How to Learn Dancing: Video Tutorials for the Fearless Beginners

Once you decide to learn dancing, there’s no need to delay. Just follow along with instructors showcasing the fundamental moves of contemporary, street, ballroom, and social dances.

Answers to Key Questions

Is learning to dance difficult?

In reality, it's no harder than starting any new skill. Dance styles vary widely, so mastering one doesn’t guarantee ease with another.

However, all dances require body awareness. If you have experience in activities like martial arts, gymnastics, swimming, or dancing itself, adapting to new dance moves will be easier than for someone less connected to their body.

Even if you feel your body is stiff, don’t lose hope. The secret to success is consistent practice.

Learning through video tutorials can be more challenging than attending classes. If your body is flexible and responsive, you might mimic the instructor’s movements well. If not, the difference between the video and your reflection might be discouraging.

Still, it’s worth trying, at least to help you choose the style that suits you best.

How often should you practice dancing each week?

Initially, your muscles might feel sore after sessions. Unlike weight training or running, dancing doesn’t require long recovery periods.

You can confidently dance regularly. One of my teachers humorously said you should dance 25 hours a day! In any case, the more you dance, the faster you improve.

How to Learn Contemporary Dance

From this genre, we picked three styles commonly found in fitness clubs and dance schools. First up is contemporary dance — fluid and incredibly beautiful.

Contemporary

Contemporary blends jazz modern, yoga, and Eastern martial arts elements, enriched with improvisation and breath awareness. It’s about freedom and fluidity — the natural beauty of movement.

Here’s a video featuring a contemporary-style combination. Make sure to warm up and stretch thoroughly before trying.

And here’s the second part:

Speaking of warm-ups, the following video offers a full lesson including warm-up, stretching, and combo breakdown. It’s in English but easy to follow without translation.

If you find the pace too fast, slow the video down to 0.25 speed.

If you enjoy the combos but can’t replicate them yet, here are more routine contemporary dance practice videos.

Most likely, you’ll need this kind of practice before you can perform beautiful combinations in a dance school.

Strip Plasticity

Many confuse pole dancing with strip plasticity. The latter is a sensual dance that can be performed without a pole.

Strip plasticity focuses on the natural sensuality of the female body. While many instructors mix it with contemporary, modern, Latin, or other dance styles, the approach depends on the teacher.

The beauty of your dance depends on how well you control your body, the flexibility of your joints, and the stretch of your muscles and tendons.

Here’s a breakdown of a simple routine to start with.

And here’s a playlist featuring strip plasticity lessons from various dance schools, including individual moves and combos.

Belly Dance

This is a sensual and elegant dance that also helps develop flexibility and can even alleviate some health issues.

YouTube offers a wealth of belly dance tutorials. Below are a few selected ones.

This video clearly explains basic movements:

Below is a playlist with five beginner lessons from another instructor.

How to Learn Street Dance

Hip-Hop

Hip-hop has been around for about 50 years but has spawned numerous styles and subgenres, each with unique moves and flair.

Modern hip-hop often incorporates elements from other dance styles, enriching its vocabulary and creativity.

Before crafting your own routines, master the basics. The playlist below covers foundational moves, steps, and many combinations with clear explanations. Slow down the video if needed.

The next large playlist explains concepts like inertia, manipulation, and isolation in hip-hop. It also covers improvisation, battle etiquette, and floor moves to diversify your routines.

Breakdance

Breakdance combines tricks, power moves on the floor, waves, freezes, and dynamic level changes.

This channel teaches various styles like Waving, King Tut, and Robot, including power move techniques and basic footwork.

Here’s a detailed tutorial on the "6-step" footwork element.

Watch how to perform the "turtle" move here:

Twerk

A sensual dance focusing on active use of the glutes, hips, abdomen, and arms. This playlist offers several lessons breaking down twerk moves.

How to Learn Ballroom Dancing

Waltz

At least once in life, knowing the waltz will come in handy. Dancing it at an amateur level is quite accessible.

Here’s a great lesson teaching the basic steps of the Viennese waltz.

And the second part by the same instructor:

How to Learn Social Dancing

Social dances are designed for partner interaction and enjoyment, not competition. Improvisation is encouraged, allowing dancers to express themselves and their emotions.

Bachata

This dance originates from the Dominican Republic and is very sensual, sometimes even erotic. Bachata’s foundation consists of four steps with emphasis on the last one. It includes turns, dips, and light partner supports.

Though bachata is a partner dance, you can learn solo combinations if you don’t have a partner yet.

The video below breaks down the basic steps, weight shifts, hand positions, and accents in great detail.

Here’s a variation of bachata from the same instructor.

Below is a playlist for those wanting to dance bachata with a partner, featuring lessons from the Imagine Dance school.

Kizomba

This passionate partner dance hails from Angola, Africa. It’s now danced worldwide, especially popular in France and Portugal.

Kizomba involves intricate footwork, hip movements, and close partner connection. The Tarraxinha style is a slower, more sensual variation.

Here’s a playlist with kizomba lessons.

And another playlist from a different dance studio.

That’s all for now. If you have favorite instructional videos, please share them in the comments below.

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