Dance Advice for Humans

The Single Guy's Guide to Taking Dance Lessons

Written by Chris Lynam | Dec 16, 2013 9:23:00 PM


Each and every guy can benefit from dance lessons, but we all have put it off for one reason or another.

Like driving without directions, we often need to cut the macho and ask for help. So here’s a quick, macho-proof, list for all of those guys that are on the verge of striking social-life gold by scheduling a dance lesson.

The Single Guy's Guide to Taking Dance Lessons

Cologne Shopping

You should always, like every single time, trust a woman’s opinion when it comes to purchasing cologne. They are your cologne audience, and what may smell great to you may not win the sniffing favor of said audience.

Dance Translation:  You’re not going to be dancing with your guy friends, so why ask them what they think? 

Solution:  Learn to dance first, then let your buddies see your skills in action later. 

Trust The Process

It's far easier to blot out the humble beginnings of things you're currently good at.  In fact, you may be a walking oral historian of your high school sports highlights.  In doing so, it may make the early, non-highlighted, beginnings of a new hobby a lot tougher to tolerate. 

Dance Translation:  In the beginning, learning to dance won't measure up to your current list of highlights.  Trust the process, and dancing will be sure to catch up.  

Solution:  Your teacher will recommend an approach that will streamline the learning curve to help you progress as quickly, and painlessly, as possible.

Talking is a Goal

You may not have realized it, but when you first started driving, you were probably a lot less confident than you are now.  To be able to have a conversation - in person, not texting of course - meant that the motor functions required to drive the car were under control, on auto-pilot, so you can talk about which movie you should see.  

Dance Translation: When you first begin to learn how to dance, you may feel a little bit like a new driver. The idea of having a conversation may seem like it will push the limits of your capabilities.  The truth is - talking while dancing is what makes this activity "Social Dancing", and it's an important multi-tasking goal for all leaders in the hobby.  

Solution:  Your teacher will ask you some basic questions, not complex math or a medical dissertation, while you are dancing.  Do whatever you can, taking as much time as necessary, to answer them... without stopping. 

Demonstrate, but only When the Time is Right

If your best friend bought a truck, a new set of golf clubs, or a lamp in the shape of burlesque dancer's leg - you would expect them to show it off, bring it up randomly in conversation, or stand near it whenever possible. 

Dance Translation:  To some of your friends, your dance hobby may give the impression that you’re quitting your day job to be on Dancing with the Stars show, you can execute the splits on demand, and you now prefer rhinestoned pirate shirts as your apparel of choice. So, naturally, they are going to expect you to both show off the moves, and to be slightly repulsed by them. 

Solution:  Rather than setting up a dance recital at your next fantasy football draft, try a wedding reception, office party, or jazz festival. The environment is made for dancing and it won’t cost you a second round draft pick for illegal Latin dance moves. 

Build Your Social Profile

There are plenty of activities you can try to occupy your spare time.  Whether that's video games, ax throwing, or building a shed, but how many of those activities are really moving the needle on your social life? 

Dance Translation: Let's get really honest for a second.  Full disclosure:  Dancing can lead to more dates.  It's true, we have the dating experts to prove it.  Whether you are interested in setting yourself up for more opportunities in your love life, or just to scale up your social life, a dance community like Arthur Murray is the way to do it.  

Solution: Start with a free lesson.  It's a pebble thrown into the safe, calm waters of your social life. Then, it's just a matter of time, to watch the ripples take shape.  

Final thought:

Throughout your personal history, you may have employed some skillful research about where to spend your hard earned money on cover charges at nightclubs.  

"Look, there's a bunch of good looking girls going into that one.  Let's go there."

Us guys will try to gain every advantage possible to do well in the ladies department, with male to female ratio being chief among them. 

So, thinking about that, if there was a city in the world with the most women in it, a motivated single man would move there and never come back.

In this case, the dance floor is that city.

There are many guys that have seen it just beyond their drink at the bar.  Some have stumbled onto it, only to quickly retreat back to a more familiar territory, and yet... it's the place where your chances of success go up exponentially if you are a citizen there.  

Learning how to dance gives you exclusive access, residence, and the chance to blend in or stand out there. An exclusive arena to socialize, a barrier that few guys will cross, but that dance lessons can eliminate.  

The form is right below, your access is pre-approved, and you just need to click the link to gain that unfair, and totally incredible, social advantage.

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Image credit:  Anchorman