What style of dance is the best to learn first?

Question

26 here. I need a hobby beyond my computer games....and probably friends beyond my computer screen. So I look at dancing and it looks really fun.

Problem is, rhythm is a foreign concept to me. I tried to dance in front of the mirror...oh the humanity. Did manage to get a laugh out of it though. When people dance....they move to the beat or something. I can't even visually understand...feel what they are moving to. Shows how out of sync I am. I guess some people are born with it.

So what type of dance is the best to learn first? Ballroom? HipHop? Salsa? Tango? They all look fun, just to start would be nice.

Answer 1

well seeing as it seems you are a 26 year old male you'd probably prefer not to take ballet. if i were you (and this is what i did as well) i would start with hip hop! jut find a local studio that teaches a beginning adult hip hop class and you'll be set to go! It's a lot of fun an seeing as you're not looking to go pro or anything it's never too late! Salsa may be a bit difficult seeing as you don't have much experience in rhythm. a basic Hip Hop class once a week or so can solve that problem, give you a workout and you'll have lots of fun all at the same time! hope i could help :)

Answer 2

I definitely agree with the "learn to dance to the type of music you enjoy" answer. That is also what I would recommend. And it may take some trial and error to figure out what you like.



Another question you have to ask is why do you want to dance? I am guessing a big part of it is to meet people. Although ballet and hip hop are great, and a lot of fun, you don't really do them with another person. If I am right and meeting people, or in particular meeting girls is part of the goal, then any kind of partner dancing will be better to start out with.



Tango and salsa are both also great. I do dance both of them. And you would not be making a bad choice to choose either one. Part of it also depends on the dance scene where you live. For example, here in portland we have a good Salsa scene and a number of good places to go salsa dancing. But, we also have a very good Swing dancing scene.



So, I would go on youtube, and look up different kinds of dancing and decide which one you like the best and also what dances do you like the music that's being played. I would look up:



Swing,

West Coast Swing,

Tango,

Salsa,

Ballroom or Waltz or Foxtrot

Latin or Rumba or Cha Cha



That will give you a feel for a number of different options and help you figure out something that you will enjoy and are more likely to stick to. :)



Now, for a couple videos that I personally love. This is a great West Coast swing video:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3toYxGlWxk



and that is all improv. Not choreographed.





This is a beautiful Rumba:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mM6nMQ8DhA





That's my 2 cents. Good luck on learning to dance! If you are ever in Portland, OR look me up.



Best,

Lerey

Answer 3

I would pick the dance that goes with the music that you prefer. For me the dance comes from the music. If the music doesn't make me want to dance then why bother learning the dance?



To get comfortable finding the beat you will need to listen to the music a lot. So pick something you will enjoy listening to. I started dancing salsa when I was 30 so don't worry about age being a factor in learning to dance or in learning to find the beat. Let it take the time it takes. Relax and enjoy it because that's what it's all about. If dancing makes you feel stressed or like your "not good enough" then you miss the point.



I am now crazy about salsa and it's almost the only music I listen to anymore. At first it seemed kind of weird to me since I come from a WASP background and to me Latin music was "La Cucaracha". But once I bought a few CDs and started listening every day I soon got used to it and now it's just as "normal" to me as pop or rock or hiphop.



Good luck finding a dance that you enjoy. It adds a lot of happiness to your life and is also a greta source of exercise (a nice little bonus).



Here is a little video of some people dancing the type of salsa that I prefer (Cuban salsa). Yes, there are sub-types of salsa. You can see that it is about being fun and playful and reacting to the music not about impressing other people.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-30RzT2wn64



Cubans also dance a group form of salsa called Rueda de Casino which is a "Casino wheel". There is a group leader who calls out names of moves that are performed in unison often with partners switching at the end of the move. The fun thing is that if you know the names of the moves you can dance in a rueda with people you've never met before.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRb5pv4Rhcg

Answer 4

My advice is to try close-embrace social Argentine tango. The basic step, if there is one, is just to walk around the room. If you have a good embrace and a good walk, you are good at this dance.



Tango is simple but it is kind of subtle, and it takes a while to get the hang of it. But it is totally worth the investment. If you have an engaging personality, it will be fun for others to practice with you, and you will have good time while you are learning the dance.



Be advised that there are several varieties of tango. Above all you want Argentine tango, not ballroom (i.e. International or American). Of the Argentine styles, look for stuff that's advertised as close embrace, milonguero, or social tango. What you want is a club style, i.e. a dance you do with people you meet at a social event (called a milonga by the way).



Hope this helps and have fun. I started tango when I was in my 30's; I wish now I had started 10 years earlier, like you.

Answer 5

Ballet would be the best to learn first. Ballet is the foundation of all dance. It teaches you to be grounded, graceful and how to work your muscles the right way so when you go into other forms of dance you wont hurt yourself. Also so you know how to use your muscles the right way for your bones to stay healthy instead of working them wrong and causing a problem later on. It will help you build the muscle you need to do all other types of dance.

Answer 6

ballet is the very best class that will help u with everything. it helps u balance, center and a lot of jazz has alot of ballet in it. hope u start taking!!

have fun

Answer 7

Ballet is best because its the basic of all dance.