Beginning Steps

Best Dance for Beginners?

By Eric Dahlman

Over the last couple of months, I’ve had a handful of friends ask me to teach them how to ballroom dance. It’s been exciting sharing the sport I spend so much time on. However, I always have a difficult time deciding where to start. Which dance is the best way to introduce ballroom?

One idea I tried with a couple of my mixed-proficiency partners was to give a crash course though a couple of dances with similar styles (ie: American Rumba/Cha Cha and American Waltz/Foxtrot). While the experiment did allow my trainees to experience many ‘personalities’ that ballroom can have, it was nevertheless very confusing. In an hour lesson, the basic steps of one dance alone is enough to overwhelm many newcomers. Four dances all at once is a bit much for anyone.

Perhaps the answer lies in quality rather than quantity? Teaching one dance slowly is more comfortable for beginners. Which single dance do you teach a friend with no prior experience? There are a couple of factors one has to consider. While starting with dances with the easiest basic step may be one solution, sometimes you have to acknowledge the music preferences of the learner. For example, waltz may be one of the best dances to start learning control to the music, but the slower tempos and styles of the dance would be wasted on a learner who fears ballroom dancing for being dull. On the other side, by choosing a dance only to fit modern audiences, your trainee might miss out on the artistry or nuance that the more traditional dancer offers.

There will never be a perfect answer to what the best dance for beginners is. Everyone learns differently. However, I am interested in hearing what other people think about the topic. My first dance was Viennese Waltz by circumstance. Other people were brought into ballroom dance by learning Hustle at a club. I’d love to hear responses from readers. What was your first dance? How would you start teaching someone ballroom? Submit your stories and ideas at submissions@sheerdance.com. If there are enough responses, I’d love to follow up in a future article!