Any SDMB recreational Dancers here?
Pro Dancers are welcome too.
Dance was a huge part of my generations social life. Everyone I knew in school watched American Bandstand on Saturday. We’d talk about the steps we saw and that’s how everybody learned the newest dances.
I benefited by taking 3 years of modern dance from a local lady that taught out of her basement. It’s by far the most important social skill I acquired in childhood. I never had a problem getting a date for the school dance. I learned early girls get more turned on dancing then they do watching a movie.
I’m certainly not a pro. I’m reasonably competent. I can still move gracefully and follow the beat. I took refresher dance lessons a few years ago. My lady and I enjoy ballroom dancing these days. Once in awhile we’ll dance to rock or country at a club. I don’t necessarily know the latest steps, but I do pretty good. There’s always some clown flapping his arms like a chicken that gets all the bad attention. They never notice my older steps.
Dancing has kept me flexible and reasonably fit. It keeps the fire in the bedroom. Anytime we go dancing my lady and I have special plans for when we get home. We have 5 Acres of wooded land with our house. I built a gazebo twelve years ago with benches and a gas fire pit. We love stopping by on the way home from a dance. Pretend we’re 16 again. Necking is more fun when it’s with your wife and on your own land. I never have to worry about cops shining a flashlight in the window.
So, do you enjoy dancing? How often? Any particular style?
I’ve wondered how teens learn the newest dances today? The dancers on music videos are pros and it would be tough learning their moves.
I love dancing Argentine Tango and go once or twice a week. Mostly it’s fun, sometimes frustrating and occasionally it’s therapy.
I also like just free-style dancing in a club, which happens about once every two months or so. I’m usually too old for the place, not drunk, not out to find a mate and the first one of the floor dancing like mad.
do a search on contra dancing and see if there are any groups in your area. I would try to describe it but since I’ve never participated, that wouldn’t be fair. There’s plenty online though.
I wanted to include people that dance for fun. Recreational seemed better than hobby.
That was the whole point of American Bandstand. The teens featured were all talented amateurs. We have a 50’s club in my city. It’s fun going by and dancing to the old music. I didn’t grow up in the 50’s but some of the people shaking it on the dance floor did.
I do swing dancing every so often. I have no instruction, but I’m a swing musician and I have rhythm and some basic social courtesies, so I do okay.
I have to say, though, that swing dancing is not always recreational in the social/relaxation sense. Done well (I don’t), it is really part art and part athletic exhibition. This has taken over from the swing era, where most dancing was social, and become the real heart of the pastime.
I love going dancing, but my husband isn’t the dancing type. Every once in a blue moon, though, we’ll go dancing. But it’s rare. I used to dance ballet, jazz, contemporary and was learning the tango when I fell out of structured dancing. But I still like to go out, I just don’t much anymore.
I took up both salsa and lindy hop this year, and I’m loving it. Still pretty awful at lindy, but even so, it’s quite a workout, especially when you do a bunch of Charleston moves and swingouts. Everybody on the dance floor is sweatin like a Texas hog, I tells ya.
I wanted to include people that dance for fun. Recreational seemed better than hobby.