Dancing is a scary thing to start. Body movements may feel awkward, you might feel embarrassed or “not good enough,” but trust me… If you want it, it gets better.
I know that when I started out, I was terrified. Did I want to dance? Yes, more than anything. But I was extremely shy, especially when I was younger. I always thought and dreamed about dancing, though. I loved movies like "Honey" and "Step Up." I knew that eventually, I had to just go for it, or else it would eat me alive––not literally, of course.
I remember enrolling in my first dance class. I was so nervous and so excited. I had a really young teacher and I took it with my twin sister. It was jazz hip-hop, which was actually really nice because I didn’t do things that were too much out of my comfort zone. I also loved that she kept up with recent music, so we got to stretch and dance to awesome songs.
If you love something, honestly, just go for it. What’s the worst that can happen? I know, I should actually take my own advice. I’ve been improving lately, though. I used to be afraid to just dance in general, and then I enrolled in a class. Years and years later, I began again. I took a class offered by UC Davis. I took another class offered at the ARC. I even choreographed a piece with a friend, and another piece is in the works. Sure, it’s been difficult with classes, meetings, and studying, but if you love it, it will definitely be worth it.
I noticed that when I finally fulfilled that craving and yearning for dance, I became a happier person. I also realized how capable I am to be able to take risks and just worry about what I love instead about of what others think.
My next step is to attend more workshops. I attended two at UC Davis, but with how many are offered it is sort of ridiculous that I have not attended more. It’s a bit scary, though.
Go for it. With more practice comes improvement. That is how many other dancers that you are surrounded by started. So there’s no need to be embarrassed. There’s no need to compare yourself either. They probably have been dancing for many more years than you have, so there is no accurate comparison to even be made!
Make dancing friends. It really, really helps, especially if they are all from different backgrounds and different levels of dance experience. This was the case in a beginners class I took at UC Davis. There were some experienced dancers as well as many inexperienced dancers. Note, though, this was no beginners class––I felt it was probably intermediate. It was mostly doable, but there were some combinations and moves that were pretty difficult. Regardless, it was a great challenge.
What also helps is some foundation before going out there and taking a class or workshop. YouTube is a great help! So many choreographers post their tutorials on their choreography, and you can just pause or go back if you want to review steps. There is also an online platform called Steezy Studio that I have been using and is a huge help. Not only do you learn from renowned choreographers, you also get to pause, rewind, and revert back to certain sections of the choreography. You can also watch it from a view facing them or a view from dancing behind them. It is a clean and easy platform to use with choreographies you will not want to miss out on!
So, beginner dancers… Take risks. Go out there and don’t be afraid of what you love, because it will make you a happier person. Wouldn’t you hate to look back on your life and say, “Damn, I should have done that!" Change your should haves to did or are doing.
Go out there and slay!
