Dancing 101

Maybe you show up for DDPP feeling loose enough to let go and break it down without inhibitions. Or maybe dancing in a room full of other people feels totally nervewracking. Many of us aren’t used to jumping, spinning, and booty-shaking it with other people around. It takes some getting used to–some practice to bring your inner freak out. So here’s a few ways our DDPP Wellington, NZ Den Mother, Beth Williams, came up with to gradually let loose. They’ve helped us a lot, and maybe they’ll help you, too.

1. Step away from your friends.
While having friends around is great for mutual encouragement and affirmation, you’re not at DDPP for encouragement and affirmation from others. You’re there for YOU, and no one is going to lead you to the grooves that only you have inside of you, that must break free and be laid down at last to those funky, funky beats. Now, look at your friends getting down all alone in that corner or over by the mirror – they have some fab moves you never knew about, don’t they?

2. Breathe.
If you’re feeling all excited and maybe a little nervous to be in a new place being asked to splay your bad self out to the world (or at least a roomful of other women), it’s possibly too obvious, but breathing will slow you down, let you hear the music and feel the good energies around you from other people having a good time. Breathing offers some focus, which may help you see that there’s no one to compete with or prove anything to when you’re dancing. You’re frickin’ gorgeous when you’re being yourself.

3. Try a technique!
Ok, now that you’ve stepped away from those lovely pals of yours, and given breathing a try to bring yourself on home, maybe you need a technique to get you started, something that will let you see what that brain and body of yours has to offer. Here’s a few:

* Pretend there’s a little kid there that you’re dancing for. This makes you dance funny. You can dance and be funny and have fun? Well, yes, you can.

* Act like you’re the singer, or one of the backup singers for the song. How would they dance? Hold that microphone and sing to the crowd. And why not?

* Teach yourself some steps. Move your arm over there, then look the other way. There’s one. Kick. There’s another. Build on them one by one and pretty soon you got yourself a dance of your very own.

* Can you dance like never before with a certain friend or family member around? I used to have dance-offs with my younger sister, and boy could I throw it down around her. I call this person your dancin’ muse ’cause they trigger something in you that makes you remember how to dance. So if you got one, imagine that muse is there in the room with you, dancing too, or watching, or whatever they do.

* Dedicate one whole song to one body part, like your arms. or your knees. or your toes. See how this body part can dance. What? It’s another song already? Hmm, what other body parts do you have?

* Is there somewhere that you like dance by yourself, like your living room or your bedroom? Pretend you’re there. It works only for a short while, but that may be all you need to lift yourself into the otherworldly place that you need to git on up in.

* If the song tells a story, act it out.
Take, for example, “Copacabana.” Be one of the roles, or all of them. Or make up a story to the music and dance it out. That could be a very good time, indeed.

* Be one of the instruments playing. Dance to that tune or beat, and see what comes of it. aw, yeah.

4. Feel hidden (in several ways).

* Are you the only one on the dance floor, or does it feel like that? It’s easier to feel all incognito and do just what you want to when it’s crowded and you feel relatively hidden, so imagine you’re surrounded by heaps of people. Now take advantage of all that space, and flail about at will: invisible people don’t mind getting whacked.

* Get a disguise. Did you know that the first recorded human activity that we know of is dancing in costume? It’s still done now – look at Carnival, Mardi Gras, Halloween. When we’re in costume, we can let go of our inhibitions and become someone else. And the next day, everyone is talking about that person in the superhero costume who was getting DOWN, while you snicker knowingly in the corner. Wigs are awesome, though they get hot after a while. Glasses work well, as do frilly square-dancing skirts, odd makeup, capes. Go with it.

If you have techniques or suggestions on how to dance in public, let us know and we’ll add to the list. You can email us at ddppchicago[at]gmail[dot]com, or maybe you can comment here…