Dance Myths Busted

Dance Myths Busted


In our experience as dancers and teachers we have encountered some interesting dance myths.  Here we look at, and BUST, the most common dance myths beginners will encounter.


Dance should come naturally, you either have it or you don’t.


BUSTED!  Dance should come about as naturally as piano, guitar, tennis, maths or any of the other learned skills in this world.  Dance is a learned skill, just like any other.  It is true that some people will have a better aptitude towards dancing than others.  But this is true in all life.  Do you not swim because there are better swimmers?  Do you not run because there are better runners?  Do you not cycle because there are better cyclists?  Of course not, you can still enjoy all these things without being the world champion.  Dancing is the same.  You can still learn to dance and experience the amazing awesomeness of being able to dance, even if you might never make it onto So You Think You Can Dance.



You have to be artistic and creative to dance well.


BUSTED!  Yes there are many great dancers who have oodles and oodles of artistic and creative talent, but dance, particularly partner dance, is also a technical art.  It is an activity rooted in biomechanics and the science of human movement.  Some of the best dance students we have met are from the backgrounds of engineering, computer science, mechanics, mathematics and so on.  Most partner dance teachers we know agree that it’s the technicians who excel in partner dancing.  Different dances rely on artistic creativity to different degrees.  Lyrical interpretive dancing is more likely to suit somebody with musical and artistic flair than somebody without.  The point is there are many, many dance styles and there is definitely something to suit everybody, artistic or otherwise.


Girls are better at dancing than boys


BUSTED!  Sorry to the girls, but we think this just isn’t true.  What we have found to be true is;

  • Girls expect, and are generally expected by some societies, to be better dancers
  • Girls are usually more confident in dancing because nobody has told them they shouldn’t do it
  • Boys are usually less confident in dancing because of the peer pressure and social norms in some cultures telling them they can’t or shouldn’t dance
  • Girls are generally more likely to do a dance class because of the above points
  • Girls are generally more flexible than boys and are more comfortable moving their bodies


All these points lead to the general idea that girls are better dancers than guys.  We believe that girls are just more likely to be comfortable dancing, not necessarily better at it.



You have to learn at an early age or it’s too late


BUSTED!  Many students start in their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and all ages.


Of course sooner you start, the more time you have to work on your dancing, and like everything, younger minds learn fast.  Starting young can help.  It just isn’t absolutely necessary.


If learning to dance were only for the young, many successful dance schools in the world would be out of business.  You can learn to dance at any age.  There are enough dance styles out there to suit any age.


Dance is only for kids


BUSTED!  Far from it, dance is absolutely an adult activity.  Most dance historians agree that virtually all forms of dance evolved from courtship and mating rituals.  Those roots are still present in most dances today which seek to emphasize femininity in women and masculinity in men.  This entire website is dedicated to adult dance forms and there are literally thousands of dance schools specializing in dance for adults around the world.


Dance is only for women


BUSTED!  They say it takes two to tango, and they mean a woman and a man.  As we stated above, dance originated in mating rituals, so it most certainly is for both men and women.  It is true that in some cultures and in certain dance styles women are more likely to take up dancing than men.  This has resulted in many more women than men in some dance scenes.  The male dancers in these cases tend to be in high demand, but they don’t seem to mind.


Comments and Questions

Search Google Dance
Custom Search