Body contact (dance)

Body contact is a style of closed position in partner dancing.

In some partner dances, the connection between the lead and follow is made by direct body contact, instead of a more open frame made with the arms. Body contact may be achieved with the thighs, hips, chest, cheek and/or forehead, depending on the style of dance, the connection needed for a particular move, or to fit the mood of the music.

Body contact is often employed in ballroom dancing with advanced dancers or between dancers who are comfortable with each other. It is generally employed to enhance connection. Body contact is featured in such ballroom dances as the waltz, foxtrot, tango, Viennese waltz and quickstep. It can also be found occasionally in the American Rhythm dance, the bolero.

Some swing dances use body contact. In Balboa and Collegiate Shag, dancers are chest to chest in close embrace. The hips are tilted away. Balboa generally employs thigh contact, but Shag usually doesn't. Forehead may be used in certain styles. Charleston employs contact between the outer thighs when danced side-by-side.

Argentine Tango is usually danced with body contact. In tango, this is called dancing "on the body." The dancers are connected at the chest. They make continuous connections across the thighs and with the feet.

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