If you’re thinking about learning something new, why not consider ballroom dancing? What’s so great about ballroom dancing? To begin with, dancing will lift your spirits. In addition to that, it’s fun, exciting, practical, sensual, and challenging. What’s not to love!

Do you have what it takes to learn social dancing? You do if you have the grit and guts to get past your insecurities.

Don’t pass on dancing because you don’t know where to begin. Let me help you with that.

The first thing to decide is where you’ll take your lessons. For a breakdown of some of your options, read this Dance Safari post, “Getting Started with Your Ballroom Dance Lessons“.

What’s it like to learn to dance?

When it comes to learning something new, everyone is different. Ultimately, your experience will depend on what type of learner you are.  You may be a visual, physical, verbal, or technical learner. Granted, that sounds like a lot, but the good news is your teacher is trained to customize your instruction to your individual needs.  

Keep in mind that you’ll have to develop muscle memory. 

It takes time to get to the point where you don’t have to think about what you’re doing.  It can only happen with lots of practice and repetition. To be sure, there’s no magic wand.

It’s sort of like learning how to drive a car.

Think back to your Driver’s Ed classes. As soon as you got in the car, there was a set routine to be done and you did it one step at a time. Prior to taking off, you had to buckle up, check the mirrors, turn around to look for traffic, and turn your directional on.  Then, when it was safe, you could go. 

Now, you don’t even think about it.

Or, picking up a second language.

Imagine, you’re in the classroom practicing some basics of your new language, like the alphabet. Yeah, the alphabet is a good place to start. Things are great until you walk out the door and everything you just learned disappears out into the universe.

And it’s gone…until the next lesson.  Learning involves forgetting.  Each lesson you forget less and less.

Fast forward to learning ballroom dancing.  

You’ve picked an instructor, started your training and it seems to be going pretty well. It’s actually fun, although some of it is a little bit of a struggle.  But, basically, you got it.  

“Hey, this is easier than I thought it would be.” Instructors hear that all the time.  (Or, at least, that’s what we’re going for.)

However, there’s a lot of information being given out. For this reason, if you want to get the most out of your lessons, you need to know the secret to success.

To make learning ballroom dancing go more smoothly, use these 4 tips.

1. Take Notes 

Write out what you want to remember in your own words.  The key here is for you to write it yourself because you’ll use the words that make sense to you.  How frustrating would it be to get home, look at your notes, and scratch your head ’cause you haven’t a clue as to what they mean?

2. Make a Video

If your studio permits it, use the camera on your phone to record the action or move that you want to work on between lessons.  Of course, it’s not necessary to record the whole lesson, just a point or two. Enough to give you something to think about.

3. Practice

Yes, practice by yourself.  Indeed, the most successful students set aside a few minutes each day to reinforce what they’re learning. Review your notes and/or video before your next lesson. For help figuring out what to practice,  I recommend “The Solo Practice Guide for Ballroom Dancing” by Katie Flashner, aka The Girl with the Tree Tattoo.

4. Stay After School

Another good idea is to stay after class for a few minutes and review things while they’re still fresh in your mind. Don’t forget, the key to getting comfortable with this is to have the movements committed to your mental and muscle memory.

Don’t be a slave to your dance lessons, but delight in the miracle of music and partnership. Enjoy the journey!