in many everyday movements. When walking or running, a slight torso rotation toward the forward-moving leg enhances stability and forward momentum. Swimmers use CBM to streamline their strokes, while cyclists rely on it for balance and power. These examples highlight how CBM is deeply ingrained in natural human movement.

In ballroom dancing, CBM is often most visible in the shoulder rotations. Because dancers maintain a fixed frame with their arms, the coordinated shoulder movement becomes a pronounced expression of CBM. Unlike in natural, everyday movements, however, ballroom dancers exaggerate this rotation to enhance artistry. A well-executed CBM creates movements that appear balanced, fluid, and visually striking.

A related but distinct concept appears in tango, where maintaining shoulder alignment—especially during dissociative movements—is crucial. Whether dancers are walking side by side, turning around one another, zigzagging, or changing positions from one side of the partner to the other, they must keep their shoulders parallel to maintain connection. While ballroom dancers use CBM (upper-body rotation) to achieve this alignment, tango dancers rely more heavily on dissociation—rotating the lower body independently of the upper body. Because tango is danced in a close embrace, the torsos remain closely connected, and dancers must rotate at the hips to navigate around each other. This ability to dissociate while keeping the upper body aligned preserves the inward-facing connection that defines tango.

Furthermore, maintaining shoulder parallelism enhances the cohesion and harmony of movement. As demonstrated in the video below, when dancers maintain this alignment, their movement appears more cohesive, intimate, and visually refined than when they do not.

This coordination depends on the dancers’ suppleness and responsiveness. Stiffness or tension disrupts harmony, blocking energy rather than channeling it. In contrast, flexibility and relaxation allow dancers to respond intuitively to one another, promoting a natural flow and enhancing artistry. Going with the flow, yielding, and adapting are essencial in partnered dance. A flexible body, combined with the ability to rotate through the torso or dissociate at the hips, enables dancers to move fluidly together while maintaining uninterrupted connection.

Ultimately, dancers must balance technical skill with sensitivity to their partner. Mastering CBM and dissociation is not just about meeting technical standards—it’s a pathway to deeper connection, effective communication, and greater artistic expression. By refining these techniques, dancers can deliver a performance that is both visually captivating and emotionally resonant.