How To Salsa Dance: Holding Your Partner

Step 1: The Open Hold

Technically, the open hold is any hold that is not a closed hold, or a hold where the partners are in each other's arms or holding each other's hands.
Any dance position where dancers stand apart but facing one other is also called a "shine position." This term is usually associated with modern social Disco and Latin freestyle dancing, where dancers often "show off" to their partners and therefore "shine."

Step 2: The Closed Hold

The leader cups follower's left shoulder blade with his right hand, and holds her right hand with his left hand at eye level, with his left arm bent at right angle. She will put her hand behind his right shoulder or in front, depending upon her preference.

Dance etiquette says that the follower dictates how close the leader can hold the follower in this closed dance position.

Step 3: The Double Hand Hold

Leader holds follower's left hand in his right hand, and her right hand in his left hand at waist level while the two are facing each other. This hold is also sometimes referred to as the double open hold.

Step 4: Contact

When holding your partner, the connection between the two of you is what you will use for the lead and follow. In a scale of zero to ten, zero would be a connection that is too loose. Ten would be a connection that is too firm, all muscle power where you are pressing your full weight against your partner. What you want is something in-between, a five. A dance connection that would just put enough of our center weight into each other to create a firm, but fluid connection. In this way, the leader never goes into the follower's space and vice versa.