Body contact (dance)

Body contact may be achieved with the thighs, hips, chest, cheek and/or forehead.

When connecting at the thighs, the partners would be in an offset position to the left of each other. The inside of the right thigh would then touch the inside of the partner's right thigh. The inside of the follow's left thigh may also touch the outside of the partner's right.

Hip contact is possible in ballroom dancing because the partners are offset enough to avoid groin contact. In other dances hip contact is only possible when you know your partner very well.

Body contact is often employed in ballroom dancing with advanced dancers or with somebody that you are comfortable with. It is generally employed to enhance connection. Competition ballroom dancers often connect at the thighs and hips and then arch their backs to achieve the distinctive ballroom frame.

In the swing dances such as Balboa and Collegiate Shag, the primary contact is the chest. The hips are tilted away. Balboa generally employs thigh contact, but Shag usually doesn't. Forehead may be used in certain styles.

Blues dancing may be done with all or none of the above types of body contact. If you're "dancing cheek to cheek", you're doing the blues (... or Tango).

In street latin dances such as merengue or salsa, body contact is usually employed for sexual reasons rather than to increase connection. However, it is quite common for regular partners to take advantage of the increased connection.