How to Learn to Dance

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Dancing is known even to children, but not everyone can dance beautifully. If you want to learn dance, you must first choose a genre. Then you can spend time practicing on your own. Or you can take a dance class at the cultural house to improve your skills. And don’t forget to take care of your body through eating right and training to become a star dancer.

Table of Contents

Identify the genre you like

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Know about dance genres. Each genre has a different feeling and emotion. For example, the fast tempo of tap-dance is very different from the long graceful movements of ballet or the definitive movements of hip-hop. Perhaps you should try taking dance lessons with a partner or even learning Irish dance. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Watch dance videos on the internet. Watch different videos to understand the basics of dance genres. Maybe your knees aren’t strong enough for tap-dance. Maybe you don’t like your feet to bend like ballet. Find a genre that interests you.

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Read books and magazines about dance. These materials describe the basics of dance so you will have an idea of what lies ahead.

Try searching for magazines at the library. It’s an inexpensive way to learn dance genres.
Study the history of dance genres. Thereby you can be inspired to choose a genre.

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Watch the performances of professional dancers. Go to community shows. You won’t have to spend a lot of money to see such performances. Maybe your locality also has a dance school. However, watching the dancers dance live will give you an experience unlike watching on video, because there you will be absorbed in the performance. ^{[2] X Research Source}

When you watch a person perform, you get a more realistic feel of dance. You will see skillful movements and get ideas from professional dancers. If you can’t afford to watch it live, you can look for movies with dancing scenes, such as music movies. Pay attention to the dancer’s expression. Are they focused? How is their technique? If you recognize something in their movements that inspires you, you may be able to identify what you want.

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Take a dance class in the community. Many community cultural houses organize basic dance classes. You may be introduced to a variety of dance genres. Try looking at cultural houses and entertainment centers in your area.

If there are no dance classes in your community, try looking at community colleges. Classes at a community college usually charge low tuition.

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Know your limits. If you are in good shape, can spread your legs and touch your toes, you should try classical ballet instead of hip-hop. When learning about dance, you need to know the movements of your body and think about what positions you can do well. However, you need to remember that you are learning. You can and will become more flexible.

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Choose your favorite dance genre. You can always expand to more dance genres later on, but you should choose one first. Focus on that before moving on to other genres.

Dancing to the rhythm

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Find a large space to practice. You need space to practice. Choose a place with hard floors and don’t be afraid to disturb anyone if you make noise.

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Use music with a clear rhythm. Many songs are remixed to dance, but you can dance to almost anything that has a rhythm.

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Learn to listen to the beat. Some people have trouble hearing the rhythm. If so, try listening to the music at the beginning of the song. Ask a music-savvy person to help you count the beats and tap your feet to the right beat. Once you get used to it, you can keep pace on your own. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

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Don’t be afraid of movement. Once you feel the rhythm, let your body move with it. Techniques of movement, you can learn later. At this point, you just need to learn how to move your body in rhythm. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

You can start by moving your arms, followed by your legs (or vice versa). It’s easier to focus on each part. Listen to the rhythm to match each movement.

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Workout at your own pace. Maybe you want to quickly become a respectable dancer. However, dance requires practice. If you try too hard and too soon, you could injure yourself.

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Learn the basics first. Starting with the basics will help you avoid confusion. Thereby you can improve your technique to perform more complex movements. Use dance lessons on the internet or books to learn the basics.

With ballet, try basic poses. For example, start with the starting position. The initial position is a standing position with the heels touching, the toes facing out. It may take a while to get there, but use your hips for support. Raise your arms to form an arc. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

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Go to the dance club. Dance clubs are a great place to try out a variety of dance genres such as hihop, folk or swing dance.

Take your dancing technique to the next level

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Take a local dance class. You can take many dance classes to choose from, but for now you should choose a class that focuses on a genre (or genres) that you enjoy. Again, you should look for classes in your community or try looking at a community college. Choose a beginner class, as you are still a beginner.

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See professional dancers. When watching professional dancers dance, the dance moves will be imprinted in the brain. In essence, once your brain is familiar with the dance moves, you’ll be more likely to do them again. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

You can watch the dance performance as mentioned above. In addition, you need to pay close attention when the instructor instructs the dance moves.

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Practice with friends. If you have friends in the same dance class, you can invite them to practice outside of the classroom. So you can give each other suggestions, practice together to improve. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

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Set aside time for practice. The only way to train your body is to exercise regularly. Practice will help your body develop muscle memory so you can dance without having to think about the movements. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

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Watch yourself dance. Take a picture of yourself and see how you move. You can also try posting on dance websites to seek advice from professionals. ^{[9] X Research Source}

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Practice dancing in front of the mirror. When you practice dancing in front of the mirror, you will see your wrong moves and avoid it right away. ^{[10] X Research Source}

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Step out into the community. Search for local gig companies and give it a try. You can also find out if there are dance groups in your community that you can join.

One way to find groups of this type is to look at the list of events published in the newspaper. You can find out who has a performance coming up to find local dance groups.

Build a beautiful body

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Eat vegetables and fruits. These foods contain many nutrients. The body needs vitamins and minerals to function properly. So you should eat green vegetables every day. ^{[11] X Trusted Source HelpGuide Go to source}

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Know the proper ratio. If you’re constantly dancing, you need half of your calorie intake from carbohydrates (starches). The remaining 50% of calories include 35% from fat and 15% from protein. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Carbohydrates fuel working muscles and give you energy.
Protein helps rebuild muscles. During intense dance sessions, muscles are put under pressure, muscle fibers can break, and protein can repair the condition. ^{[13] X Research Source}

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Avoid simple carbohydrates. Avoid white sugar, white bread, and white rice. Instead, choose whole grains and fruits for the carbohydrates you need. ^{[14] X Research Source}

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Provide water to the body. You need to replenish the fluids your body has lost. Furthermore, dehydration will deplete you. ^{[15] X Trusted Source HelpGuide Go to Source}

Try to drink 8 glasses of water every day, each glass of 240 ml.
During intense dance sessions, you should drink about 4 glasses of water every hour to replace the lost fluid. ^{[16] X Research Source}

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Choose lean protein. Eat fish or chicken because the saturated fat content in it is less than red meat. You may also like plant-based proteins like nuts and beans. ^{[17] X Trusted Source HelpGuide Go to source}

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Try compound or resistance exercises. To help build your body, try other exercises aimed at increasing muscle and endurance.

For example, swimming is a full-body workout that can increase flexibility. It also helps reduce pressure in the joints. Backstroke is especially helpful if you want to stretch your upper body. ^{[18] X Research Sources}
Try cycling to develop the calf muscles. It is also a great way to increase overall endurance. Remember to sit up straight when cycling, otherwise you may shorten the muscles near the hips. ^{[19] X Research Source}
To increase flexibility and endurance, take a yoga class. Yoga can help stretch the muscles and strengthen the abs. ^{[20] X Research Source}

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Weightlifting. Weight training will help you develop muscles. You will be able to hold for longer in a certain pose, or be able to do moves you didn’t think you could do before. You can do standard dumbbell exercises like bicep curls and squats, but you should only do three sets of 6-8 reps. back and use slightly heavier weights than the normal weightlifting exercise. Heavier weights (but not more reps) will help build strength without increasing muscle mass. ^{[21] X Research Source}

To do biceps curl, hold a dumbbell in each hand. Palms towards body. Raise both arms slightly so that the palms are facing up. Alternately raise each arm toward the shoulder. ^{[22] X Research Source}
To do squats, stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Hold weights in front of your body. Bend your knees and lower yourself down, then return to standing. Repeat the action. ^{[23] X Research Sources}

Advice

If you don’t have a lot of money, you should regularly watch online videos. You can still learn the moves quickly and for free this way.
It’s a good idea to start with basic ballet steps to learn dance techniques that will later help other dance genres.
If learning hip hop, watch the video to find out.
You can learn all kinds of dance like ballet, jazz, hip hop and more. Remember that not everyone likes to dance. You can try gymnastics, and if neither is right for you, that’s okay too.

Warning

Clean up around the dance floor to avoid hitting objects.
Do not attempt to perform dangerous or excessive movements. You can easily get injured without really mastering difficult movements.
The best option is to learn from an expert.

Steps