There are many stages to social dancing. Here are some of the attitudes that I’ve noticed along the way, from all levels.
*Note: this obviously will not cover ALL attitudes, and is a generalization 😉 *
Stage 1: Discovery…
You’ve just found your first social dance. All is new and wondrous:
1. The One who Jumps Right In:
“Holy Man! This is awesome, but so hard, and everyone is SO good. How is everyone just this amazing?? How do they move like that? I want to do exactly what they do! I’ll be able to do that, right?”
2. The One who Sits on the Side (for Months):
“Oh my geezers. This is so intimidating. I can’t do this until I’ve perfected my skills in lessons. I know you say I have to social dance, but I’m NOT doing that until I’m ready… and I don’t know anyone. So I’m going to sit here and watch. Watching is cool. I like watching.”
Stage 2: The Newly Addicted:
You’ve been dancing for under a year… but you’re hooked.
“Man, I’ve got this now. I can do that single spin, and move around the floor. I’ve got a long way to go… Which is why I’m going to go out to EVERY club EVERY night of the week, take EVERY class and attend EVERY congress on the continent (If I can)… AND, I’m going to spend the time every night to look damn fine. Nothing beats the awesomeness of my new hobby!”
Stage 3: The Solid Addict:
You’ve been dancing a while and have your preferences. You’re a fixture in the community now.
The Snob: “I know what I like now. You can’t change my mind, and I know I’m good. No, my favourite spot is better. No, you’re doing it wrong. I’ve been dancing a whole YEAR so I think I know my dance SO WELL that nothing you say can change my mind. Also, I’m on a performance team now. That’s right. I’m a PERFORMER too. Man. I am so. freakin. awesome. You can’t touch this (until I get my wake-up call that will move me up to the next stage…)”
The Community-Grower: “I feel pretty solid now. I want to still improve, but now what I really want to do is get everyone involved in this lovely world. I’m going to dance with every beginner, take classes from every location, and really just become the fixture promoter for this dance as a whole. ”
Stage 4 (Optional): The Brancher-Outer
“I just love dancing. All dancing. I’m going to now try every dance, since I feel pretty decent about my dance. As such, I’m willing to repeat some of the three prior stages in another type of dance… except I’ll hit stage 3 faster since I already know how to move. I’m just expanding my repertoire… maybe I’ll fully convert, and all the dancers from the new genre will try everything to make that happen.”
Stage 5: The Seasoned Veteran
You’ve basically tried most of the scene by this point. Your amount of time dancing is limited to a few socials, and you’re generally recognized as a pretty solid dancer
The I-Still-Love-It Guy/Girl: “I’ve been there, I’ve done this, and I want to do it all again. I’m going to keep taking new challenges on to try to have my personal growth. I like being at the top of this tree, and I’m probably going to teach and inspire others now. I want to continue to grow this!”
The Been-There-Done-That: “I’m fine going out once in a while… but I’m done and burned out. I’ve been to all the congresses, I’ve seen everyone’s new routine, and it’s just so much work to go out. I’ve danced with most of the people in this city, too, and the only ones I haven’t are the super-new dancers who are just soooo hyper… Also, if you tell me I need to dress up, I’ll probably still show up in jeans and a t-shirt. Really, it’s just so much work to sweat through everything anyways.”
Stage 6: Going Pro
“I’m on the guest list for most socials, and get small gigs. This is still fun, but my primary focus is now on how to best encourage other dancers. This is more than just a “me” activity now; it’s about giving a positive contribution.”
Stage 7: The Top Pro’s
“I still love this stuff. It’s fun. Teaching, performing and dancing are my life. But I’m definitely not paying for socials anymore. Actually, you’ll probably have to pay me for a lot of things… because this is my life. If I’m going somewhere, everyone follows me there. No, seriously, people will fly across a continent to come dance with me now. Also, my video has at least 1,000 hits on Youtube.”