Learning How To Dance...

Bump-and-grind club dancing or ballroom/swing stuff?

Judging from the question, I would guess bump-and-grind club dancing since formal dance classes are relatively easy to find. That being said, I think some formal social dance classes would definately help in the lack of rythym department as would picking up an instrument. Once you have that down it is a matter of learning some "bump-and-grind club dancing" moves instead of swing/waltz/pokla/whatever which I am not entirely sure how I learned so I can't give any real guidance...

how did other people learn (other than by making a fool of yourself earlier in life until things started to look right)?

Plenty of places offer urban/contemporary dance classes. Why not start there? Don't worry, you wouldn't be the only one without rhythm - they exist to help non-dancers dance.

I 'learned' by attending night clubs from the age of 16 and drinking plenty (at a conservative estimate) of alcohol.

If you've seen the film Napolean Dynamite, the eponymous hero does ok by picking up an instructional video in a charity shop.

Try looking for tutorials on YouTube.

I present you the ultimate guide to clubbing techniques.

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I do Salsa and Bachata for two years now. I did not know how to dance before and I took lessons-- Now I can dance! If you're young and you have a good sense of coordination then I think you can teach yourself by watching instructional material on dancing. However, it's always better to join dance classes, this way you learn how to dance properly and also you get to meet cute girls at the same time!

What is your objective? Do you want to do solo dancing or partner dancing?

^^ im at work so cant watch that, bus is with the guy in the spiderman costume? BLUE42!! I do that to girls at clubs and straight weirds them out i love it LOL! Anyways ... "im white and...."STFU, kindly and with all due respect [NOTE: Said jokingly so m@T cant claim im fighting again].. this is a terrible excuse, and "joke" people use. WTF Does skin tone have to do with dancing i dont even know how this saying started. Some pointers i'll give you, and how i went through my dancing learning curve 1) you will suck. flat out. the friend who intro'ed me to dancing said "adam, you look like a fish out of water"... HELL YA I DID! The good thing about knowing/hearing stuff like this is - it cant get any worse than what you start with. start following music attentively, tapping, humming, being aware and taking note of being ON TIME with the beat. simple beats first, then more complex to train the brain into adapting. if you only know how to keep a beat in 4/4 time or a certain BPM(beats per min), it may throw you off when a different rhythm starts playing. Not all songs are the same throughout... 2) become a "basement dancer". i set up a large mirror in my basement and watched myself. you will learn SO MUCH SLOWER if you can't view from outside of 'first person'. As odd/geeky as it sounds, it will help twentfold. record yourself with a webcam/video cam if you feel necessary. Laugh now, be proud later when you are tearing up rug 3) watch others. youtube, "dancing with the stars/so u think you can dance", AT THE CLUBS specifically if you want the 'bump-n-grind'... Just act casual about your "research" and not the creepy guy staring at people on the floor. sit around the floor with a group of people and maintain convo while observing. learning through obersvation is GREAT. first time i was EVER on a dancefloor, was at a large city festival. my friend and i had found two girls and decided to dance. Naturally, the easiest thing to do was grind (which is whack now) but it's the easiest to learn. He just said "watch me, and copy what i do".. I managed to fake my way through it without being a TOTAL let down. 4) be confident, if anything, fake it and act liike you know what you're doing once you've sorta down your homework in the learning process. if you're out there like a stiff and worried about what people are thinking of the new dancer, you'll give off the vibe. be care free man. 5) my BEST point in this entire schpiel: NOTHING ruins a dancer, and says "i cant dance", more than someone who's on the floor, and... off-beat, be it COMPLETELY off, or even just a bit. Hit the damn beat, please. Worry about your legs [and pelvis, i guess, if you're bumpNgrinding] mostly. lower body basically... when you feel more comfy as a dancer, then get into upper body hits. Even though i say this, it doesnt mean forget about your upper body and keep it still. Have a looseness to it, equally as loose IF NOT MORE than the bar girl you're dancing with. just try and have arm/shoulder flow. It helps to feel the beat, rather than just hear it. GOODLUCK and may your dance endevour be full of fun snez

he said "bump and grind clubbing", thats why i skipped out on dance class in my above post.
its something you can learn to get by own by teaching yourself with a little bit of time involved.
if you want to learn technique and being "proper" on the floor [steps/etiquette] dance class is highly advisable

I would still join dance class for even bump n grind dancing (like hip hop or reggeton classes). Believe me, if you don't do it properly, not many girls, especially hot ones won't bump n grind with you unless you're good looking or they're piss drunk.

This is true, if anything, i think he would benefit most from a Hiphop class if he's willing to take the route. i just think for a cost effective way, and for what he's willing/wanting to do, i still stick to what i typed out. i never took any dance classes and turned out. if he IS willing to do the time and spent the coin, he may enjoy it. guys think being at dance class makes them less a man, WRONG. nothing gets to a girl like a man who can rip it

The wife and I took lessons at an Arthur Murray studio. After several thousand $s worth of lessons my wife, paraphrasing the country singer, Toby Keith, said; "we're not as rich, as we once were but, you're about as good as you are ever going to get!"

Anyone can learn to dance. You really need to take classes though at least once a week. After a month, you'll start to get a feel for it. After a couple months I was able to start hearing the beats and changes in music too. You really need to have a partner too. Rotating in class is best because you get used to all different levels. I did Swing for a while but I'm going to start taking Tango with my girlfriend one of these days. Learning how to do it for fun is cool but people who dance all the time and host their own dance parties tend to be a bit strange. I think basic ballroom would be a good start.