Outside hold

Partners face opposite ways like the closed hold, offset side by side so they pass hip to hip.

Also called tango hold, tango position or outside position. Other names.

Not checked yet. The mechanics on this page are a first draft by a non-expert, and no coach has seen them yet. Read them as a starting point and check them with a coach. Corrections are very welcome.

As in the closed hold, one partner skates forwards and the other backwards. The difference is the offset: the lead stands to one side of the follow, so the front of the lead’s hip lines up with the front of the follow’s matching hip. The arms are those of the closed hold, the lead’s right hand on the follow’s back and the other hands joined.

U.S. Figure Skating’s rulebook also calls it the tango hold, and warns that a tight hip to hip position is a fault because it stops the couple travelling. The partners should be close but free to move.

The Tango and the Paso Doble open in it, and the Blues and the Argentine Tango move into it from the closed hold. A reverse outside hold puts the lead on the other side.

Appears in