In partner dance

Partner dance

Partner dances are dances whose basic choreography involves coordinated dancing of two partners, as opposed to individuals dancing alone or individually in a non-coordinated manner, and as opposed to groups of people dancing simultaneously in a coordinated manner.In the year 1023 the German poet...

s, close embrace is a type of closed position

Closed position

In partner dancing, closed position is a category of positions in which partners hold each other while facing at least approximately toward each other....

 where the leader and follower

Lead and follow (dance)

In partner dancing, the two dance partners are never equal. One must be the Lead and the other will be the Follow.The Lead is responsible for choosing appropriate steps to suit the music , and leading the Follow by hand pressure and signals to complete the chosen steps smoothly and safely...

 stand facing each other chest-to-chest in full or partiall body contact

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...

. The dancers usually stand offset from one another, such that each has his or her right toe in between the toes of his or her partner. When in close embrace, the dance is led (and followed) with the whole body, rather than with the arms or with visual cues. Various partner dances make use of this position, most notably Argentine Tango

Argentine Tango

Argentine tango is a musical genre of simple quadruple metre and binary musical form, and the social dance that accompanies it. Its lyrics and music are marked by nostalgia, expressed through melodic instruments including the bandoneon. Originated at the ending of the 19th century in the suburbs of...

, but also Balboa

Balboa (dance)

Balboa today is commonly used both as a term to describe a fusion of dances that originated in Southern California during the 1920s and 1930s, and also referring to a specific dance from that era that was the original Balboa .The original Balboa dance is a form of swing dance that started as early...

, Collegiate Shag

Collegiate shag

The Collegiate Shag is a partner dance done primarily to upper tempo jazz music . It belongs to the swing family of American vernacular dances that arose in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s.-Name:...

, Swing Walk, Blues

Blues dance

Blues dancing is a modern term used to describe a family of historical dances that developed alongside and were danced to blues music, or the contemporary dances that are danced in that aesthetic...

, and others.