Ballroom Dance Instruction

We all learn a new skill differently. Some new skills lend themselves well to learning through reading or watching, but there are some things we just have to do for ourselves. Ballroom dancing is one such activity and ballroom dance instruction usually focuses on learning by doing.

Getting The Right Ballroom Dance Instruction

When you learn ballroom dance, you will be asked to perform steps and repeat them. Let’s break it down.

First, a teacher or instructor will usually show you the step. They might repeat it more than once or they might show you one step in combination with others. When you first begin ballroom dancing, this might seem a little overwhelming, but keep in mind that nobody expects you do the steps exactly as they are demonstrated for you and that your effort is enough, for now.

When you watch the instructor demonstrate the move, focus on the feet. You can learn how to add the head movements, and the proper arm and hand flourishes, later. A good instructor will likely slow down the movement so you can really focus on their feet and get a good feel for how you should be moving your feet.

Next, try to move your feet in the right way to duplicate the step. You might feel a little awkward at first, but that’s what instruction is all about. You are learning. Really get into it. Dance is all about hearing and really feeling the music. Through that appreciation and sense of the music, you can move to the music properly.

A good instructor will repeat the step as often as it takes for you to understand it. If you are learning how to dance using a DVD, slow it down or even go back and watch the step over and over again. You can do this as many times as necessary for you to get the steps down.

Don’t worry too much about getting the step right the first (or even third) time. This is about learning a new skill and for most of us, that isn’t an immediate and easy process.

Once you feel comfortable with a few steps, begin to put them together. It’s when you put steps together that you begin go to really get a feel for the dance and you can move through the moves fluently and smoothly.

As you learn each of the steps, think about how they would work together to create a solid dance. Once you have some basic steps down, work through an entire dance. There’s a real feeling of accomplishment when you are able to put steps together and make a solid performance out of them.

Good ballroom dance instruction will allow you the time to learn the steps first and then put them together. Because learning a new skill often takes repetition, repeat as often as necessary for you to feel comfortable with the steps.

Finally, have confidence in the ballroom dance instruction you are getting. If you chose your class or instructor well, you will likely be getting quality instruction and you should feel confident that eventually you’ll get it. For some people, a comfort level with the dancing comes naturally, while for others it takes a while. Don’t be frustrated if you’re in the latter camp. It will come, sooner or later.