How to dance better without lessons
How To Learn Dance With No Dance Classes In Your Area
Many dancers or aspiring dancers live in areas where there are no dance classes, studios, nor communities. If this is you, please don’t be deterred you from starting!
Where there is a will, there is always a way! You can start dancing on your own by making the most of the resources that you do have.
Keep reading to learn how to start learning how to dance – wherever you live.
No dance classes? No problem.
1. Define what type of dance you’re interested in
First, narrow down your scope of interests to a style or a few styles that resonate with you most.
There are so many different dance styles and each have different methods for learning and practicing it.
For example, are you interested in the robotic, eye-tricking motions of Popping? Do you like the athleticism and flair of Breakin’?
Are you drawn to grooving out to old school hip hop music? Are you looking to learn and perform choreographed pieces, like in Urban Dance Choreography?
Think about. Take a second. THEN –
2. Do background research
Once you’ve narrowed it down to one or two, look for online resources that can give you some deeper insight on the style.
For instance, if you want to learn Popping, read up on its history, origins, and basic techniques (the hit is a great place to start).
Test it out with these exercises recommended by Charles Nguyen (from Kinjaz and Poreotics) here.
For you hip hop heads, brush up on where the culture comes from in this article.
Those wanting to get into the Urban Dance world, read this article on what it actually is, and watch videos on YouTube from your favorite choreographers.
3. Find ways to learn online
As you learn more about these different dance styles and cultures, you’ll also gain a better sense of the techniques and key moves that make up the style.
Since you can’t get to a physical studio with teachers who teach that specific style, look up online learning platforms that can teach you the ABC’s – for examples, aspiring Poppers, try Boogie Frantick’s Beginner Popping Program on STEEZY Studio.
For Breakin’ heads, B-Boy and B-Girl Dojo provide an interactive, immersive Breakin’ program that teaches moves, techniques, battle skills, and more.
VincaniTV also has great tutorials on Breaking and Hip Hop styles.
There are some awesome YouTube tutorials on basic House steps by Jardy Santiago, too!
Other online dance classes:
DanceTutorialsLIVE offers tutorials in everything from Twerking to the Dougie.
The amazing Matt Steffanina teaches the hypest pieces to the most popular current music on his YouTube channel.
You can learn from Korea’s best choeographers with 1MILLION Dance Tutorial.
And of course, STEEZY Studio has over 90 online classes where you can learn advanced Urban Choreography pieces, grooves, beginner choreography, and more.
Curious to see how it works? This’ll tell you everything: How To Use STEEZY Studio
4. Get your friends together to practice
If you have friends who are also interested in learning how to dance, then get them together and try out one of these online classes.
Or, freestyle and practice drills together.
Set a weekly day/time to get together and practice at a park, your garage, front lawn, even in your living room.
Even if it’s just 1 other person, having someone share that experience with you creates a sense of community (yes, a community of 2 is still a community!)
5. Commute to take live classes
Yes, it’s kind of a mission to take 2 trains, a bus, and walk 3 miles to get to a studio…
But commuting to take a in-real-life class once in a while is worth it!
You get to be in an environment made for optimal dance training, around other dancers who are trying to learn and grow, and receive instruction from a professional teacher!
You can learn tons of skills online, on your own, from your home…
But nothing can replace a real-life experience, just like how FaceTime can’t replace face to face hangouts.
So save up some money and block out a chunk of your time to experience in-person classes.
Treat it as a vacation, if anything, where you get to indulge heavily in your passion.
While it may take a bit of extra effort, don’t take the fact that there are no dance classes in your area as a handicap.
If anything, you can receive instruction in other ways and supplement your training in ways that best cater to you.
Also, being more self-taught allows for room for you to dance like you, without being too influenced by a particular instructor or regular set of students.
Take advantage of all the resources out there, as well as the freedom to develop your own unique style.
Let’s keep growing together, STEEZY Nation!
Do you have a hard time getting to a dance class? What are some ways you train? Comment and share your advice!
Here’s What You Need to Know to Get Started – CLI Studios
June 19, 2021 January 6, 2022 / 6 minutes of reading
What You Need to Know to Start Dancing- The age equation is a myth! You can begin dancing at any age you want as long as you have the right tools to start.
Plus, learning to dance is beneficial for your mind and body. So, no matter what age you are, you’ll still feel the benefits of a healthy dose of movement each day. - Like anything that’s new, there will be mistakes made – and that’s okay! It’s actually how we learn. In order to find your balance, you have to explore falling and wobbling.
- Starting small is the best way to begin. Working on training your mind and your muscles before jumping into tricks is the safest way to start. Think about it – in order to nail your turn, you’ll have to start with learning how to spot!
- It’s not as difficult to start as you think! From dancing in front of your mirror to stalking your favorite choreographers on social media, there are small ways you can start to learn and pick up movement every day. Once you figure out what you want to learn, you can create your own schedule and keep track of your progress in no time.
- Most importantly, take it at your own pace and find what feels right for your body.
And, don’t forget to have fun while you’re at it!
So, you want to start dancing, but maybe you feel like you’re a little late to the party? Well, the good news is that it’s NEVER too late to learn how to dance! It’s a myth that you have to start young. You can pursue whatever you want, whenever you want.
Oh, and the best part? It’s actually beneficial for your mind and body! That’s right. Moving your body each day can pave the way for a higher cardio-fitness score and increased flexibility, as well as release endorphins for a mood boost.
Plus, based on a study from Harvard, picking up new choreography and movement helps develop cognitive skills such as memory, decision making, and visual recognition. The moral of the story is that daily dancing will have your brain and body thanking you!
What you need to know before you start You will mess up! And that’s okay.Nobody gets a pirouette right away.
In order to nail that single, double, or triple, falling out of the turn is required and encouraged! Even the most advanced dancers fall out of their turns. It’s all part of the process. You have to embrace the wobble in order to find your balance!
Fun fact: “Embrace the wobble” is a phrase from our favorite dance medicine specialist, Jennie Morton. She likes to focus on balancing as a dynamic process instead of a rigid stop.
You don’t have to be an expert to have fun AND look good.No matter what moves you’re doing, if you’re having fun that energy will translate to those watching you! The most important part of dancing is your presence and how you’re feeling when you’re moving. Check-in with yourself! Are you able to just groove it out and forget about everything else for a while? That’s where the magic happens.
Everybody starts somewhere!In order to do a leap, you have to start small and celebrate every tiny win! If that means for a whole month, you focus on stretching your hamstrings and working your flexibility before jumping into the air – that’s perfectly fine.
The foundations are so much more important than tricks, and they’ll help you get to those advanced moves in the long run. Plus, having strong technique helps prevent injuries!
1.
Start smallWhile it may be tempting to jump into a 90-minute jazz class, it’s important to focus on preparing your body and working your way up to a full class. Try starting with just 10 minutes of a dance-inspired warm-up. You can start with your general warm-up exercises and add in dance techniques. Check out a few of our favorite 10-minute warm-ups HERE.
2.
Incorporate dance into your daily routinesYou don’t need to be in a studio to practice your technique! A great way to work on your dancing is to find different ways to move throughout the day.
- Want to work on balance? Try standing on one leg while you brush your teeth!
- Stretching in the morning? Try moving your arms throughout the port de bras during your morning stretching routine
- Need a 10 minute break from work? Head to first position and practice your releves with 3 sets of 20 calf raises.
- Cooling down from a workout? Do stretches that will help you increase your flexibility and turnout.
3.
Freestyling and improvising are your friendsThe best place to start? In your own room! Yep – put on your favorite song and just start moving! You can even dance in front of a mirror to give yourself some instant feedback. Improvising and freestyling is the best way to find what feels good for your body. When you watch your favorite choreographers, you’ll notice they all have different styles and that’s because everyone’s body has its own way of moving!
4.
Start to explore different styles of dance just by watchingEverybody has different methods, but one way to get started with learning to dance is to immerse yourself in every aspect of it! That means following accounts of dancers on social media, finding choreographers you love and checking out all of their content. Go down a YouTube black hole of choreography and dance — and check out our YouTube page while you’re at it 🙂
- Cha Cha Basics – Lacey Schwimmer
- 5 tips to nail your turns – Carly Blaney
- Breakin’ Basics – Vincanity
5.
Choose a goal and make a schedule for yourself Do you want to learn a specific style? Pick a class or a few different classes that teach the basics, and keep practicing even when you’re not in the studio. The more you do it the easier—and more fun it gets! You don’t have to become a master overnight, no one does. Maybe one month you focus on a specific combo, or ballet and the next you try hip-hop! Just pick a small goals each month and you’ll see improvements before you know it.
Not sure where to start?Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. CLI offers over 200 beginner-friendly classes to check out. Plus, you can actually control the speed of our classes so you never have to worry about missing a step! Check out a few of our favorite beginner classes below.
- Carly Blaney Beginner Jazz Course
- Molly Long Warm-Up
- Mel Mah – Alaska
- tWitch – Hip-Hop Grooves
- JBlaze Party Grooves Warm-Up
Okay, now that you have a few of our best tips and tricks for getting started – what are you waiting for? It’s time to dance! Believe us, you won’t regret it.
The most important thing is to take it all at your own pace and have some fun. Remember, you’re learning something new which is so good for your brain and your body! And who doesn’t want a healthy brain and body?
Explore our 200+ beginner-friendly classes at clistudios.com today!
90,000 12 life hacks, to quickly learn how to dance from Mamita DanceDances
Author: Pavel Gather
Psychologist, Lecturer Salsa and Tango
Dances
Author: Pavel Pavel
Psychologist, Lecturer Salsa
on At the start, you always want to get a quick result. When it doesn't happen, the hypothesis arises that everything takes time. After a conditionally acceptable time, humility comes to mastering pair dances, which, perhaps, is not given, and I will just do what I learned somehow.
This is the most common story of those who believe that the mere act of attending a pair dance class is enough to learn how to dance.
Absolutely not. If you want to really dance well, you have to make an effort outside of the dance class. A good teacher will definitely be needed, but the initiative should be on your side.
1. Listen to music
The most common and accessible advice that is given already in the first lessons. And it definitely works. Music creates a certain atmosphere of the dance and intuitively you want to move to it. It doesn't matter where you listen to music - in the car, on headphones while walking or doing household chores.
An addition that will help you dance better is your active participation in the music. Sing along, dance or simply beat musical accents with any free parts of the body. In the subway, for example, it is enough to tap out bright moments with your fingers, in the car to sing along with sounds, and at home you can jump for pleasure.
2. Watch videos of good dancers
It's complicated, but also obvious.
It’s more difficult, because without recommendations from more experienced dancers, unfortunately, it’s not so easy to find a good quality video on the net (I mean not the resolution quality, but the content itself).
Meaningful viewing of the video is to form an understanding of HOW the dancers make this or that impression on the partner or the viewer. Technology is at the heart of everything. Understanding how the pros do it is a big step forward.
It is important to distinguish between a show and a disco dance, a choreographed performance from an improvisation, a stylized dance from an authentic one, etc. Ask for recommendations and dance instructors will always upload a couple of videos of worthy landmarks.
Tango Z. Showreel.
Online modern tango courses
Tango nuevo is the most advanced version of tango. We can quickly learn to dance from zero to a steep level.
| View details |
3.
Dance in salsatecas/milongas/discotheques
A very delicate moment when it is worth coming to the first party. From a technical point of view, most students in 1-3 months have a sufficient set of figures and techniques to come and dance calmly. Psychologically, the same moment can be stretched out for an indefinite time. After all, it is imperative to “not lose face”, “learn more figures” and be sure what to do in case “there is an unfamiliar movement”.
In fact, the partygoers don't really care (except for a small layer of non-professional teachers who want to help inexperienced dancers by treating them as customers in the future). It is important to come and try dancing after a month of classes. You can only with friends or guys from your group. This will be enough to feel the adrenaline and inspiration from the dance.
4. Dance with partners or partners not of your level
The conventional wisdom that you need to practice in groups of your level does not withstand the test of experience.
Perhaps now your eyes widened in surprise, and you want to meaningfully read the phrase again. Yes, you saw everything correctly: when you dance with a partner of your level, you don’t grow anywhere.
It's important to understand that not only does it work one way and you have to dance with cooler dancers, but it works even more effectively the other way. It is no coincidence that teaching pair dances dramatically raises the level of the teacher himself. You have an endless stream of very beginner dancers.
How it works. A more experienced partner needs to be "stretched". It's easy and obvious. With beginners, you need to take more initiative on yourself, see the general pattern of the dance more widely, turn on and insure more, try to be an example and be more careful. The quality of interaction begins to grow significantly. And wonderful partners too.
Dancing with partners of your level doesn't make you grow. Dance with both beginners and more advanced dancers
Dominican Bachata Women's Style Online Course
Want to learn how to hypnotize those around you with the most appetizing part of your body? On the course we will tell you all the secrets.
| Interesting |
5. Learn to dance for a partner and for a partner
Turks and Argentines are one of the best partners in the world. In Russia, partners are highly valued. Why? The answer is simple. In Argentina and Turkey, it is not questionable for men to ask another man to lead in one piece or another and give feedback on the quality of the lead. For them, it will be a great shame to hear moralizing from a partner, or even more so to be known in the community as an insecure partner.
In Russia, due to the constant, often far-fetched, opinion that there are more women in pair dances, partners calmly get up and study their partner's part. Such partners then grow into very cool dancers and teachers. In no case do this at parties, only in class. Here we are talking only about the learning strategy. At parties, be yourself.
6. Do not memorize the links
Always try to look deeper and understand the through principle and idea of movement.
Understanding what and how is done will make it possible to independently generate any sequences and chips.
Human memory is limited and there will always be a moment when something will escape and your repertoire will be limited by the size of RAM.
In Argentine tango, for example, there are seven levels of movement construction that, when mastered, will allow you to make millions of combinations. And how many dance sequences can you really remember? In rueda, more than 150 figures dance in a rare circle. It's hard to keep more in mind.
7. Develop your body
Many years of experience in teaching couple dance shows that as soon as everyone pairs up in a class, any progress in individual style ends. But it is the individual style that distinguishes everyone at the disco: partners change, and style is always with you.
The body as the main instrument of dance must be very plastic, responsive and emotional. Surprisingly, not all pair dance schools have a general physical warm-up.
It is vital to tune the body and understand how it works.
You can always train extra and concentrate more on the basic steps, as their true value is as body work. The sequence of steps is, in fact, the simplest thing that can be in pair dancing. The quality of individual performance determines the craftsmanship.
8. Try on the images of inspiring dancers
A psychological life hack for those who have already mastered the steps, but still feel that there is not enough brightness and drive. Most are terribly afraid of being someone else's "clone". Here the action is the same as under the influence of hypnosis - the more you resist, the more you plunge into an altered state of consciousness.
With a high degree of probability, you are already dancing like someone else's "clone". A meaningful fitting of someone else's image is that you mentally take the image of the one who inspires you (inspiration is critical in this case) and "put on" yourself.
Then you start dancing and trying to feel in general how it is to be able, for example, to be the best partner or the sexiest partner in a disco. This is much more difficult than it seems. But it works extremely efficiently.
9. Dance to offbeat music
Habitual rhythms keep you tight. Tango salon or speedy timba leave little room for experimentation and fantasy. Pattern dancing is always noticeable and is reserved for beginners.
The truly new is born outside of the usual. Look for places to experiment. If there is no place, organize self-training. The main thing is not to get carried away, because music determines the style. We bring something new to pair dances, rather than trying to change them.
Search, improvise, don’t be afraid to go beyond, develop in different directions, be inspired by music atypical for the style
10. Try your hand at basic dance directions
dances exist according to their own non-choreographic laws.
This is the deepest delusion, which has turned into a ceiling for the qualitative development of partner dances. After all, all professional dancers, for example, in salsa or bachata, build their ideas on the basic choreographic principles.
Do not think that choreography is only applicable on stage. Any meaningful movement of the body can be choreographic. In general, try classical or modern choreography. Basically, hip-hop can work too.
11. Look for battle sensations
Pair dances return us to an active position of manifestation of our body. As in the days of our ancient ancestors, we impress the members of the opposite sex by how dexterous, hardy, sexy, etc. we are. Modern laws of the jungle in the entourage of big cities.
If you look around the dance floor, it becomes clear that the majority are clearly herbivores (not in the sense of vegetarians, but in relation to those around them).
I am sure that predators are always more interesting in terms of the attractiveness of the image - try to find a counterbalance among herbivores, for example, a cat woman or a lion man.
The conversation is about an internal position, not about aggressiveness. Lability and lack of control are inherent in adolescents, and not in adult self-sufficient people.
Accordingly, even a training or friendly battle gives, on the one hand, practical skills - to make a bright sequence of movements, bring an idea to a climax, show a spectacular feature, on the other hand, develops the psychological basis of the dance - self-confidence, resistance to extraneous attention, self-control and self-control in complex elements.
12. Communicate with professionals
The environment shapes the internal position. Basically, real passionaries of the dance community are ready to openly talk, discuss and support the development of dance in every possible way.
Universal principles and the ideas they articulate have a much longer and more practical perspective than meets the eye.
Accept that, for example, behind the words "listen to your partner" is not only a beautiful metaphor, but also a practical skill to literally listen to your partner. At the same time, always treat every thought, even the most respected teacher, as a private opinion.
Your skill will lie in finding the scope of the idea even in conflicting opinions. Most often, the contradiction is speculative and the truth lies in the angle of perception or situationality.
Your dancing growth will stop sooner or later. This can happen at the level of three basic steps or years of experience in teaching and show performances. Regardless of your level, the suggested 12 life hacks can get you off the ground and greatly accelerate your dance growth. There is no way here without your motivation and activity. Take your dance development into your own hands. 9Ol000 Dangerous sexuality
Salsa: destroyers of stereotypes
Couple dancing as a source of strength.
Self-destruction of the couple dance community
The Salsa series as a mirror of the community
Mamita Fridays: salsa, bachata
Destroying the myths about leading pair dances
Does dancing make us better?
The seven deadly sins of teachers
Why we will never dance bachata like the Dominicans
Why tango?
Dispute over musicality
Selection of dances according to alcohol preferences
Where to find inspiration for dancing?
Terrible tango nuevo
Distribution of roles in a salsa party
Argentinean tango through the eyes of a salsa dancer
Is there a predisposition to dancing?
Which is more effective: individual or group lessons?
Sexual connotations in partner dancing
7 tips for those who want to learn how to dance
September 9, 2020Reno5Life
Dancing is a great way to make friends with your body and gain self-confidence. And yes, they can be mastered at any age.
Share
01. Choose your style
The idea here is the same as for sports: if you secretly hate yoga or iron exercises, you are unlikely to go to workouts week after week. To achieve noticeable progress in dancing, a beginner will have to practice a lot and regularly, so it’s better not to torture yourself and choose a direction that really ignites.
You can focus on the music that you like - you need to catch the drive from movements to it. It is music that forms the style of dance and its energy, so decide what is closer to you: for example, funk lovers should try popping or locking, folk fans may like Irish dancing, and if you respect jazz, swing and everything like that, take a closer look at lindy hop.
Another criterion is the nature of the movements. Some are closer to dynamic, as in hip-hop, others are smooth and sensual - for this in tango. There are also health restrictions to consider. So, twerk is not suitable if there are problems with the lumbar spine, with sore knees it is better not to get involved in shuffle, and it will be difficult for an aged person to master house.
2. Set a goal
Photo: Iakov Filimonov / ShutterstockYou can start dancing at any age, but it's important to keep in mind why you started it in the first place. It is perhaps too bold to expect that in half a year of classes it will be possible to reach the level of international dance championships from scratch. But if you want to try dancing in order to develop plasticity and learn to feel the body better, great, go ahead.
Don't expect to get it right the first time. When you learn from scratch, difficulties are absolutely normal, the main thing is not to score in classes. Over time, both the correct posture and a beautiful gait will be developed, and as a bonus you will also get self-confidence - with freedom of movement, freedom from complexes will come.
3. Don't give up on sports
Some dances in themselves make for a good workout. A vigorous shuffle will replace cardio, and a break can give a load to almost all muscle groups. And yet, without preparation, it will not be easy.
A more or less good stretch is needed in any type of dance, and, for example, strong arms and strong abdominal and back muscles are also useful for pole dancing. You can combine dancing with strength exercises, but you need to give the body time to recover and not plan classes in a row, but allocate at least a day of rest between them.
And don't forget to warm up before dancing. So that the training does not end with an injury, the muscles and joints need to be prepared for the load. You can allocate 10–15 minutes for a warm-up, it should include simple articular gymnastics (at least elementary rotational movements of the shoulders and knees), tilts and dynamic stretching.
4. Take some lessons from a trainer
Especially if you have never danced before. Those with experience can learn new styles at home with video tutorials, but that's because they already know how to control their bodies. Beginners are unlikely to succeed, but disappointment in themselves and demotivation are guaranteed - if you can’t repeat elementary movements, then there’s no point in doing it.
Nothing really strange here. Without preparation, it is difficult to just take it and start moving freely. At least the basic elements are better to master under the guidance of a pro, and when you feel that you are coping, supplement these lessons with home workouts.
5. Learn something new in every class
When you repeat the same set of exercises and movements over and over again, classes turn into a good way to pass your free time, only you can forget about progress. Acquaintance with new elements is the same mandatory part of any workout as a warm-up. It doesn't matter if you work with a mentor or on your own.
Do not immediately try to copy cool dancers. First, study the basic movements, then try to combine them into bundles until you hone them to automatism, and then experiment and improvise, creating something new based on familiar elements.
6. Record yourself on video
It is not necessary to record the entire workout from the warm-up, it is enough to record only those moments with which you have problems.
These can be separate movements or bundles that are not given in any way. Review the video and, if possible, objectively assess what is wrong: perhaps there are technical problems that are difficult to notice in the process. When you understand what's wrong, try to repeat the movement and record it on video again - and so on until you achieve a good result.
This approach will help you find errors and track progress. You can not even limit yourself to memorized ligaments, but improvise - then see how it looks from the outside.
7. Find like-minded people
Photo: Iakov Filimonov / ShutterstockIf you need an extra reason not to miss classes, then meeting new people can be a good motivation. It is easier here for those who train in a group. Often the dance school becomes the center of a close-knit community, where people come not only for the sake of classes, but also just to spend time together at dance parties.
Finally, the more partners around, the more experience.
Do not limit yourself to dancers of your level of training and practice with those who are stronger or weaker than you. In the first case, you will be able to improve your skills, and in the second, you will try yourself as a coach - this, by the way, is a good way to learn to take more initiative and understand the very principle of movement in dance, and not just memorize the alternation of chords.
Stay fit and connected with the OPPO Watch. They have two powerful processors, a bright AMOLED display, 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal memory, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and NFC modules. And more than 90 training modes, including those designed specifically for ORRO. Work out cooler with music, you can listen to it in streaming services or download tracks to the memory of your watch.
If you want to enjoy clear sound, the OPPO ENCO W31 Wireless Headphones are for you. Two-level noise reduction system, easy operation and stable connection will make listening to music and talking on the phone as comfortable as possible.
