Can a Hopeless Dancer Learn to Dance?

Dancing is a great and impressive skill to have. It’s no wonder that a lot of people dance as a hobby and there can be lots of people in dance classes and dance studios. So what happens if you’re a terrible dancer with no skill or rhythm at all? Is it worth the effort and can you get good results?

The answer is yes – but it will take a good teacher, patience and a lot of work. I’ve taught many self-confessed useless dancers whether in dance classes or in private 1-to-1 dance lessons. And you know what? Every single one of them that has stuck at it for at least a few months has made significant improvement.

Note that I said everyone who’s stuck at it for at least a few months. There is a learning curve involved with dancing and it can take a while, not necessarily months but that’s a good approximate for a ‘really bad dancer’ to start seeing good improvements. The people who stick at it for at least several months are the ones who are serious about getting better and have the right attitude to succeed.

It’s a huge achievement for a dancer who had nothing going for them dance-wise to be able to dance a bit, do some moves and dance on the beat of the music with an understanding of rhythm.

Sometimes saying you’re a terrible dancer is just a state of mind. Because for some people basic dance skills come naturally. Whilst for others it’s something that they need to learn and then once they can understand it properly they can apply it properly.

Acknowledging that you can’t dance is a great first step; you need to be aware of where you are. It can sometimes be easier to teach someone who freely admits they ‘suck at dancing’ to use an anonymous quote because they have nothing to lose and are sometimes prepared to put in the effort.

The hardest person for any dance teacher is someone with a bad attitude who always thinks it’s hopeless. By this I mean a student who will learn something from a teacher and when they can’t pull it off perfectly, use that as proof that they will never be a good dancer. Anything worth achieving is worth working for.

the end it all comes down to the student and as with life in general you have to take responsibility for your results. You can have the greatest and most encouraging teachers in the world and still not get any better if you have the wrong attitude.

But be realistic about the work it will take and the skill that you will be building up and almost anyone can learn from pretty much any dance teacher.