In all partner dances, the closed hold is very important.
The closed hold in ballroom smooth, the upper bodies need to stay away, so the couple can counterbalance each other. The hardest point in keeping this position is to stay bending back while staying contacted with the partner. In case either one dancer does not keep the posture, the frame is collapsed. Ice it is collapsed, the touching points that used for leading and following couldn't be functioned anymore.
On the contrary, the closed hold in Latin American dancing is actually not that close. The two dancers need to stay in a reasonable distance. There are more hip actions in Latin dancing, if the lower bodies are connected like in ballroom smooth the couple cannot move their hips anymore. If there are no more hip actions, it won't be Latin dancing anymore (Latin dancing is basically defined by the Cuban hip action). The lead in Latin American dancing is executed more by the upper frame, so if the arms got collapsed, the man couldn't dance anymore.
There is another closed hold, in Argentine Tango. Um... or better to say, beginner learners refer the hold as 'closed' hold. This closed hold is really close. Unlike the closed hold In both ballroom smooth and Latin American dancing, in which the word 'closed' is an adjective that describes the couple is all closed as both hands are jointed; however, in Argentine Tango, beginner learners mean the hold is close as the partners are staying very close, so close that the partners can feel each other's breathe.
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