I’m not a big dancer. Even at home I don’t really dance. But every time I go somewhere like a wedding or a party or whatever, I try anyway.
I’m not sure why, but for whatever reason, I always end up just sort of not feeling it. Either my feet stay on the floor, or my hands are locked in place. And if I can manage to get both my arms and feet moving at once, I end up hyper focused on my movement instead of listening to the music and then I’ve lost my groove! Or I just bust the same move 50 times in a row during just one song…
I’d like to get better at this, and preferably with the help of a trained professional so it actually looks and feels okay in the end. I think it might help in the bedroom too, and I’ve always been interested in being a better or sexier partner. For obvious reasons. And to make it worse? 3 of my ex’s have been dancers, and yeah. It does make a difference.
Every time I go looking for dance courses though, I only find stuff like lindy hop or jazz or tango or whatever. I really just want like a course on more free form dancing that I can take for 3-6 months and then be good enough / have a bit more confidence so I can actually enjoy myself.
Any suggestions? Is there a name for the type of course I’m looking for? Are there any good youtube channels I should check out? Maybe a particular mindset or outlook that has helped you? Maybe exercises that are meant to help make me more comfortable with the motions and fluidity of my body?
Idk. It just feels like this is something I should have figured out by now. I’m 30 in a few months, and this is one of those things I kind of thought I’d have sorted out by now. If you’ve got any advice, hit me up.
16 comments
You need to just sign up to any of them or a couple of them.
I know they’re not the type of dancing you’re looking for but you’re missing the point. The point of those courses is to train your rthym and footwork. To get you comfortable enough to express yourself. Enought to find your inspiration and once you found your inspiration, you sort of just let it guide you into the freeform dancing.
Find the rhythm of the song, and remember you should be dancing to the beat, not the lyrics. Honestly, what you’re **actually** doing in terms of movements, doesn’t matter all that much. You can just point at people in time with the beat and you’ll look better than someone doing intricate hand movements offbeat
You dont need to take a class
Go to YouTube and search things like
“How to dance at weddings”
“How to dance at parties”
“How to dance Macarena”
“How to dance hip hop”
And more. No one will be judging your dance talent. Relax and have fun
Maybe try salsa dancing? The usual way classes are run is 1 hour of teaching for beginners and then the rest of the evening is free dancing with different partners.
The benefits are 1) the steps are simple to start so you can dance after the short intro, 2) you can practice dancing with different people, 3) you’ll get better at rhythm, leading and reading your partner through practice, and 4) if you like it you can learn more complex steps (or go into latin dancing).
I think the other commenter was right in that you just need to start, and try different things. I recommend salsa because it’s low barrier to entry and social/fun, but you can try anything. Maybe see if your local dance class does intro courses or 1 day workshops.
Do you *like* dancing? As in: do you *enjoy* it?
If you don’t dance alone at home either it might be that you just don’t enjoy dancing. In that case, courses or tips can surely make you *better* at it but you’ll never “feel it” or “find your groove”.
It’s a great tragedy when people feel pushed to dance against their will. Freedom to express yourself also includes the freedom not to express yourself in a certain way.
If you do like to dance but just aren’t confident in it, the other commenters have good advice.
Ever see Hitch? He’ll show you what to do. Tell him Anthony sent you.
I mean if you don’t like dancing you shouldn’t force yourself to like it or get good at it. If you ever find yourself in a dancing situation just learn to move your feet to the beat and get your hips and shoulders loose and involved, that’s it. Just keep it simple
Dance in the shower 💫
Sign up for any of those dance classes. I’ve taken Lindy, Blues, Salsa, Zouk, Tango, etc. All of those classes serve as my foundation when I dance fusion or freeform.
Learning one dance helps learning other styles and genres a lot easier. (It’s a lot like learning how to play a musical instrument)
The most important thing is having fun. Start at the back of the crowd start moving to the beat. The more fun you have and embody the more you’ll get sucked toward the front.
Having fun is seriously the #1 thing. People can see it and feel it, and they’ll feel less self-conscious and be sucked in to having fun as well. Look at Peter Garret (look up the video for Power and The Passion by Midnight Oil if you have NFI what I’m talking about) He might be the worst dancer of all time in terms of his arrythmic movement but if he’s doing that on stage it’s like he’s giving everyone else permission to give no fucks, and let it allllll go.
Also to follow some advice from some local groups in my hood
When your got no moves and you got no game and you wanna cut loose … SQUAT!
If you can only formally dance the you are destined to do so. If you cant find enjoyment out of dancing then you won’t find a way to be able to enjoy it.
https://youtu.be/IS2KQ46Kf84
Here’s the hip hop dance. Just remember, turn your feet out and keep it low, because that’s hiphop
Your problem is that you think dancing at weddings and parties is a skill. It’s not a skill, there is no good/bad. It’s actually kind of cringey to try to be a “good” dancer in that environment. Just have fun and enjoy yourself.
Look up blues fusion. Pretty much exactly what you describe.
I am the least dancey person on planet Earth. I cannot dance. I don’t like to dance. Not even one bit.
15 years I’ve been with my partner and she tried millions of times to teach me.
The ONLY tip that worked SOMEHOW (and got me from a 0/10 to a maybe 1.5/10) is to balance my weight a bit forward, stay on the balls of the feet all the time.
Not the advice you really want but…..
Get drunk enough that you simply don’t care how stupid you look out there flailing around like everybody else.