Can anybody dance? This is an important question for those who struggle with dance. No one wants to put effort into getting better at something if it’s just not possible.
Fortunately here at NTOC, we have the experience, knowledge, and evidence to answer this question.
Specifically, our principal author Jake has 20 years of dancing experience covering almost all dance genres. He is in a prime position to weigh in on this topic due to his skillful insight and dance experience which covers both childhood and adult phases.
Anybody can learn to dance except for those with clinical beat deafness. People will learn dance at different levels of ease depending on environmental factors and prior skills.
The above gives a short and sharp answer to our question. However, there is much content on this topic. To gain a complete understanding to prepare you for your dance journey, read on my friends.
In this article, we cover 12 key topics that address the question of ‘can anybody dance’.
Self-discovery>external instruction
For those who have the question ‘can anybody dance’, self-discovery will be your friend.
So, what do we mean by self-discovery?
Basically, discovering your own rhythm and how you naturally move is better than having someone else instruct your body.
Now, this can be counter-intuitive if you are just starting out with dance.
Normally, if you don’t know how to do something, you will seek out the instruction of someone who does know.
However, in dance, as a beginner, the best teacher, IS A MIRROR. We cannot stress this enough.
But again, this is counter-intuitive. For who wants to see themselves look awkward and foolish in a mirror?
The key is to stick with it. When we do this, our brain and body will AUTOMATICALLY start to make small adjustments so we look better dancing. Best of all, the adjustments made, are what feels natural to US, not an external teacher.
For evidence of this, look at artists like Usher and LesTwins. Both are incredible dancers, smooth and sharp. Both are self-taught. I myself am also self-taught.
The trouble with dance teachers
There is some trouble that comes with dance teachers. This trouble is that many teachers make the act of dancing so complicated and detailed.
Now, there is a place for detailed adjustments such as in ballet or ballroom. But for the most part, dancing shouldn’t be made to be overly complicated.
And yet, I have literally seen a dance teacher make the act of walking seem like a highly complex alien activity. And yet when left to our own devices, we all walk just fine.
Cynically we would say that some teachers do this on purpose. For if the students think they have loads to learn, they will keep paying for classes. Whereas if the teacher just said ‘you don’t need my detailed steps, you just need a foundation of rhythm’, half the class would probably leave.
As an experienced good dancer, I can observe that many people who feel they can’t dance fall into three categories. These categories are:
- People who feel they can’t dance and make no plan to get better.
- People who try and practice in harsh public settings. But don’t get better because the environment is too harsh for real growth.
- People who feel they can’t dance and take formal classes. However, they get a teacher who makes dance overly complicated. The student will usually get disenchanted and move into group one or two above.
So, keep this in mind when asking yourself ‘can anybody dance’.
Muscle memory>brain memory
A key consideration in the question of ‘can anybody dance’ is types of memory.
Now, what we mean by this is that there is normal brain memory, then there is muscle memory.
Brain memory is generally:
- Slow
- Cumbersome
- Lacking capability when talking about hundreds of subtle movements
Muscle memory is generally:
- Fast
- Automatic
- Has great capability to remember hundreds of subtle movements
“The concept of muscle memory is crucial for sports such as basketball where a very precise number and quality of movement is required to be able to make 95% of one’s free throws.”
The Politics and Ethics of Genetic Ancestry Testing- Science Direct
So you can see that trying to use our brain memory to direct dance moves is highly problematic.
It’s like Roger Federer trying to direct his complex, subtle, and highly refined tennis movement with textbook memorizations of how to play tennis. Can you imagine, it would be painful to watch!
Instead, athletes call the sweet spot of athletic performance ‘the zone’. Other names include ‘the flow’.
A key part of ‘the flow’ is muscle memory. This is why boxers drill boxing punchers and slips. This is why soldiers drill firearm activities. And this is why dancers practice. All is for muscle memory.
So have a think before you try to commit to memory some moves you saw on Youtube. Ask yourself if you are using brain memory or muscle memory.
We have written an article expanding on this in detail. It is well worth a read to get across this phenomenon. It can be viewed here Basic Dance Moves: How to do them naturally.
The mental shift from dag to swag
Which comes first, the cool dance moves, or the cool mindset?
This is a bit of a chicken before the egg or egg before the chicken question. However, it’s a good question to ask.
The reason is that having a mindset of ‘I can be cool’ can go a long way in becoming a better dancer.
You see, dancing is half dance moves and skill, and half phycological factors.
Your psychology might be being blocked by the thought of ‘I will never be cool on a dancefloor’.
However, the belief of ‘I can be cool’ needs to be heartfelt and deep.
But how do I generate this belief I hear you ask. This is a good question.
For some people this is easy. They may have always felt cool in some way. Perhaps they were a popular kid in school. Or perhaps they have always been praised for their athletic abilities.
However, for others, this might be an entirely new side of you that you need to discover.
What we would suggest is to put some effort into looking and feeling cool. This can include:
- Never been to a gym? Go to a gym.
- Have you ever thought about clothing style? Then follow fashion advisors on Instagram.
- Never stood up for yourself? Feel genuine (controlled) anger at those that disrespect you.
These are some of the things which you can do to get in touch with your cool, self-respecting, non-foolish side.
You can’t dance? Or just haven’t practiced?
There is a logical reason why many people say they can’t dance.
It is because being able to dance well in a social setting, requires a decent amount of practice. And once achieved it needs maintenance.
Because of our priorities in life, dancing tends to be a ‘it would be nice to have, but is not critical to my success’ vibe.
As such, many people would like to be able to dance. But do not put in the required effort to practice.
They might take a few classes, or do a few private sessions in their home. But they won’t be prepared to put in longer term regular training.
Being able to dance is not a quick fix sadly. But on the plus side, once you have it, it’s much easier to keep it.
Practice in the right way
The other contributing factor is dance teachers mentioned above in point 2. Whereby people get stuck in the cycle of:
- People who feel they can’t dance and make no plan to get better.
- People who try and practice in harsh public settings. But don’t get better because the environment is too harsh for real growth.
- People who feel they can’t dance and take formal classes. However, they get a teacher who makes dance overly complicated to further their business. The student will usually get disenchanted and move into group one or two above.
So what’s the alternative to the above cycle?
Well, the alternative is to practice dancing at it’s most simple. Just YOU, and the MUSIC.
We have written a complete guide to this sort of practice which is invaluable to your dance journey. This can be viewed here How To Become A Good Dancer: The complete guide people need.
So a good question to ask yourself is ‘what have I actually done (excluding formal classes) to improve my dancing?’.
If the answer is not much, then that’s a great issue to identify.
The myth of only children can learn to dance
There is a myth in the dance world of ‘only children can learn to dance’.
I have seen 22-year-olds asking the question ‘am I too old to learn to dance?’.
When put on paper, it seems obvious. You are rarely too old to learn to dance. But in reality, people are genuinely doubting their ability to learn dance even when they are still quite young.
It is acknowledged that neural plasticity is higher in children. But, just because you are no longer 7 years old, doesn’t mean you can’t learn new skills. It will be harder, but not impossible.
Learning dance is much like learning a second language. Similarly, there is debate about how easy it is for children vs adults to learn a second language. But there is good news, as shown by the below quote.
“Overall, results of the present study underline the fascinating plasticity of the adult brain”
The challenge of learning a new language in adulthood- Sarah Steber, Sonja Rossi
What this sort of mentality does indicate, is how complex dancing can be. So it’s not to be underestimated. Having this sort of mental preparation can be hugely advantageous in your dance journey.
Self-consciousness: A symptom or a cause?
Self-consciousness can be the devil when it comes to dancing. There’s nothing quite like feeling so self-conscious that your own arms feel like strange and foreign concepts.
How funny right?
But before we jump into saying generic advice like ‘don’t be self-conscious’, let’s understand it.
In dancing, self-consciousness is generally a SYMPTOM of poor dancing, not a CAUSE.
The cause of poor dancing is generally:
- A lack of muscle memory/rhythm of dance moves.
- No positive feedback from a mirror of your dance moves.
- Little experience on dance floors.
However, that being said, addressing symptoms can be helpful. Much like addressing flu symptoms.
Techniques to address self-consciousness can include thinking of concepts such as ‘the spotlight’ and ‘the enormity’.
So, what do these two names mean? Let’s start with ‘the spotlight’.
‘The spotlight’
The spotlight is the concept that each of us is the main character of our life story. Essentially we are all a bit narcissistic really.
This can be used to our advantage when we are nervous or self-conscious.
So, instead of thinking that everyone is judging you, think that everyone is concerned about themselves.
‘The enormity’
Another technique is a concept called ‘enormity’.
Enormity is mentioned in the book ‘Ego is the enemy’ by Ryan Holiday.
Essentially, it is good to remember that we are but a speck in the vastness of history. Many have come before us, and many will come after us.
Even for those that were truly famous, most of us don’t recall their great deeds in our day-to-day lives.
This is useful because sometimes we get so caught up in our heads that we forget perspective.
So use this to your advantage on a dancefloor. Remember that your dancing is really quite inconsequential in the scheme of life.
This can be comforting and take some of the pressure off.
The myth of dance readiness
When we aren’t experienced in an activity, we can often put that activity on a pedestal.
Essentially human nature can build up an idea or a concept if we don’t know the reality of it. We do this to either make ourselves feel less insecure or because it’s more exciting to embellish an idea.
We see this in many scenarios. For example, relationships, travel, retirement, success in general really.
It takes a certain pragmatism to accurately estimate an activity’s reality.
This can happen in the case of dance.
Non-dancers can assume that they will need much athleticism, time, or money to learn to dance.
The mentality becomes:
- ‘I don’t have time to learn to dance’
- ‘I don’t have enough money to learn to dance’
- ‘I need to lose 10kg of weight before I learn to dance’
- ‘My hips are not flexible enough for dance’
- Etc.
Whilst it is preferable to have some time, money, and athleticism to dance, it shouldn’t hold you back from starting.
So, ask yourself if you are building up the idea of dance. This can help solve the puzzle of ‘can anybody dance’.
Mimicry>detailed steps
Have you ever wondered if there is a better way of teaching something rather than dense instructions?
This is a question that is super valid, especially in an athletic arena.
Athletes need to be able to rapidly react, focus, and coordinate a vast range of movements in environments loaded with stimuli.
Detailed instructions or steps, is rarely helpful in such a scenario. What is more helpful is muscle memory (mentioned in part 3) and mimicry.
In this section, we talk about mimicry.
Mimicry is very useful. Infants of all species are great examples of this. They will watch their parents or elders do something, then try and copy them. In this way, the cubs of a lion will learn to hunt, and children will learn to speak.
This goes to show how primal and powerful such a mechanism is.
So, instead of going to a class and receiving hundreds of detailed step instructions, watch a video of a good dancer.
Then, use a mirror to try and mimic that person. But don’t overthink it.
The key here is to try and mimic moves that aren’t super technical. You just want to try and mimic moves which are a good example of rhythm and groove. For example, you might try and mimic the overall vibe of the dance below:
Be aware of unhelpful advice
In the dance world, you will often come across not particularly helpful advice. This contributes to the question of ‘can anybody dance’ because people are giving out advice that isn’t quality. This makes the whole process of learning dance much more difficult.
If you can’t dance you will receive advice such as:
- Dance like no one is watching
- Just have fun and be confident
- Just feel the beat
If you struggle with dancing, this sort of advice, whilst usually given with good intentions, is not helpful because it lacks context and explanation depth.
If dancing was as easy as flipping a switch from ‘dancing like someone is watching’ to ‘dancing like no one is watching’ everyone could dance!
So, no, it’s not as easy that, as many people still struggle with dancing. In this article, we have alluded to the complexity of dance.
So in your quest to know ‘can anybody dance’, be on the lookout for unhelpful advice. The main characteristic of unhelpful advice is advice that:
- Lacks explanation
- Doesn’t acknowledge the struggle of not being able to dance
- Doesn’t have context
- When questioned, is met with little depth
This will go a long way in preserving the hope that you can dance one day.
Classes as an adult?
Learning to dance as an adult can be challenging. It’s one of the reasons you might be asking ‘can anybody dance?’. A part of this problem is adult dance classes.
You see, dancing tends to have a vibe of ‘it’s a kid’s thing to do’.
As we enter our twenties and thirties and beyond, we have ‘more important’ things to do. Things such as working long hours in an important job. Or maintaining our various relationships or attending to different commitments.
Don’t get me wrong, these things are important and are part of being an adult. But sometimes this comes at the cost of dancing.
What this means is that dance classes for adults can be hard to find. At least here in Australia that is the case. The general trend is that the only dance classes for adults are ballet, ballroom, or Latin social dancing.
This is coming from someone who can definitely dance and grew up around dance. Yet even I struggle with finding suitable adult dance classes that aren’t too polar opposite (full of teenagers or full of older people).
This is where self-discovery mentioned in part 1 can come in clutch.
The other thing to be aware of is that not all dance classes and dance styles are created equally. So it’s worth shopping around for a dance style and dance class that suits you best.
We have actually written an article on what is the best dance style. This gives first-hand accounts of all the different dance styles so you don’t have to try them all yourself. It can be viewed here The Best Style Of Dance: An experienced dancer weighs in.
The long-term challenge of dancing
In asking yourself ‘can anybody dance’, a good aspect to consider is the long-term side of dance.
Now, like anything, dance skill needs to be nurtured and maintained. It’s not a set-and-forget skill. If you don’t use it regularly, you will start to lose it.
Even for myself, where I’ve been dancing for 20 years consistently and started as a child. I still need to proactively practice at least once a week. Otherwise, I start to become rusty and forget how to settle into a rhythm.
It is a skill and a side of me that I don’t want to lose contact with.
This is why I have compassion for those that are starting dance from a less ideal position.
So, yes most people can learn to dance, but few will maintain that skill in the long-term.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are many factors to take into account when asking the question ‘can anybody dance’. For the most part, yes anybody can dance (unless you have clinical beat deafness).
The topics mentioned in this article can go a long way in guiding you on your dance journey.
So, keep these 12 points in mind as you learn to dance. Stick with it, stay focused, and be consistent. This is the recipe for success.
Here at NTOC, we are always interested in your dancing experience. Let us know in the comments below, what has your experience been with discovering if anybody can dance?