Posted by on Jan 12, 2013 in Blogs

Top 3 Beginner Dance Mistakes

There are several mistakes made by people who are new to dance classes. Some are on the obnoxious side, for example, singing along to the music or speaking while the instructor is addressing the class, while others are simply due to being new to the world of dancing. Here are the top three mistakes that most beginners are guilty of:

Wearing the Wrong Shoes for Your First Lesson

After you sign up for your first series of lessons, you will receive instructions as to what to wear. Depending on what type of dancing you have signed up for, you will need to wear something looser fitting, like leggings and a t-shirt, or something snug, like a leotard and tights. Your shoes matter as well, since you need to be able to comfortably make the necessary movements. Showing up in high heels, or even professional heeled dance shoes may not be the way to go at first. Make sure to follow the requirements given to you by your instructors.

Not Knowing How to Follow or Lead

In a traditional couples dance, technically, the man leads and the woman follows. This becomes trickier when you have same-sex couples on the instructional dance floor for any reason. Even the traditional male and female roles can switch it up and take turns leading and following. To make it less confusing, be sure to ask your partner whether he or she wants to lead before the dance begins.

Moving Too Slow or Too Fast

In order to learn how to dance, you need to learn how to follow the music, stay on beat, and know when to make which movements. Not staying with the music and moving too quickly or too slowly will drag you and your partner off of the beat and will mess up the dance that you are practicing.