Unlocking space on the closed side of the tango embrace

Podcast and transcription.

Feeling trapped on the closed side of the tango embrace? In this episode, we break down why it happens, how both leaders and followers can create more space, and what small adjustments can transform your dance experience.

Listen to the podcast here or in your favourite podcast app.

Hi, this is Dimitris Bronowski, the curious tanguero. My goal is to bring more people to tango and more tango to people. I hope you’ll find this episode useful and that you’ll share it with your friends.

Today we’ll discuss how to feel free on the close side of the embrace

Have you ever danced with someone and you felt that you don’t have much space on the closed side of the embrace (the right hand of the leader)?

If your answer is no, I salute you.

If your answer is yes, welcome to the human race.

What was strange for me was that I had this issue with some partners, but not with others.

And sometimes, I didn’t have it with beginners, but I had it with more advanced dancers.

So it bugged me.

So I asked.

And here is what I learned:

There are different reasons you might feel trapped.

A lot of teachers say that there needs to be contact with the woman’s left elbow and the leader’s right elbow.

Some also believe there should be a slight pressure too, to stay in contact.

And this advice definitely has some merit.

You need contact points in order to feel where your partner’s body is and transmit information.

(By ‘feel’ I don’t mean ‘see’.)

The problem arises whenever you do a movement that puts the right side of your hips closer to the left side of her hips.

If you keep the contact and pressure on the elbows you will most probably feel blocked.

But, there is an important modification the follower can do.

If she learns to lift the elbow when you do movements that put the right side of your hips closer to the left side of her hips, suddenly there is a lot more space and a lot less ‘locking’.

And if you are lucky enough to have a training partner, here is an exercise they recommended to me:

Ask her to put her left arm under your right arm.

This will force her to feel when she is unconsciously putting pressure down, and when she is using you as her balance stick.

During this exercise, your elbows need to move at the same time, so they look like they depend on each other, but they don’t.

Now, if you are an advanced leader, I have another tip that we need to keep in mind. (Continues below)

We need to be aware of the emotional state we induce to our partners.

This defines in many ways how good their experience is.

If we do a movement that is faster or more scary for the followers, their body will tend to be more compact.

This is something good and necessary for faster movements.

The problem is that a lot of followers mistakenly make their elbows also more compact.

And that blocks you.

So if you dance with less experienced followers, keep an eye for that involuntary action.

If she does it, you will feel blocked and maybe you will even tense more.

Then she will get more tense too, and the dance will not be so good.

So, to give her a better dance, stay away from faster or scary movements.

OR, even better, prepare her for that change with an anchor movement.

(If you don’t know what the anchor movements are, make sure to join the curious tanguero newsletter and check the relevant link on the welcome email. If you are already a subscriber, simply email me to ask for it. Make sure to include the word ‘Podcast’ in the title of the email.)

P.S. There is another reason that you might feel trapped, and that is 100% your issue. I had (and still have a bit) the same issue. 

I focused for years on creating a very nice feeling in the embrace and, consciously and unconsciously, I avoided exploring movements and leading styles that might lower the quality of that embrace.

 The result? I ended up leading more from the right side of my embrace, creating a lack of symmetry when it comes to the information my partner’s received from my left and right side. 

I was communicating a lot more from the right, so if anything felt weird on that side, my whole dance felt blocked.

I am now putting more focus on leading from my left side, using my left shoulder blade more.

This allows me to create a lot easier changes of dynamics.

I’ll share more about that in future emails.

If you enjoyed what you learned in this episode, don’t keep it to yourself. The best thing you can do is to share it with your friends. That’s what social media and messaging apps are for. You’ll be helping them and me.

The second best thing you can do is to visit thecurioustanguero.com/argentinetango There you’ll find a list of free and paid resources to help you improve and enjoy your tango. I am updating that webpage often with new stuff so make sure to re-visit it every once in a while. thecurioustanguero.com/argentinetango