I’ll totally freeze up if someone tries to drag me onto the dance floor. I don’t mind slowdancing because that really doesn’t require much coordination, but when it comes to fast dancing I can’t do it.
I try to avoid any functions or parties that require me to fast dance…thats how bad my fear is. Also I just think it’s just not me…always hated it.
Anybody else afraid of dancing?
I’m with you there, Concrete. Perhaps, in my case, it’s not a true fear of dancing but the simple realization that I look like an utter fool doing it. There seems to be some kind of requirement that you be personally configured in normal proportions to look good dancing.
For instance, I have short legs, and a long upper body. Were I to try and do the Twist, my spine would probably snap due to the torsion. Not to mention, every living being in the room would instantly burst into paroxysms of mirth unparalleled by anything in their recent experience.
The more I teaches you, the dumber you gets.
Slow dance = goooooood
Fast dance = major social trauma. Partially because I have the musical rhythym of a fetus, partially because I am afraid I’ll hurt someone else accidentally.
Well, honey just tastes better when it comes from a bear’s head.
You have lots of company, concrete. My BF will never dance to anything with a fast tempo - he says he looks (and feels) like Jerry Lewis when he tries.
My BF learned to dance. Mind you he isn’t the greatest but he doesn’t embarrass me either. He says he learned cause the ladies like it. He’s right. And believe me he is no sissy and cannot be mistaken for one in either look or deed.
Perhaps Concrete you can’t dance cause you’ve got lead feet! Just kidding. Perhaps you need tequilla and lots of it! That’ll even make you sing karioke! But it has to be Quervo!
Needs2know
I LOVE dancing, and I’m not that great at it, either. Somehere between Elaine Benes and Ginger Rogers. Saxface and I plan to hit the Lincoln Center “Midsummer Night Swing Dances” this year, but we’re not even going to bother asking any male Dopers to join us, we know what kinda raspberries we’d get. We’ll either latch onto any available taxi dancers to march us around, or we’ll damn well dance with each other.
The Elaine dance from Seinfeld. Yep, that’s what my SO looks like on the dance floor. He tells people he purposely danced like that so that I would never beg him to take me dancing. Know what? It worked.
~Never got a Wally sig~
I used to have this problem. Then I discovered the secret:
spontaneous convulsions
If you can force your body to go into some sort of epileptic seizure, you’ll do fine. The ladies love an incontinent man with drool on his chin who knows how to cut a little rug! It’s the secret of my success.
I just stand there and move to the beat. I ignore everyone else there, and lose myself in the music. If I’m feeling nervous, a couple of drinks usually help.
You say “cheesy” like that’s a BAD thing.
I don’t know about you, but I’d be worrying about cutting something other than the rug, if’n you know what I mean.
I used to have the same problem. I felt I looked a fool and absolutely refused to dance. Didn’t even dance at my prom or my wedding.
It’ll sound sappy, but do you know what cured me? Love.
I found myself unexpectedly in a dance club with my SO and realized something: she wanted to dance, and if she wanted to dance I wanted to dance with her.
Yes, I don’t dance well. Yes, I most likely look the fool doing it. But after five minutes I realized that the only person out there that cared about my dancing was simply happy to be dancing with ME.
99% percent of the people on the dance floor won’t care about your dancing one way or the other. The other 1% will only care THAT you dance, not how you dance.
So, my recommendation is to fall in love.
-Obfus
Or, if you can’t find love, drink a lot of beer. This will accomplish two things: A)It will remove your dancing inhibitions, and B) One who is holding a beer on the dance floor is not expected to “full-dance”, one can get away with “half-dancing” while drinking a beer on the dance floor. 
I probably fall into the freestyle/nostyle dance school. I’m not great, but I have a damn good time. BTW, people are watching you, but they’re not watching how you dance, they’re looking to see if you’re enjoying yourself. Have fun and don’t worry about what you look like.
I have chainmail underwear.