Position and Meaning of Ladies Heard in Tango. Article by Elena Pankey

All steps came to tango with some hidden meaning. For some who learned about the history of the tango
movements, it is obvious that everything that we dance has historical, psychological or sociological
meaning. When you dance with a man, choose what to dance with him, think about the meaning of the steps.
They have sociological meaning. An open or a closed position of the embrace asks for different techniques.
Knowing the meaning of the movements, serious dancers choose what kind adorns to dance with specific
partner. It is good to remember a short historical note before coming to our lessons:

1. Lady’s head is looking over the man's right shoulder, only when partners both have almost the same
heights. This position is not a sign of a close embrace. It is not very comfortable or well useable for short
ladies with a tall partner!

Meaning: a girl does not care about her partner, does not want to face him, does not have anything in
common with him, does not want to be involved emotionally with this specific man; and might be looking for
somebody else behind him.

2. Ladies head is looking over the man's left shoulder ("a window of dreams"). Her chin is up, and parallel to
the floor, but not down. She is not looking to the floor. This position is used for any partner's heights.

Meaning: friendly, polite way to welcome communication. Her head position is saying: ” I don't care about
other men right now. I am with you to investigate 3 min of this music. We could go together in one the same
direction, as a union.

However, the position of the head is the personal choice of a woman, as well as, the close or open embrace
historically was and still IS her personal choice.

Tango is a very intimate dance, besides just “Fun” dance. It is not just an exercise with the music.
If a woman does not want to be intimate with a partner during these 3 min of dance, she choose "open
embrace," she choose the distance between her and her leader.
Men could not force her, he could not insist on tight hug with every “unknown” females.

Tango was born not as a family business, but is the brothels, where women wanted to be hugged, danced in a
close embrace. Some others, who wanted just experiment with the movements, and were waiting for
somebody else, danced in the open embrace.

Moreover, for some skilled dancers, the open - close embrace would be changed all the time during the
different movements. Some movements expect more close embrace and many others- should be dance in open
embrace (when right arm and hand of the leader slides to the left side of the woman).
In any case, it is very the technical question, which should be well taught, or at least historically explained.

Often some students come to our lessons from other places. Recently, I asked one lady to explain to me why
she keeps her head over her husband's right shoulder. She said that in such position her "neck is less tired".

Where to look? What to seek? How and where to lead? How to break the habit to dance in the “box”
How to make tango as an effortless dance…Come to learn more about it