Ballroom Dancing

When I was little I used to watch Dirty Dancing all the time. My parents let me watch it even though I was probably too young, but I didn’t really understand what was going on anyway – I just wanted to watch the dancing. After a while I would just fast forward to all the dances I liked and the montage during “Hungry Eyes” is still my favorite. I was once at my aunt’s house with my friend baking cookies. When we were done, we went to the guest room to watch tv and the movie was on. We were play dancing around the room to the movie and she tried to lift me and promptly dropped me on the floor. When my aunt came up to ask what we were doing we were like “uh…nothing”.

Fast forward to years later when I was a senior in high school and I was looking for a prom dress. I found a pink dress that laced up in the back and it reminded me of the dress Penny wears at the beginning and I was sold. So from a young age I have been fascinated with dancing and basically my dream is just to be lifted in the air (and not dropped).

As I got older I still loved watching ballroom dancing. I danced growing up until I graduated high school, but lyrical, jazz etc. not ballroom. Then, Dancing with the Stars hit the airwaves and I absolutely loved it and still do. I even went to Sway – the live dance show created by Maks and Val Chmerkovskiy a few years ago. Anyway, on the dancing shows they make it look so easy and I know it’s not, but it’s so fun to watch!

One of my goals in 2020 is to do more of what I love each and every day. Because of that, I was reminded that dancing brings me so much fascination and joy and I would love to be able to dance more. But, I was not really sure where to start since I don’t have the skills down, or the confidence to try and show off said skills, to be honest. The goal of doing more of what I love is there to push me out of my comfort zone, though, and that’s exactly what this is – pushing me out of that zone. So, I’ve come up with this list of a few ways to incorporate dancing in 2020 and I thought that maybe you all could create a list like this one for your passions. Here’s my list of how I can dance more in 2020

Practice Makes Perfect
Even though I do not have the confidence when it comes to ALL types of dance, I have to keep in mind that practice makes perfect. The more I practice, the better I will get, and the more confident I will become. This does not just go for dancing, it goes for all skills, in general.

Workouts
A great way to incorporate dancing into my everyday life is by dancing! I figured out that I can find dancing workouts on YouTube easily and it’s not only a great workout, but they are fun! If you have a goal of losing weight or getting into shape this year, this is a great way to do it while having loads of fun.

Take Lessons
The best way to have fun while learning more about dancing (especially when it comes to ballroom dancing!) will definitely be taking dance lessons. I found a local NJ spot called USA Ballroom. They are a professional dance studio located in Red Bank. They offer dance lessons (ballroom, samba, latin, rango, rumba, foxtrot, and more) and socials to help you become more confident with your moves. You can take private or group lessons and no matter which option you choose, they definitely make the experience a lot of fun…and educational, as well. They say, “A dedicated dance studio, we offer you the chance to show off your mad new dancing skills with Friday night socials. Whether you are a couple or a single, we are happy to teach you how to dance and help you improve your confidence. Lessons are easy, fast, fun and appropriate for all age groups. Open Monday through Friday from 12:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m., we are committed to you and helping you improve your life. We also offer Saturday appointment hours for your convenience. From group sessions to private dance lessons in Red Bank, trust USA Ballroom to teach you how to dance and help you reap the benefits of moving with the music.” If you are looking for dance lessons in NJ, USA Ballroom is the place for you and you do not even need a partner to get started.

Phone A Friend
Finally, I need someone to practice with if I truly am going to get better and become more confident with the new dance moves that I have learned. USA Ballroom does host group nights where I can dance with the others that take lessons at their studio, but in addition to that, I figured why not have fun with a friend and teach them what I have learned?! I think that this would be a blast!