Theory

No, close embrace doesn’t have to be like this. But its beautiful, isn’t it?

The 30-Second Hug: Why You Should Hug As Often As Possible

Hugs, Hormones and Tango – The Science Behind the Tango Hug and how to use it

Author and family therapist Virginia Satir once said: “We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth”.

Free Hugs Campaign (wikipedia)

Milonguera Technique – Dancing in Close Embrace

Secrete of a Milonguero Embrace

Close Embrace and Open Embrace: Shapes of the Embrace and Why It Matters

Die Königsdisziplin: Der Estilo Apilado

Exercises

Preparing

  • Standing excerise (alone) – balance with your butt while having your chest above the tip of your toes
  • Walking alone to the metronome at different speeds (pushing from axis)
  • Walking with the followers hands on the shoulder of the leader (Followers: don’t make a step until pushed)
  • Side step vs. weight change excercice
  • How to enter into the embrace (leader offers left hand, follower accepts it with right hand, follower determines distance by placing left hand on arm or around back of leader, leader puts right hand on back of follower – without pressure).

Core lesson

  • Hugging everyone in the room – hold it as long as it is comfortable (feel it) – friendly adjust it, if it doesn’t feel good
  • Standing excerise (alone) – balance with your butt while having your chest above the tip of your toes
  • Lean with your partner without falling
  • Waking with the followers intention (and arms) up
  • Walk in close embrace without pressure on the arms
  • Walk in close embrace with the open arm down
  • Side step vs. weight change excercice

Remember

  • Shoulders down
  • Connection is in the center of the chest
  • Chest above the tip of your shoes
  • Use your butt to balance
  • Energy comes from the leg you are standing on
  • Straight back
  • Speak out, if something doesn’t feel OK

Videos

Tipp: With this button of the YouTube button bar (lower right corner of the video) you can get subtitles AND also adjust the speed of the video to play slower so you can see the movements better.

Alone

As a couple (moves and figures we have learned so far)

General advice

Tipp: Dos Corazones – Festivalito Milonguero (“open role in a close embrace”) December 15-17, 2023 in Saarbrücken.

For further investigation:

This is not needed for practical dancing, but if yu are interested to know even more about Tango, you might find this recources interesting:

Noelia Hurtado and Carlitos Espinoza dancing in close embrace to “Te Aconsejo Que Me Dejes” by Anbal Troilo

There are many ways theachers and dancers categorize Tango music, dance and embrace. This ist one of them: Main Styles of Argentine Tango (including older / more exotic ones).

The Tango Argenino Tanz-Inspirationen in this Blog gives you a lot of dance videos were you can see all different kinds of embraces.

Alles nur Maiskolben: El Choclo / Kiss of Fire / Beso de Fuego / Black Eyes Rock

Orquesta Romantica Milonguera – Eine Liebesgeschichte in Musik

Tango-Legende Flaco Dany (81) in Darmstadt & Frankfurt

Tango Griego

Alles andere als eindeutig: Über die Mehrdeutigkeit von Begriffen im Tango Argentino

Malena

Chiqué: Der Tango vom Lügen & Täuschen