In this post, let’s look at some dancing tips for beginners. This is especially if you are a beginner who is starting dancing later than you normally would and you may feel a little out of your depth.
When you’re first getting into dancing, no matter if it’s ballet, modern dance, hip hop, or even ballroom, you feel like you entered a completely new world that has its own rituals, inside jokes, and protocol. It may feel like your first day at school and it can be quite overwhelming at first.
Never you mind because if you just stick it out, before long you will feel more and more at home in the dance studio.
If you are just starting out with ballet for instance, here are some of the terms that you are going to be hearing a lot of.
But aside from all the technical stuff, let’s look at some of the problems you may or may not face as a beginner dancer.
Dancing Tips For Beginners
Here are 5 things all new dancers should know.
Remember That Everyone At Some Stage Started Where You Are Now
Everyone no matter how good they look now was a beginner at some stage.
Success comes with practice, it’s not magic.
On that note, all the people who are brilliant and successful in the dance world… (you guessed it) practiced a lot. It’s not magic or natural selection.
They were all beginners once, too.
Everyone worked on and practiced what they battled with until it became second nature. So even though it may look out of reach, think baby steps and you will get there.
But even if you’re not pursuing dance professionally, know that everyone who’s accomplished what you want to do – was once a brand new dancer too.
Remember That Dancing Doesn’t Feel Natural
A lot of dancers will tell you not to worry as it will feel natural once you have the steps, but this is not necessarily the case.
Once you have been doing certain steps for years and they become muscle memory more than anything else, then maybe this can be the case, but most new steps will not feel natural at all and you will need to do a lot of thinking.
Think of walking, running, or even brushing your teeth. At some stage in your life, these were not easy to do, but now they feel natural, simply because we do them every day.
Just remember that it is normal to feel awkward, stiff, and even uncomfortable in the beginning, and only lots of practice will make the step feel more natural.
Walking feels natural. Brushing your teeth feels natural. They only feel natural because they’re movements that we make every day.
Remember That You Are Not Too Old And It Is Never Too Late
Even though it is a fact that the earlier you start dancing, the easier it will be, it is not a rule set in stone. There are many professional dancers worldwide who only started to dance in their teens.
So there is no set age to start, as it totally depends on you and how hard you work and how much you practice.
You can start to do whatever you want, whenever you want to. So get yourself out of the mindset that you won’t succeed because you weren’t young enough when you started.
Don’t Be Afraid To Start At The Bottom
A common fault I see is dancers starting dancing in the same class as their friend who has been dancing for a number of years. This is not a good idea, because you will end up feeling lost and discouraged.
Start in a basic beginners class where you can build up your technique with other dancers who are in the same boat that you are in, and in this way you will build both your skills and your confidence levels.
Most importantly you will get the correct basics on which to build your technique. If you have to start in a class with younger dancers so be it, but because you are older you will progress faster and move up when you are ready.
In The Beginning, It’s All About Technique
I know you want to be able to go straight in and be able to do triple turns or death-defying leaps, but when you watch dancers do that, know that they have spent years getting to that point of their training.
Working on your basic technique may seem boring, but that is what ultimately makes you a better and healthier dancer free of injuries and strong enough to do more advanced movements.
There are no shortcuts to becoming a great dancer, and we all need to start at the bottom. This goes for anything that we are learning from scratch. So I hope that these dancing tips for beginners have given you a better understanding of what to expect.
Most importantly have fun and enjoy each moment in your dancing journey.
Please feel free to comment below if you have any other dancing tips for beginners that you would like to share.
