# What's Your Dance-ability Factor\*? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 9, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dance-ability-factor/608955 "2012-01-09T19:32:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dance-ability-factor/608955/1 "2012-01-09T19:32:28Z")
Since I really don’t like to dance, I always wondered how many people are like me. With that in mind, on a scale of 1 to 10, please rate yourself. Here are the rating numbers, and my self-defined guide: \*PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THE DANCE-ABILITY FACTOR HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH HOW WELL YOU CAN DANCE. That’s a question that’s better left for others to answer anyway. \*\*ALSO, THIS POLL IS PUBLIC!!! (10) - I dance anywhere, any time, and I don’t need music and don’t care who’s watching! (9) - I dance _almost_ anywhere, and any time, but stop if the Queen, the Pope or my boss happen to be in my presence. But I still don’t need music! (8) - If there’s music, I’m dancing. It could be the laundramat, the 7-11, the ballpark or the dentist waiting room. If there’s music on my radio alarm clock when I wake up, I start moving! (7) - I love to dance as long as it’s called for. At a wedding, a party, or any event where dancing is expected, I will be the first one to start moving or to get out onto the dance floor. If no one joins me, too bad for them. I may even go to clubs/events for the sole purpose of dancing. (6) - I like to dance and look forward to dancing at events or places where dancing is expected. I will even seek these places out, albeit occasionally. (5) - Dancing? Meh. It’s hit or miss. I kinda enjoy it sometimes, and it’s sorta annoying at other times. (4) - I don’t really look forward to it, and can’t say I enjoy it. If there’s an option to NOT dance, I’ll most often take that option. I’ll make an exception every so often, especially if I’m trying to hit it off with a potential romantic partner or if I’ve drank enough alcohol. (3) - If every single living creature is dancing where I am, and there’s no place to hide, plus my significant other is threatening to leave me if I don’t dance with her/him, then I’ll FREAKIN’ DANCE! It helps if there’s enough alcohol around. I might also chair dance or drive while head-bobbing to the beat (without alcohol). (2) - About once-a-year or so, you’ll catch me tapping my foot or bobbing my head while sitting in a chair or while driving. But if I catch you looking, I’ll stop! (1) - They call me “The Rock”, but it’s not due to my physique! ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dance-ability-factor/608955/2 "2012-01-09T20:19:32Z")
I love to dance. It took awhile but I met a wonderful woman that shares that passion. We go out and dance a couple times a month and sometimes more. Wanna know a secret? Its one hell of an aphrodisiac for the guy and woman. There’s a reason the best dancers make the best lovers. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dance-ability-factor/608955/3 "2012-01-09T20:33:40Z")
I used to be a 1 or a 2, but recently bumped it up to a 5. The secret ingredient was alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dance-ability-factor/608955/4 "2012-01-09T21:28:07Z")
Legally I can not dance in the state of California. The law was added to the 1998 Seismic Hazard Reduction Act and signed by then Governor Pete Wilson. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dance-ability-factor/608955/5 "2012-01-09T22:54:34Z")
Love to dance. Did eight years of bellydance classes, and am looking forward to being not pregnant again so I can start again. I miss my goth clubbing days. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dance-ability-factor/608955/6 "2012-01-10T01:50:34Z")
It’s hard to distinguish between my dancing and Charles Barkley’s golf swing. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dance-ability-factor/608955/7 "2012-01-10T03:51:00Z")
I didn’t dance at my sister’s wedding. I’ll be damned if I’ll dance at a party or concert. Part of it is that I can’t. Part of it is that I feel very alienated by my own body. (As early as Kindergarten, I learned that I can’t skip, either…) ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dance-ability-factor/608955/8 "2012-01-10T04:23:05Z")
By myself, no problem (tho usually it involves a lot of air guitar), but never in a public place. Thus a 5. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f08c70/32.png) [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Brother_Walker)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dance-ability-factor/608955/9 "2012-01-10T04:51:41Z")
I cannot dance at all. Another story from my past: On a first date with this woman, we went to a bar that had a dance floor (at her suggestion despite my insistence of my non-dancing ability) to get loaded on cheap drinks. Throughout the evening, I held our seats at the bar while she wandered around checking out the place and dancing intermittently. After a few drinks, she insisted that we dance and she almost literally dragged me onto the dance floor. After less than one minute, she dragged me back off the dance floor. She said, “You’re right - you can’t dance” and we went back to our drinks. It was still a fun night. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dance-ability-factor/608955/10 "2012-01-10T05:07:47Z")
I’ll dance just about anywhere IF I have a good partner with me. And by that, I mean someone who has rhythm, can move her feel, and can do interesting lead-follow moves. No shake-it-around club dancing for me. That’s not a dance partnership at all. That’s just two people dancing in the same general vicinity, and it’s seldom a pretty sight. ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dance-ability-factor/608955/11 "2012-01-10T06:59:38Z")
Six for me. I greatly enjoy dancing, though my only qualifications are a strong sense of rhythm and no shame. I keep meaning to take dance classes someday, but the problem I keep running into is that in order to do that, you need to take dance classes. Haven’t quite solved that one yet. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dance-ability-factor/608955/12 "2012-01-10T08:22:51Z")
Actually it’s somewhere between six and seven but I voted six. I enjoy dancing at weddings but I will not under any circumstances do the Electric Slide, Macarena, or any of those other silly ass “follow my instructions” numbers. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dance-ability-factor/608955/13 "2012-01-10T08:30:52Z")
For New Years, my dance partner flew in from a thousand miles away. The day before the dance, she fell while cross-country skiing, and landed up in hospital for 25 stiches to the inside of her chin. Needless to say, we didn’t get to dance on new years. I feel so very sorry for her. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dance-ability-factor/608955/14 "2012-01-10T10:49:07Z")
I chose 1 because there was no “zero” option. I dance exactly like you’d expect from a 55 yr old rythm-impaired Republican. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dance-ability-factor/608955/15 "2012-01-10T13:37:22Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > I chose 1 because there was no “zero” option. > > I dance exactly like you’d expect from a 55 yr old rythm-impaired Republican. Here are a couple of older Republicans with some pretty good dance moves: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/wzyT9-9lUyE/hqdefault.jpg "Obama and McCain - Dance Off!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzyT9-9lUyE) ---
**Author:** ![iftheresaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecae2f/32.png) [@iftheresaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iftheresaway)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dance-ability-factor/608955/16 "2012-01-10T16:15:28Z")
I’m a 4 for dancing in public, but probably an 8 or a 9 for dancing in my car, in my house, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dance-ability-factor/608955/17 "2012-01-10T20:27:58Z")
yours truly not only has two left feet, i am also lacking any sense of rhythm, which is crazy when you consider the fact that i have stage-managed more musicals than most people see in a lifetime. a lot of my stage timing is based on counting beats (such is when to open or close a curtain), since i don’t know an A flat from a B sharp. i do know a treble from a clef and what a measure looks like, and that is the sum total of my musical ability. the only time i dance is when it’s slower than a foxtrot and i don’t have to move my feet very much. ---
**Author:** ![DadWagonDriver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@DadWagonDriver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DadWagonDriver)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dance-ability-factor/608955/18 "2012-01-10T21:55:08Z")
Don’t like dancing, as I have no ability to do so. My toe-tapping gets off rhythm. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dance-ability-factor/608955/19 "2012-01-10T22:38:22Z")
Used to be a 10 but now that I’m pushing 60 I dialed it down to a 9. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dance-ability-factor/608955/20 "2012-01-11T00:52:14Z")
I’m a 3, sort of. I’m a foot tapper/head bopper in the car and I don’t care who sees. But as far as dancing in public, DO NOT WANT! I even took a dance class at work and I was amazed at how much I didn’t enjoy dancing. I wanted to like it but just didn’t. ☹ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dance-ability-factor/608955.md?page=2)