Learning How to Dance In Your Garage

So you want to be a dancer, huh? You’ve probably seen a lot of cool kids in school dance to the delight of a crowd. You get amazed by their confidence, grace, and swag that when you got home, you searched for dance videos online. Not long after, your search bars recommended videos, and reels on social media are all filled with dance videos. Or you’re probably a big fan of hip hop or K-pop stars. Not only do you listen to their songs, but you also watch music videos and performances on stage. That’s when the urge to dance along with them came. You did not only want to sing along because doing the dance choreography seemed so much fun too. Or it could be you like going to parties and having fun dancing while under the booze. You wonder what it’s like to be good at dancing for once. Or to dance confidently without the need for alcohol. Or you most likely got hooked on Tiktok, scrolling for hours on end and just watching one dance video to another. You get amazed by the dancers you watch there and want to follow the steps yourself. Whatever your reason for wanting to dance, the problem presents itself to you as a big hindrance. Your whole body is awkward. Whatever you do, you just look like a laughing matter that you don’t want anyone to see you dance. You try all these Tiktok dances by yourself or even level up with K-pop choreography, but every time you watch the dance video after, all you could do is cringe. You wonder why you even want to dance in the first place. In case you don’t know, dancing is a mindfulness exercise. For you to follow steps more quickly and easily, you have to be focused on the choreography that you are doing. Your mind shouldn’t be floating and you should be all-in with your body, letting it move freely to its own beat. As said, dancing is also a form of exercise. It depends on what type of dance you are doing to categorize what type of exercise it is or what specific parts do your dance sessions target. It increases your heart rate promoting healthy blood flow. It uplifts your mood and relieves your mind from stress. Dancing is not about impressing other people because if that is your goal, you might easily just drop it as a hobby when other people don’t validate your dancing. Dancing is more of being attuned with your body and mind, letting it go while you dance to the beat of your own music. If you’re really a shy person but want to learn how to dance, the key is to start at home. You can do so in a secluded area if you want some privacy. The problem is if you don’t have space anymore in your bedroom or you share one with your sister, there is no other space at home for you to do your dance practices. Until you remember that there is a lot of space in the garage covered by clutter. You ask your parents nicely if you can clean it up so you can hopefully, quietly do your practices there. Install smart storage solutions such as overhead storage racks and wall shelves so that you’ll be able to maximize the ceiling space for storage and the floor space for the family vehicle and your many hobbies. Here is how you can get started practicing dance while at home.

1. Pick a dance style

Much like singing, dancers also have their own styles. You must pick one before you can dive into dancing. Some popular types of dance include hip hop, ballet, interpretative dancing, ballroom, and jazz. It’s important that you’re already decided what dance style you want to practice. Along the way, you’ll figure out the style that truly resonates with you.

2. Choose which technique or routine you’re going, to begin with.

You should know basic techniques or one particular dance before you can advance into more complicated choreography. For you to become a trained dancer, even though you are already old, you have to practice eagerly to build strength, endurance, and skill. A Red Bull article says so because foundational movements are very crucial to learn and master.

3. Watch dance tutorials.

Since you are learning how to dance on your own, your resource will most likely be in video form. Be careful to watch their every step so you could follow with little to no mistakes. Aside from dance videos, many content creators release dance tutorials with proper counting so that you are guided accordingly. There are also apps or creators that offer classes. If you want no one to see you, you could book them for private sessions where you get access to online and in-person dance instructors.

4. Warm-up

Do not forget to warm up. So many people either forget to do so or refuse to do a quick one because they’re tired or are not in the mood. Even the latter, it is still very important that you warm up before a dance session. Jog in place to increase your heart rate. Touch your toes or loosen the hips for some needed stretching. Do exercises that require you to stretch or lengthen muscles because flexibility will come in handy during a dance.

5. Follow through with the lesson.

Imagine that no one is watching and you’re alone in the garage. Dance your heart out and just enjoy the rush of endorphins to come into you. Follow the choreography based on your own pace. This isn’t a race and the goal is not to finish early but to finish correctly. Make sure your gadget is accessible so you can play, pause or stop the video anytime. Be patient with yourself and let your body do it repetitively until the point of exhaustion.

6. And last but not the least is to practice!

Never mind the naysayers or your own critic. You’re dancing because you want to have fun, plus it’ll take 10,000 hours for you to do great. Smile and do not think of giving up. Just keep on practicing and you’ll eventually get the hang of it. Take a video of yourself so you’ll see how far you’ve come since the day you first started dancing.