I, now approaching my teen years, have found it neccesary to learn to dance. It’s an important skill for parties, etc. I seek the perfect dance for, if not for formal occasions, all casual events. Please provide me with something other than a “just dance to the music”. You have my humblest thanks if you can solve my dilemma.
My wife, when we were dating, dragged me to dance classes at a dance studio, which taught the basics of ballroom dancing (waltz, tango, foxtrot etc.) and latin dancing (samba, chacha, rumba etc.). Maybe that would be a good way to learn basic dancing skills?
If you’re talking about this newfangled music that kids listen to, the rock’n’roll or whatnot, then start with the Pogo which will let you segue into mastery of the mosh pit. If the music is hip-hop then sorry, I can’t help you, except that I’ve heard the words locking and popping (or is it pocking and lopping) used in that milieu.
P.S. If some young man tries to gear you towards this new celebration of the terpsichorean muse known as pole dancing, be aware that he may have base motives.
My recommendation would be East Coast Swing (American Rhythm syllabus, should you want its Linnaean classification) .
It’s a basic standard dance, related to many others – most other swing forms, and a few others such as cha cha. You can dance it to most club forms, and to up-tempo “big band” music, as well.
You won’t have seen it on “Dancing with the Stars” because they use mostly the International Standard and Latin dances. The old PBS “Championship Ballroom Dancing” programs will show it.
Your best buy in dance classes is likely to be at your local community college – $7-$10/hour for group lessons. Typically, several dances will be taught in each series (six to eight once-a-week classes). Beginning ballroom might include East Coast Swing, foxtrot, and waltz.
That may sound like more than you wanted, but, once you start dancing – it’s hard to stop with just one!!! 
Since the OP is looking for advice, this is better suited for IMHO than GQ.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
Learn the basics of Swing, Foxtrot, and Waltz and you’ll be set. Many years ago my wife and I took a “Ballroom Dance” class through through the local parks and rec; it was 4 or 5 classes of maybe 90 minutes each, and went through all those dances, plus several of the Latin dances. It cost us probably $30-40 apiece. If you can find something like that, go for it. You’ll be able to learn the steps in a matter of hours.
You started your post “I, now approaching my teen years”: are we to infer that you are therefore 12? If so, you are very well spoken young person, and I hope you stick around…
Is it really likely that music suitable for these dance steps is going to be played at an early teen-aged dance party?
This depends entirely on who you hang out with. I have some anecdata on this; back in high school a lot of the theater geeks also did swing dance and they were definitely getting all the girls/boys. I thought this might just be my high school, which has its own unique culture, but my roommate last year (from a completely different state and system) had the same experience.
A bigger problem is going to be that traditionally, one partner (usually the male partner) is supposed to lead and the other partner to follow, so for these “formal” dances you need to find someone else that knows the steps. However, I would recommend this method because it teaches you basic dance moves and helps you attain confidence on the dance floor. The bad analogy I would use is that, to learn English, it helps to know grammar, even though it’s not necessary.
Swing is all well and good, but please don’t become That Guy That Always Swing Dances At Parties. He’s only slightly less annoying than That Guy That Thinks The Robot Is OK If Done Ironically. Save the swing dancing for more formal occasions. Still, it’ll help give you a sense of rhythm which will help you Just Dance with everyone else randomly jumping around a crowded dance floor.
MaJoGi, good on you for getting on the dance bandwagon! Guys who can dance are always preferable to those that scowl and hulk on the sidelines. Or flail spastically and spill drinks on the floor.
You are getting a lot of good advice upthread, including that from lazybratsche about not turning into “Annoying Swing Guy”. EC Swing is good, it’s great, but I don’t want to see anyone doing that to Nelly or the Red Hot Chili Peppers or whatever.
The two dances that my partner and I find most versatile as far as application to a really wide variety of musical genres are West Coast Swing and Nightclub Two Step. YouTube has a bunch of vids on WCS (check out John Lindo and Blake Hobby for one) and a couple on Nightclub.
WCS can be danced to country, R&B, hiphop, classic rock…all kinds of stuff including current music that gets played at clubs. There’s also a lot of room for improv in WCS which isn’t always the case with more traditional ballroom styles - and I am a fan of both.
Nightclub can work with country, R&B, pop, disco, all kinds of slower-tempo stuff. It’s usually more flowy and romantic and, well, chicks dig it.
We find that we use WCS and Nightclub more than any other dance when we go to events like weddings or parties that aren’t DJ’ed by someone in the “dance community”, i.e. not arranged to satisfy all dance styles known by attendees.
I hope you can get some of your friends to join up with you! Have fun with it.
I had the same problem when I was your age. People would tell me to “just dance to the music” and it didn’t make any sense to me. The best thing I did for it was take dance for a year instead of PE in high school. We didn’t learn any of the formal dances listed above, but I did learn what moving to the music meant. Once you understand that, you can pick up any dance, formal or informal, much easier. Plus, it was free and got me out of organized sport PE which I hated.
this. girls will be falling all over you. and you will amaze all the guys.
Dancing is a gateway to all kinds of immorality. It will lead you to sexual promiscuity and quite possibly reefer madness. Don’t do it, and don’t go with girls who do (unless you’re a girl; if so, don’t do it with guys who do).
Sarcasm, if no one got it.
Welcome aboard, MaJoGi! Here’s an old thread you will enjoy reading.
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As a beginner’s dance that gets a lot of mileage, I think the rumba is getting a little short shrift in this thread so far. Here’s what I wrote about getting started in dancing back in 2002:
First question is, are you looking for a form of partner dance or dancing by yourself? Second, are you a guy or a girl?
If you want to partner dance and are a guy, I would recommend West Coast Swing, Blues or if you can find it locally Ceroc/Modern Jive (it was developed in France and popular outside the US). West Coast Swing is a good multi-purpose dance, although if the girl hasn’t danced it can take a bit of getting used to. Blues is great for slower music - mostly improvised, but really allows you to feel the music with a partner and makes for amazing slow dances. Ceroc/Modern Jive is a faster-paced dance - often dubbed a cross between salsa and east coast swing. It is very easy to learn, easy to follow and works with a wide range of 4/4 music. The only problem is that it is very hard to find classes for it in the US.
If you want to partner dance and are a girl, blues and west coast will give you excellent follow skills, which should allow you to do many other lead/follow partner dances (most of the latin and swing styles) with relative ease. Since most people don’t do waltz and foxtrot at parties, you’ll probably be safe.
If you want to freestyle by yourself, I would suggest hip hop classes or what is called jazz funk (like on music videos). Even something like the new Xbox Kinect dance game is a great way to pick up moves that you can use on your own.
Do you have a Wii? If so, go pick up Just Dance and Just Dance II. Lots of updated dance moves that can be used in a variety of scenarios (ie. highschool dances). And its great exercise!
[Mod Note]To those who have expressed concern about her age-we are on it. Thank you.[/Mod Note]