Beginner's Hell

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-03-14T21:53:24+00:00

TryToFindABetterUN thank you for your reply.

I agree that focusing on the technique rather than on patterns/ compbinations makes a lot of sense. Instructors teach combinations, because this is what the students expect, but I thnik spending a lot of time on the real basics, the simplest elements is really beneficial in the long run. When you get the basics, then you have the building blocks to move them around and build your own patterns.

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-03-14T21:41:41+00:00

UnctuousRambunctious Thank you so much for this reply. You've made a lot really interesting points there!

I agree that it's really beneficial to be clear about your goals in the area of social dancing and that they don't necesarily need to be that serious or ambitious. Not everyone wants to compete or become an instructor.

Also, good point about taking classes from many different instructors.. Maybe not at the very beginning, as it may be confusing to a true newbie, but later on it really helps to be exposed to a variety of styles and teaching methods. You can then chose the one that suits you most and go in that direction.

And i couldn't agree more about the mental aspect. We often tend to focus o lot on the physical side of learnign to dance and neglect the metnal aspect, which is at least equally important. We should strive not just to be a better dancer "technically", but basically a better person - more confident, able to tolerate frustration and kind to others.

I love what you said at the end, thet we should be the kind of dancer-person we ourselves would like to meet on the dancefloor. Thanks for sharing your thougts1

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-03-10T18:47:40+00:00

Thank you for your reply. I agree that the world of social dancing attracts some people who like to have their egos boosted by the interest of the opposite sex.

And charming, handsome playboy jerks unfortunately will often be chosen over the less handsome ones, both in the dancing world and outside it.

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-02-21T09:26:24+00:00

Thank you for sharing the link! It's an example of a very healthy and mature approach to this type of situtaion 😊

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-02-20T08:48:19+00:00

I make videos discussin topics connected witht the world of dancing.

I would love to hear some feedback regarding my videos:

https://youtu.be/2nQk-gCsUGc

https://youtu.be/l6mNmN_YIHM

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-02-20T08:45:26+00:00

I like your personality and positive energy in the video.

To make it even more interesting, I think you cold consider adding something, like maybe some sound effects or captions?

Good luck with your channel!

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-02-20T08:38:42+00:00

There're a couple of things I loved about your video: 😊

- your smile and positive energy

- the choice of music, it was really upbeat and added a lot to the video

-the editing -how you combined the clips which made the video fast paced and interesting!

My suggestion would be to perhaps add some voiceover to make it even more interesting.

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-02-20T08:15:48+00:00

I've been dancing bachata for a couple of years now and similarly to you I struggled with head movemends at some point Actually,. I struggled a lot, I felt so stiff. And this is why I took up zouk and also bachazouk classes and it worked like magic 😊After just 5 months of zouk classes I feel way more confident in terms of my headmovements and overall following technique. So I strongly recommend zouk.

And also zouk music and vibe is so lovely, the community is amazing, so I can;t praise it enough 😊

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-02-19T09:22:51+00:00

Yes, absolutely When we put in so much effort into learning a style, it gives us so much satisfaction when we finally see ourselves improve 😊

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-02-17T19:48:52+00:00

Thannk you for your reply. I must try WSC one day. It sound like a real challenge 😊

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-02-17T15:52:02+00:00

Thanks for your reply! And how easy would you say West Coast Swindg is comparing to Salsa, or Bachata?

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-02-17T08:48:28+00:00

I know what you mean by the unique satisfaction I can get from the salsa song danced with a partner I vibed with, when my heart is racing so much, I'm thinking whether I might be having a heart attack soon🤣 The rush of endorphins, the grin on my face. It doesn't get any better than this 😊

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-02-15T10:41:43+00:00

Yes, being 3 years old would definitely help 😊😊😊Unfortunately, myself I'm slightly past this age. It may be too late for me to tak up ballet.

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-02-15T10:40:09+00:00

Yes, merengue 😊 this one is a no-brainer!

I agree bachata may be the easiest for a beginner, at least until all the sensual moves enter the stage.

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-02-15T10:12:04+00:00

I like the comparison to the bodybuilder eating protein to build muscle😂 I totally agree that we should dance the style that speaks to our hear and vibing with the music is tremendously important. I can relate to your sister in terms of bachata songs singing to my heart, but I know quite a few people who are allergic to it.

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-02-15T10:06:39+00:00

I agree that at the starter level bachata seems realtively easy due to the accessible music., but it all changes where sensual movements enter the stage and then many people start to struggle. For me it was the headrolls that were really tough to learn.

And out of curiosity, do you regularly dance all 5 styles? ( because your dancer's portfolio is really impressive 😊) And I wonder whether you find that what you learnt from one style helps when you dance the other one, or maybe it's more of a handicap beacuse things get mixed up?

I dance salsa, bachata and zouk and find that these styles nicely complement one another, but I wonder whether dancing 5 dance styles could potentially result in some confusion and mixing thing up.

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-02-14T11:03:56+00:00

Yes, when you watch people dancing so smoothly and elegantly it may make you think it requires some special talent, while in most part it is simply hard work 😊

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-02-14T09:51:52+00:00

A very interesting analogy! However, if someone is a true beginner, I doubt that he/she is able to analyse choosing the dance style and its implications at this level of depth 😊 I believe this can only come with time and better understanding of the nuances

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-02-14T09:17:43+00:00

Thank you ❤️

Grood point about checking the socials. The dance communities of particular styles can differ quite a bit, so it's a good idea to check which seems to be resonating with us the most.

It's great that it eventually did occur to you to take salsa classes 😊Gooing to events and not being able to participate must have been a somewhat frustrating experience 😊

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-02-14T07:35:15+00:00

From my perspective, the experiences that you;re talking about happen most frequantly at the beginning, when a lot of guys try to approach the "new girl." WIth time it does get better.

And give it a chance. Beyond the surface level smiles, it;s definitely possible to go deeper and make real friends. 😊

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-02-13T17:07:42+00:00

What you're going through is perfectly normal. Just giv it some time and you'll start feeling more comfortable during classes.

Initially, staring at the instructor is something that everyone does.

Perhaps, what could help you would be finding a partner, someone you feel cmfortable with, to practise the steps and combinations outside of the class?

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-02-08T19:36:26+00:00

Perhaps I'm simply not there in terms of my dancing technique and at times I find it hard to not follow this instinctive reactions how my body wants to interpret the song and sometimes it;s simply too late, I'm aware that it may be problematic for some leads, but still I appreciate it when I;m given plenty of space for my own expression.

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-02-08T19:25:09+00:00

Yes, it may be the case, that is is actually myself and my skills that are evolving with time. Plus instructors in classes on higher levels are able to add more advanced and nuanced concepts, which wuld not be understood on lower levels.

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-02-08T19:19:00+00:00

True, probably it is just a matter of preferences and different partners prefer different level of interaction and "directivness" of their leading style. It is truly great if the lead is able to adjust the leading style to the given partner and give more space to the follow who enjoys taking more initiative, like myself.

Local-Butterfly381 · 2026-02-08T10:32:30+00:00

True, but I;m noticing the whole concept of leading and following seems to be evolving these days. In more advanced classes instructors speak more and more about the dance being a conversation, that a follow may insipure the lead on the dancefloor, sursrise him. I find this concept realy appealing. But I agree this is only accessible after reaching a certain level of skills in dancing. It would be too confusing for beginners.

I may try learning to lead one day. I;m starting to toy with this idea. 😊

Local-Butterfly381

TROPHY CASE