Dance of 1,000 Lands. As in how to?

bigpanda

So in committing to learn some new shit, I'm also looking to learn how to dance. I mean like actually dance, not just get on the floor and move around with no real coordination.

Something that involves a partner is required (i.e. I want to know how to dance with a lady) but I really am not familiar with what's out there outside of breakdancing which I also do not know how to do. Square and line dancing are not viable options for right now. Something I can use at the club and/or a classy night out would be good. Currently I'm a bigger dude, but between going to the gym and activity like this, that will change over time but no cartwheels or handstands right now.

Aoi Tsuki

Depends quite vastly upon what kind of dancing you have in mind. What kind of club (that would require "classy" moves) were you referring to? Salsa and ballroom are both fun in their own right, but require quite different attire, skills, and lady-friend commitment.

Vixx

I'm not sure I've seen anyone at clubs or even classy lounges dance with any sort of familiarity with the kind of dancing you're talking about, but that could just be me.

THAT SAID! Swing is super-fun and requires lots of fitness from both you and your partner. Salsa is my personal favorite and I would be taking more lessons right now if I could find a steady partner. Ballroom dancing I personally dislike because there's entirely too many different kinds and I dislike the pace of half of them. Still, in my experience, learning any kind of this kind of dancing will be beneficial, if only because you gain a much greater appreciation of how to move to music.

Most importantly, however, is your ladyfriend. She has to be committed like you are, and that can be tricky.

Improvolone

You want some style of ballroom. Do you want something classy like the waltz, or something more "fun" like a mambo?
If you don't have friends who dance, you should look into classes.

bigpanda

Only have one lady friend that dances. She knows some ballroom dancing and salsa I think. I talked to her a bit today about it and she was telling me about a place not far from our work that has classes. Going to check into that this week.

I'd LOVE to learn swing. I'll have to research a little bit to see where in Seattle I'd be able to take a class.

Improvolone

Are you a college student? My school for instance has a swing club.

Serpent

West Coast Swing is great, and is danced to a huge variety of gengres, with the most common songs (nowadays) being what you hear on the modern radio. However, dancing it to blues is my personal favorite.

East Coast Swing is ok -- this is the more 'traditional' swing and is danced to a more specific genre.

You could check out lindy hop and jive, as well.

I like the latin dances -- salsa, merengue, bachata, cha cha cha. These are generally very popular in the bigger cities with an active night scene. Any lessons you take in Salsa should be 'no partner required', as well.

zerg rush

There are three basic categories of dance that you can learn, and the each have highly transferable skills between the dances within them. Wikipedia corrects me and says that 'Folk' and 'Street Dancing' also count as their own categories, but I'll be damned if I consider line dancing and crip-walking to be on the same tier as Tango.

It is nearly impossible to learn just one type of dance at a time. You learn a category of dance that happens to have a focus on a specific dance. IE, even if you're just taking a Salsa class, you'll also be picking up the same dance moves and body styling as you'd use for Rumba or cha-cha. Each category of dance has it's own fast dances and slow dances. Also, if you go out dancing you'll find that venues don't stick to a single dance the entire night. If it's a swing place they'll switch between East and West Coast, Lindy Hop and Jitterbug all night, although they wouldn't play any Latin or Ballroom music. So this means that if you intend to go out dancing you'll want to learn the entire category anyways; thankfully that's how most places teach it anyhow. Also, you may or may not need a partner to learn. Some classes I took were partner required, others completely forced you into random partners.



Swing - East Coast, West Coast, Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, etc. Lots of fast and bouncy movements; depending on the dance you can really work up a sweat. You can slow dance it to either east or west coast style (and indeed, I've seen octogenarians dancing it) although it really doesn't look like a slow dance even at that speed.

Latin - Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, Mambo, Cha-cha, Rumba, etc. The name means hot for a reason. There are times when I've had sex that aren't as sexual as a well danced bachata-tango. Latin Dances are also massively popular in California and in most major cities in the US.

Ballroom - Waltz, Foxtrot, Nightclub Two Step, etc. Basically, these are what you'd think of as slow dances. Nightclub two step is probably what you're most likely to use. Whenever everyone gets on the dance floor and starts swaying around to 'Lady in Red', that's when you're good to dance it. As the name implies, it is essentially a waltz you use in nightclubs.


Keep in mind that there are tons of variation within each dance. San Diego Salsa looks different from LA Salsa, which looks totally different from Miami Salsa or New York Salsa. Also, learning any one category will only make learning the others easier. As you learn more about dance, then you'll be better able to differentiate between the dances. Certain ones have different advantages and disadvantages. I for one love the Cuban motion of Rumba (torso-hip swaying). But I've got a friend who's enamored with the chiaroscuro (light and dark contrast) of West Coast Swing (slow motion suddenly punctuated by fast, then back to slow). The only way you'll find what you prefer is if you go out there and try it.



Also, here's a video of Bachata. So sexy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-Q6VoX1oSQ&feature=related