How to Dance Casually Without Looking Like a Clumsy Fool
Do you fade into the background when the dance music comes on and butts start shaking? Do you look at dancers with envy, wanting to know how to move your body without looking like Elaine from Seinfeld ? You are not alone, but there is a cure. To help you get into the rhythm and learn to dance effortlessly, I spoke with dancer Marlene Ortiz, owner of MODance and Fitness in North Hollywood, to get pro advice on how to dance like no one is watching (even if everyone is watching).
“Everyone can learn to dance. Anyone can learn a couple of steps and still look great,” Ortiz said. “But first you have to want to dance and express yourself in that way.” Ortiz has been around the world dancing with Madonna, Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey and many more, so she can probably teach you enough to not look like a tool at your brother’s wedding reception.
(If you’re a visual person, scroll to the bottom of this article to see a video of Ortiz demonstrating some basic dance moves.)
How to get into the rhythm
The key to dancing is obviously rhythm, so finding the rhythm is very important. “The easiest way to learn to dance when you’re not a dancer is to put on music you like and just listen to the beat,” Ortiz says. “Let’s say you’re at a party and there’s an amazing band playing. You’ll hear the instruments, you’ll hear the bass and the drums and feel that vibration, that’s what you want to use.”
If you have particular difficulties with rhythm and cannot feel it, try counting to the song. Just count to four, over and over again: that’s the rhythm of the song. If you’re still snapping your fingers at inappropriate times, a video tutorial can help you get into the rhythm. Check it:
Now that you can find the rhythm and bob your head confidently, congratulations, baby: you’re dancing! Like. The next (terrifying) step is to move your legs .
Meet the step-touch, the only dance move you’ll ever need.
According to Ortiz, the best way to start dancing is with a step, a move so simple that anyone can master it in 30 seconds, but so powerful that it’s all you’ll ever need to avoid looking like a square while dancing. floor (if you can do it to the beat of the song.)
Step touch works just like its name. “You step on one foot and touch [the opposite foot] with the other. It’s standard, simple and doesn’t require much: you step on one foot, then touch the other. You create a rhythm with your leg,” Ortiz said.
Step touches can be minimalistic if it’s literally the only thing you do while dancing, but you can look even cooler (or at least have more fun) if you go beyond the most basic head bobs and step touches and use other parts of your body to dance.
How to raise your hands up…
Your arms may feel awkward when you dance. They just hang on the tips of your hands. So what should you do with your hands while dancing? Move them. When it comes to dancing, there are obviously no rules for arms and hands—you can move however you want—but there are common moves that feel better than keeping your hands in your pockets while you bob your head and step.
“You could clap your hands,” suggests Ortiz, “but most people don’t clap to the beat , so maybe don’t clap. Get him in the air. Or pretend like you’re hitting a punching bag, boom, boom, boom. Raise the ceiling, you know, with your palms open. Just have fun.”
If you have several arm movements and you do them in time, put it all together. “Start connecting the dots,” Ortiz says. “You can pump your fist. You can step into touch with your fist and then just shake your head. Feel the vibration. Let yourself go. You don’t have to think about it, you just have to let your body move. “
…and shake ’em like you don’t care
For many, the hardest part about dancing in public is the “just no matter” part of waving your arms in the air. Even if you know a step or two, you may be too shy to cross other people. Luckily, you don’t have to dance—it’s a free country—but maybe you should . We may grow up doing things that make us uncomfortable.
If your personal dance challenge is, “I’d like to dance, but I’m afraid I’ll look like a jerk,” there’s no other choice but to do it. “Close your eyes, listen to music and just do what you love,” Ortiz said. “Life is too short to worry about, ‘Oh my God, I look crazy.’ People may or may not look at you, but who cares? Get your body moving so you can release the nerves in your head… Then you can unleash that inner child. This is freedom. There comes a time when you can be free.”
Watch someone dance like no one is watching
Even basic dance steps are hard to describe in words, so Marlene Ortiz has kindly videotaped some very simple, effortless steps to give you an idea of what it looks like when it all comes together: