At my studio's Friday night parties, there are always more women than men - and we women are always grateful when asked to dance. One gentleman, who is a very good dancer, frequently asks me to dance the Tango with him. The question I have is in that setting, how close of a hold is appropriate? When I Tango with my regular instructor, he holds me close - hip to hip - but usually in the social dance party setting, a looser, no contact type of hold is used by the gentlemen. I enjoy dancing in the contact position, but don't want to give anyone the wrong idea.

toetap99. There is a lot more to it than this. But first. The palm of the mans hand should be over the ladies spine which puts the fingers past the spine. If anyone tries to hold in any other way it is a compromise and is not correct. Also if they bend their knees they are not trying to get at you. Thats how it is supposed to be.

toetap99. There are several pictures of couples in Promenade Position after a Link on the internet.Find any photo gallery. Take a look at the feet and the knees and the raised front heel. Can you see where the ladies knees are in relation to the man. It wont work unless the bodies have the correct positioning to each other. You will see the ladies right knee is touching but behind the mans. From there as you feel the man move. Step one floor board wide to allow the left foot to come through without any struggle. It is following and not in front of the man .Then you take over. Thats your chance to move. Have Fun.

It's a tricky situation. Tango in particular does work better in contact. But you don't to go plastering yourself on people you barely know. In general, the more advanced the dancer and if he's taking/taken private lessons, the more comfortable he will be in contact. People who dance internatinal (standard) are also more comfortable with contact, as that is the norm for that style. What I usually do is stand close, with our clothes almost touching, and contact will either develop or not as we dance, depending on how advanced our technique is.

Thank you both for your thoughts. Since this gentleman is not a stranger and is an experienced dancer, I will continue to enjoy dancing Tango with him in contact. I just wasn't sure of the etiquette of the situation.