Maintaining Shoulder Parallelism

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

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

Tango milonguero 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 end, allowing partners to focus on the feelings. To fully experience the intimacy, soulfulness, and comfort, beginners must overcome cultural barriers and the desire to perform that stand in the way of truly embracing the dance.

Technically, dancers' flexibility helps them maintain shoulder alignment. The close embrace relies heavily on dissociation—the ability to keep the upper body connected to the partner's torso while allowing the lower body to rotate freely (see Dissociation and the Gear Effect). Mastering this technique is essential for maintaining shoulder alignment, ensuring connection and communication throughout the dance while unlocking greater creativity of the legs.

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. Although occasional misalignment sometimes is inevitable, men should refrain from leading steps that require excessive hip rotation, and women should focus on preserving shoulder parallelism while executing the movements.

In short, maintaining chest contact and shoulder parallelism is crucial for fully experiencing the intimacy, sensuality, and emotional depth that make close-embrace tango a soulful and comforting dance. It also enhances the dance’s elegance and refinement. Tango students should unlearn habits that hinder connection and develop skills that embody the essence of the dance (see Contra Body Movement and Dissociation).