Dancing starts with embracing. It’s the first connection into the dance. The embrace in social dance is like an embrace in life: it has to be natural and with affection, otherwise it will not live. Embrace your partner as though you are about to dance the dance of your life. The man must hold the woman securely but with freedom to move, must lead, not force. The woman must relax in the embrace and feel each intention of the man’s lead, but know her own axis. It must always be a two-way experience. Each embrace is different just as each person is different. They say that you can tell whether a person can dance from the feel of the first embrace. The embrace is yours… find ‘yours’ and own it!