Heavenly Embrace Tips for Leaders

 Every leader wants their follower to have a pleasant experience dancing tango, and if not pleasant.... awesome. But sometimes the best dancing intentions   get snagged by simple technical problems in the dance that can actually cause the follower pain. At the moment I have a painful back in a  few areas and dancing tango in an   embrace that puts undue pressure on my back and neck  can really   put me out for weeks. It turns out that I am not alone. Many followers  have a similar experience , even if they don't have a chronic back problem.  It is just so difficult to give feedback  on the embrace on the dance floor. We are all sensitive souls. So I thought I would share a few leaders' tips that  come from my conversations  with followers.   These   do not relate to any kind of dance style, but rather  comfort of two bodies moving together in close proximity.

So what do followers want in a tango embrace? In my experience most want a clear, present and gentle embrace that enables both the emotional and bio-mechanical possibilities of the dance. We want to move freely  and confidently without feeling "compressed". This means that our spine and heads should be in natural positions. From my perspective, an embrace which   inadvertently   changes these positions will most likely lead to pain  or discomfort, especially if this posture is held for 10 - 12 minutes.

Here are just a few tips on the embrace  for leaders that I share from a personal perspective. Of course, there are tips for followers as well, but I will cover these in another article:

1. The Right Arm of the Embrace- This is the arm that connects    with the follower's back. It is really important that the follower   feel the presence  the right hand of the leader.   However, this arm needs to be flexible and   should be able to expand   according to variation in the movement, whether it be in longer steps or turns.   The position of the hand should not be fixed but adapt to the rotational movement of the  follower, so that she can move comfortably inside the embrace.  A big challenge for followers happens when the leader  unconsciously  presses on the mid or lower back in the embrace. In this case the follower needs to work extra hard to  keep her hip and head in the right position, leading to discomfort.  If in doubt, use the tango salon posture of maintaining your right hand on the scapula (shoulder blade) of the follower, thereby allowing her  spine to be free.   Think of your right arm as present and flexible and as an extension  of  your back from which the circularity of the embrace is generated

 2. The  Position of the Head

How you hold your head as a leader makes all the difference to your dance. Any pressure via the head,  from the leader or follower can cause discomfort as this unnecessary force   affects the neck and upper back.  In this picture on the left ,  the leader's  forward head posture is  probably  causing the follower to twist her head to the left.  A few tandas with this head position would send me packing for the phsio. If the follower was forced to make forehead -to- forehead contact with the leader it would  also likely lead to pressure on the neck. In an embrace try  to lengthen your spine through to the top of your head and   ensure that the follower has a comfortable space for her head. Remember that if the heads touch during dancing, this should be as a consequence of the proximity in the embrace rather an than an intentional component of the lead.

Sometimes, the  most lovely embrace gets awkward during movement. One  of the best tips I can think of is to constantly be conscious of  adjusting your embrace, using pauses in the dance to check in on your connection  and comfort with your partner.

Happy Hugging!