# Dancing - What's the Lowdown?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dancing-whats-the-lowdown/126297>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [August 30, 2002, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dancing-whats-the-lowdown/126297 "2002-08-30T14:28:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dancing-whats-the-lowdown/126297/1 "2002-08-30T14:28:24Z")

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This has always been in back of my mind: A guy has to ask…

It’s well known that girls love to dance whereas guys, typically, feel very awkward. But honestly, does rock, country, and adult contemporary music have any right way to dance? Are there really any dance steps today? Other than line dancing, perhaps. (And please, don’t mention those ridiculous dance vidoes they’ve been pushing on TV…)

On the other hand, some music does have a definite dance associated with it for which there are lessons with dance steps.  
For example, the cha-cha, mambo, rumba, tango etc…why is this?  
Surely, there must be some rhyme or reason to all of this. And, how do dance schools make it today, anyhow?

- Jinx 😕

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**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dancing-whats-the-lowdown/126297/2 "2002-08-30T18:14:57Z")

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[A History of the Tango](http://totango.net/sergio.html)

[Salsa and other dances](http://www.centralhome.com/ballroomcountry/salsa.htm)

As far as there being a “right way” to dance to the crazy disco beats of today, there are the occassional dance crazes (Vogue, Macarena and so on) but I haven’t noticed when I go out that there are any real set movements. I tend to dance only when rather intoxicated, though, and so may not be the most reliable witness. I also find myself sometimes doing “bits” along with the lyrics (i.e. moving arms in hugging motion to the line “when you’re lying here in my arms” and the like) and no, I’m not at all embarrassed that I’m admitting to this in public.