Tips for Beginners

Hitting the Dance Floor

 * 1) Relax, relax, relax!  It may be hard, but its nigh impossible to dance with someone who has every muscle in their body tensed up like you're going to attack them.  Let it flow!
 * 2) Feel the music.  Things become easier if you're able to actually listen to the music and not necessarily rely 100 percent on your partner.  The music is there to help.
 * 3) Ask other people, even strangers to dance!  Even if you're nervous, it's probable that they are just as nervous as you are (yes it's a little cliché, but it's true!)  You get to meet new people, new friends and, at the same time, hone your skills with a large variety of partners.
 * 4) Don't be self-conscious.  Despite what you might feel, the entire room is not watching your every basic-step ready to point and laugh at every possible mistake that you might make.  Just relax and enjoy the dance (see No. 1).  Even if you don't make quite the right step you were planning on, don't worry about it.  Laugh at your own follies and your partner will enjoy it as well; chances are they might think they screwed up the step.  There are no mistakes, only new moves!

Lessons or Groups?
This is definitely a question a lot of dancers ask themselves, and the answer is that both are good!

Group classes are good for learning the basics, picking up new moves, and meeting other dancers. Often you can find someone who is at your level who will be interested in practicing outside of classes, or who you'll run into regularly at your local dance nights.

Private lessons are very effective when it comes to finding areas to improve in your dance. A good teacher can diagnose what's holding you back from being a better dancer and suggest ways to improve, and the focus is on you and you alone. Private lessons are no good without practice though, and the cost is obviously much higher. When you want to really take your dancing to the next level though, there's no substitute for a couple of private lessons.

Finally, a lot of inspiration can come from simply getting out there and dancing, or watching other dancers. Pick out a variation or move you'd like to try and just make it happen on the dance floor, and don't be afraid of whether it will work or not.

External Resources

 * Dance World Takeover: Beginner's Corner


 * Rik's Top Ten Mistakes Made by Newbie* Lindy Hoppers