I'm too uncoordinated to dance and I have no rhythm

I can’t dance because I don’t have any rhythm or I don’t have enough coordination.

This is a common excuse that many people use that simply is not true. I rarely see someone who has a lack of rhythm because a sense of rhythm is completely natural to our existence. I can give you a simple exercise to help determine if you have rhythm: walk a distance of 20 feet or more without falling down. I have yet to meet someone who has the capacity to walk without assistance that does not display both rhythm and coordination in doing this exercise. By just walking a distance of several feet, everyone I have met so far displays the ability to set a constant pace plus they display the ability to walk without stumbling. This is something you have trained to do since you were a young child and you have practiced it so often, you do it without thinking about it. This displays coordination in the fact that you have the ability to alternate you feet regularly without difficulty.

This may sound absurd, but if you actually analyze everything that happens when you simply walk across a room, from how you have to generate motion in your center of gravity, how you shape your momentum to allow you to move in whichever direction you choose without always having to stop yourself and start moving in a new direction, how your legs and feet adjust where they land in relation to your center of gravity and the direction of your momentum so that you can remain in motion while maintaining proper balance… your body is trained to do a lot of little things automatically even in something as simple as walking. On top of that, almost everyone sets a pace for themselves as they walk any given distance. They adjust this pace as they see fit, but either way, by setting a pace you have shown you have the ability to set a rhythm. So, having the ability to set a rhythm plus having coordination enough to walk across a room shows that you have the tools you need to dance.

Realizing that dancing takes surprising little rhythm or even coordination is the hard part. Dancing merely takes one thing, an interest in your partner. To dance with a person is to have a conversation with them. While dancing, you are trying to “talk” using only your body. This requires you to connect to your partner so that you can both “tell” them something with your body by letting them feel how and when your body moves, plus this connection is important because you will need to “listen” to what and when their body “tells” you something in return.

This conversation needs to go both ways in the partnership. Much of dancing is the same as having a nice conversation over dinner. If you both try to say things at exactly the same time, then not much communication happens. When you dance, your body will tell something to your partner, but you must listen to what their body tells you in return. The leader should say something, but he should say it only when the follower has indicated that she is “listening”. Much of leading is knowing not only how to lead, but when to lead. Social dances especially, like west coast swing or salsa, focus heavily on both the leader and the follower taking an active role in the conversation.

Social dancing has more to do with sharing in the conversation than it does with “having rhythm” or “having coordination”. Remember that the only rhythm you need is that which you already have. If you wish to dance with the music, listen to the music first on your own and get a feel for the pace at which your body matches the music. You have the ability to set a pace, now the only challenge is altering your own rhythm to utilize the one provided by the song. You will never “need” any more coordination than you already have that enables you to walk. You will develop more coordination as well as a better sense of rhythm as you dance, but the requirements to be able to dance are not very high at all.

If you can walk, you already have the ability to dance. Now it’s just a matter of learning how to take part in the conversation of the dance!

Visit www.USDanceXchange.com for more information and ongoing discussions on ballroom dancing, swing dancing, latin or salsa dancing, country dancing, or any other form of dancing and everything else that dancers talk about.

If you are interested in finding ballroom dance instruction, ballroom dance classes, or ballroom dance lessons, visit www.DanceWithMe.us. You should also check out their section on dance videos for instructional videos on ballroom dancing, latin or salsa dancing, country dancing, or swing dancing. You'll also be able to find out more information about Swing Springfield, Springfield's longest standing swing dance club, dedicated to the promotion of swing dance opportunities, swing dance lessons, swing dance classes, swing dance training, and swing dance parties in east coast swing, west coast swing, hustle, single time swing, lindy hop, charleston, and the jitterbug.

For wedding dance information, visit www.1stDance.us for information on training and choreography for your first dance, or even dance training for bride's and grooms, as well as your wedding party, family, and friends to help maximize your enjoyment of dancing at your reception. Look for special packages and discounts available to help soon to be wed couples get the most out of preparing for their first dance and their new lives together.