Technically, embracing someone without having chest-to-chest contact is impossible. Embrace means holding someone close in your arms to express your affection.  The meaning of embrace in Tango is not any different. You can define it as a hug. The dance starts with a hug and does not stop until the music ends. Therefore, this dance form is unique.

Embrace is the spirit of tango dance. There is no movement at the hips or above. All the movements are below the hips, so the partners need to maintain their square position from shoulder to hips during the entire dance. The unique tango embrace connects at the heart, which is the main focal point. Her upper arm is over his right shoulder, while his right hand is on her right shoulder and across her waist. All the pressure is at chest level, while other connections are relatively light.

How to have a better embrace and not lose the essence of tango?

Use center and not hands – In rare cases, some moves can make your dance better with hands. Use the center to balance rather than hand hands to connect. The tango instructors can guide you on where to place your weight, which is near your stomach. If the center touches your partner’s center, the information travels directly without any hindrance in the embrace.

Has a single axis – To create a single body from two, the partners need to lose their own axis and melt together. Partner must maintain a straight posture and connect at the center for united balance. Share an axis means to lean on your partner’s body using her/his legs as a support. It needs technical practice and trust.

Respect balance points – Standing on a single leg is hard because when a leg is lifted your balance point stays on the floor where body weight is pressed down. In tango, you unite two bodies making them one, so there are different zero points, which makes things more complex. The solution is to step near the partner’s feet. Embrace is crucial because if the balance point is not maintained the posture can get destroyed. Initiation in Tango according to the experts at Ultimate Tango is to learn how to communicate through the center to avoid posture issues.

Tango and spirituality

The close embrace style full of passion and intimacy also has a spiritual side. It can transform your life and increase faith. In Argentine tango, there is a leader that leads and a follower who follows. No two dances are the same. Tango movements are based on music rhythms that change constantly slow to light to fast. The possibilities of new steps are countless that get stimulated with the flow of music. Footwork’s are never repeated.

You learn how to follow, which is an active skill even if seems like a passive move. The follower is always prepared to move in any direction because it frequently changes along with the tempo. There are endless possibilities but the underlying forces are the same – leader invites, follower reacts and the leader accepts the follower’s response. This is how people relate to God. God never forces man to do anything. In the same way, the leader does not force the follower – they invite with a lead. Submission in tango and in spirituality is a connection with faith and God!