Dance can be hard to engage with. For one thing, it's embarrassing to start. There are few things which make you feel more clumsy than trying to learn a dance. You’ll definitely feel like people are staring, even if you are in a studio or club and they are trying to focus on themselves. And that’s if you can find a studio or club! You’ll have to do some searching to find a place you are comfortable with, and in some areas you’ll have limited options. But trying out dance is good for you, and here are just a few reasons why!
Our modern-day world minimizes physical effort and exercise. This is so convenient — we can drive to places instead of walking and call people remotely instead of meeting in person. But, on the downside, it is now easier than ever to be out of shape. We don’t have to exercise, so we have to choose to exercise. And, at least for people like me, that can be a losing battle. I don’t like exercising, I don’t find it fun, and I find it difficult to motivate myself to run on treadmills or lift weights. But dance is all about energy, excitement, movement and fun! Anyone who says dance isn’t a workout either hasn’t danced or hasn’t found the right kind of dance. If we aren’t getting our exercise naturally, we should get our exercise in a way that is both physically and mentally engaging. Dance does just that!
Dance is also a great way to express yourself and your interests. You can also choose styles of dance, dress, and music to show who you are and what you love. Ballroom dancing is slow and controlled, but gives the participants time to talk and socialize. Square-dancing and contra-dancing are more fast-paced and involve large groups of people. Ballet, tango, Irish dance, jazz and hip-hop are all fascinating, distinct forms of dance with rich cultural histories. That doesn’t even begin to cover improvisational dances or social media dance phenomena! There is a kind of dance for everyone with an open mind, and how you engage with it will be unique.
Finally, dance pushes us to become confident. It can be scary to dance in public, especially when you are starting out. But everyone messes up! Once you can get past the awkwardness, you can start having fun. In the world of social media, it's very easy for us to curate how people can see us. We can only show people the best and prettiest parts of us, and pretend we never mess up. When we relax, though, dance can bring us together and remind us that we don’t need to be perfect. If you are too worried about looking good, you won’t be able to really enjoy dancing. If you look silly when you dance, so what? We are allowed to look stupid, we are allowed to goof off without looking good, we are allowed to just do things because they are fun. Dance is for everyone, not just professional dancers with beautiful choreography.
So, if you want to explore dance, take that step! Look into studios or clubs in your area, look up tutorials, or even just ask your friends or dance around your house! Take it at your pace, and find what you love most in dance. Consider joining our Geneva Groupchat for more information!