Your posture and presence say a lot about you. Dance is beneficial in two key ways. It will improve your posture by changing the way you stand, look, and move while developing key muscles during the partner component of each dance. It will simultaneously change how you move by increasing your balance and physical presence while making you more aware of how your body looks and moves through space. A strong handshake is good but ultimately worthless if you lack the presence to back it up and the body language to speak clearly with your body long before you say a word or raise your hand in greeting.
The First 30 Seconds
In most situations, people decide a lot about you in the first 30 seconds. This is unfortunate because the first 30 seconds is also typically when we are at our worst and most insecure. Social dance classes and dance clubs provide the opportunity for individuals to interact with a large number of friendly faces in a relatively short time. This increases your comfort and first contact competency in general not just when meeting or talking to potential dance partners.
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In business and startups, often a heavy focus is placed on what your elevator pitch will be. The same goes for job seekers, conference attendees or individuals as they navigate the complexities of modern dating. The amicable and open nature of social dance evenings delivers the opportunity to perfect and refine those first thirty-second impressions in a low-stakes setting.
The Confidence to Approach
It’s incredibly difficult to approach someone you are not familiar with and then to try and strike up a conversation regardless of the audience or location. But, social dancing revolves around just this type of behavior. Every time you approach an individual for a dance or are approached you are building your competency and confidence. The added bonus is that in a dance environment most people actively want to be approached. There is nothing like positive reinforcement to build competence, and while the risk of occasional rejection remains, if you approach with sincerity and attentiveness it’ll be a rarity, not a rule.
Be the Flame, not the Moth
Most formal events typically have several standard components: a nice meal, a live band or a DJ and a space set aside to serve as a dance floor. It doesn’t matter if it’s your favorite night club or a black tie event, the same rules apply. The dance floor will stay empty until one or two individuals break the ice. By the time a few individuals and/or couples take the floor a wave of people will follow.
But, who gets noticed? The icebreakers. Further, consider the message those early dancers send by not only taking the dance floor when everyone else was afraid to but by actually knowing what they’re doing. In most cases, you’ll have instantly differentiated yourself and created the perfect entry point for conversation for the remainder of the evening.
Wonderfully, traditional dances like swing and salsa are a cross-generational and cross-gender topic. There are few other topics that match dance for the breadth and width of people who find it interesting and a relevant point of discussion. With dance, not only do you distinguish yourself, but you gain a rare opportunity to exhibit confidence and culture something that in any other situation would take a lot of work and be difficult to do.
