My wife and I have been ballroom dancing socially for several years and, other than the Tango, we have always kept a little distance between us for smooth dances. Now, a new instructor we have wants us to dance all our smooth dances with our hips touching. I am finding this to be a very unforgiving position and right now, neither my wife nor I are enjoying it. How many of you dance your smooth dances connected at the hip? How many with some space? I would like to hear any and all thoughts on the subject. Thanks!

I agree to the connection 100%....although the "hips" are just one contact point, and not exactly the primary point. You should aim for the diaphram area with a right side to right side contact. When I teach new people, I do allow them to keep their distance, as they are just learning, it is uncomfortable, and since there is no experience dancing, there is more possibility of stepping on feet. In smooth dancing the body should be the primary leading focus, as it should not be done through the arms. Body rotation, swing/sway will turn the lady's head, indicate prom pos or closed pos, etc. Tango however is a rotary dance, so there would be no swing. Hope this helps....

"In smooth dancing the body should be the primary leading focus, as it should not be done through the arms."

While these things need to be communicated between the bodies (and not just originate in the arms), it is entirely possible for the communication to be by means of the arms alone, in either standard or smooth. In fact smooth dancers will have to be able to do it with their arms alone, since they may often be in positions which do not offer a complete hold anyway.

"Body rotation, swing/sway will turn the lady's head, indicate prom pos or closed pos, etc."

All can be communicated through the arms - or for really skilled dancers, even just one hand. It just requires that the dancers be sensitive in their perception, and strike a good balance between keeping their hands in nominally proper positions for clarity, while keeping their arms soft enough to accomodate intentional or unintentional changes in body position.

Most high level dancers will dance very close together when in closed hold, but only some of them insist on constant contact. With the world champion couple of 2-3 years ago, you could often briefly see a gap between them.

Well, I see two issues here. First, it depends on your dance goals. If you are thinking about competing, it would be good to learn to dance in contact. And once you get the hang of it, I think it's much more fun. But at least where I go social dancing, very few people dance in contact (except sometimes with spouses, so's, etc.) If that's true for you, you may be learning a skill you can only use with one another, and it might not be worth the trouble to adapt to it.

The other issue is what spitz says. The contact should not be primarily at the hip. It should be at the rib cage/diaphragm area. That's much more forgiving and allows freer movement. Your hips will sometimes touch and sometimes not depending on the step you're doing.

I dance with many different ladies, and I try to dance in contact when they are receptive. For American tango, the dance position is unavoidably closer than other smooth dances, and this is a good thing because, with the tango count (quicks and slows) constantly changing, it is nearly impossible to lead and follow well without actual contact. For other smooth dances, contact is nice but, in my experience, not essential.

Is the correct contact points in Smooth the same as the Closed Hold in the International Style. Which in the main is, as it is written The right area of the chest of each partner touches that of the other. Right side to right side

"Which in the main is, as it is written The right area of the chest of each partner touches that of the other."

Nope, that is NOT WHAT IT SAYS in either Moore or the ISTD volume.

It doesn't say anything about touching, it just mentions the OFFSET.

The right area of the chest of each partner touches that of the other. First look at any IDSF competitions. Second go to the videos on this site. Third go to The History of Modern Ballroom dancing by Don Herbison- Evans
Updated 11 Febuary 2006.
All will be revealed. I would hope you are not being taught that heavy contact at the hips which went out of fashion a long time ago.
The question still is. Is the hold for Smooth in the Closed hold the same.

"The right area of the chest of each partner touches that of the other."

According to some people.

"First look at any IDSF competitions."

Hmm, Chris & Hazel hadn't done any of those in a while as they were the PROFESSIONAL world champions, but surely there are IDSF competitors with non-constanct contact, coming from the same traditions that couple did.

"The question still is. Is the hold for Smooth in the Closed hold the same."

There is no single "closed hold" for standard.

And smooth of course has a wide variety - from more closed than someone's idea of standard, to perhaps 2 meters between bodies. Before you can event answer the question, you have to decide when you count the smooth couple as being in closed hold, and when they are only "almost closed".

Generally though, for a figure that exists in both styles and isn't occuring during a transition to or from an open hold, and is playing about the same role in the flow of the dance in each case, the same couple would perform it the same way in each style.

Which is to say it would all come down to their PERSONAL PREFERENCE.

There is no Closed Hold in Standard.
Closed Hold. That is the normal
Basic Ballroom Hold. In Swaziland they probably have a different name for it
I'll be seeing Christopher and Justyna Hawkins on the 17th August. I'll get back to you then. You do know that Hazel retired several years ago.
If you can look at any recent vodeos or a competition on TV you will now know what to look for regarding the position of the bodies in relation to each other.