How to Dance at Clubs

The ability to dance at clubs is as much about confidence and self awareness as it is about technique. Newcomers to the dance club scene may be unaware of informal etiquette or dance styles that are ideal for beginners. In order to dance at clubs, you need to know how to ease yourself onto the dance floor.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Move With Ease on the Floor of the Dance Club

1. Learn about theme nights that local dance clubs may host during the week. Themes may include a specific decade, musical genre or a movie that features a popular soundtrack. Call clubs or head to their websites to learn about themes to map out your club hopping experience.
2. Gather with a group of friends on the dance floor to make yourself comfortable at the club. Many newcomers to club dancing stay with their friends in the beginning so they can be more creative and less self conscious.
3. Request songs that you know you are able to dance to in the club. You should select music that you enjoy and know by heart so you can follow the beat while dancing.
4. Ask a number of people at the club to dance to mix up your club dancing experience. Many dancers focus on one dancing partner through the entire night because they are friends or in a relationship. If you are single, however, dancing with several partners keeps your energy going and makes dancing a social experience.
5. Journey from club to club during a single night to get the full spectrum of the dance club experience. On a single street, you might move from a cozy club focused on slower music to a bar with a sizable dance floor and a live band. Club hopping lets you enjoy different groups of people while keeping your dance repertoire fresh.
6. Consider learning a hybrid dance move with a partner you know will be at dance clubs on a regular basis. Dance styles like West Coast Swing mix traditional dance techniques with new music and flashy individual performances. You can review videos of West Coast Swing performers in action at Swing San Diego (see Resources below).

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid the dance floor if you have been drinking excessively in the last few hours. Dancing is fun as a part of your night out, but dancing while drunk can lead to many problems. As an inebriated dancer, you may trip someone accidentally or injure your ankle with a wrong step.