The Closed Position is a way of holding your partner, where the right hand of the follower falls in the left hand of the leader and is held a bit higher. The right hand of the leader is on the back (high) and the followers left arm rests a bit on the leader.
In contrast to the Open Position, in the Closed Position the leader has more control and the follower less freedom. There is also less distance, making it easier to make turns and spins. In salsa, it is uncommon to dance for long in Closed Position. It is often used to initiate the Cross Body Lead.
Transitioning to Open Position
Moving from Closed Position to Open Position can be done by the leader by creating more distance and sliding away with the right hand. It is often done in a Basic Step starting on count 5. The leader can move backwards with a bigger step and create more distance.
Alternatively, the leader could do a Hair Comb with the followers left hand over the leaders head. A good example is the Cross Body Lead Hair Comb.