Body contact is a style 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....

 in partner dancing

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...

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In some partner dances, the connection

Connection (dance)

Connection is essential to all partner dancing and is the primary means to communicate synchronized dance movement between the lead and follow. It is especially important in Argentine Tango, Lindy Hop, Balboa, East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Salsa, Contra dance, Modern Jive and other styles of...

 between the lead and follow is made by direct body contact, instead of a more open frame

Frame (dance)

Frame is the body shape maintained by dancers during partner dancing. Specifically, frame refers to the shape of the upper body of the dancers relative to the rest of the dancer's body and the body of the dancer's partner....

 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

Ballroom dance

Ballroom dance refers to a set of partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world. Because of its performance and entertainment aspects, ballroom dance is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television....

 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

Waltz

The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...

, foxtrot, tango

Tango (dance)

Tango dance originated in the area of the Rio de la Plata , and spread to the rest of the world soon after....

, Viennese waltz

Viennese Waltz

Viennese Waltz is the genre of a ballroom dance. At least three different meanings are recognized. In the historically first sense, the name may refer to several versions of the waltz, including the earliest waltzes done in ballroom dancing, danced to the music of Viennese Waltz.What is now called...

 and quickstep

Quickstep

The quickstep is a light-hearted member of the standard ballroom dances. The movement of the dance is fast and powerfully flowing and sprinkled with syncopations. The upbeat melodies that quickstep is danced to make it suitable for both formal and informal events...

. It can also be found occasionally in the American Rhythm dance, the bolero

Bolero

Bolero is a form of slow-tempo Latin music and its associated dance and song. There are Spanish and Cuban forms which are both significant and which have separate origins.The term is also used for some art music...

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Some swing dances use body contact. In 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...

 and 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:...

, dancers are chest to chest in close embrace

Close embrace

In partner dances, close embrace is a type of closed position where the leader and follower stand facing each other chest-to-chest in full or partiall body contact. 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...

. The hips are tilted away. Balboa generally employs thigh contact, but Shag usually doesn't. Forehead may be used in certain styles. Charleston

Charleston (dance)

The Charleston is a dance named for the harbor city of Charleston, South Carolina. The rhythm was popularized in mainstream dance music in the United States by a 1923 tune called "The Charleston" by composer/pianist James P. Johnson which originated in the Broadway show Runnin' Wild and became one...

 employs contact between the outer thighs when danced side-by-side.

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...

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.