Why Everyone Should Try Ballroom Dancing

Angie
Jun 17, 2017
5 min read

Always been a dreamer

There's a reason my tag line is ''creative, ambitious, dreamer''. Only now do I have the mind-set, the resources and inspiration to make my dreams come true. And by dreams I mean the things that seemed impossible a few months ago, but now are the highlights of my life. Things like forming friendships, learning to dance, writing songs, expressing my love for vintage through my dress-sense.

How did I get to this place where I feel almost fearless? Through therapy, self-awareness, and challenging my negative and irrational thoughts. By no means is it easy, and trust me I am not a perfect version of myself. I am still on a journey and that journey will be life-long for me, as I deeply believe in always inspiring yourself to be better.

I've always dreamed of being beautiful. Simply, beautiful. To be able to fly like an angel across the dance floor, wearing the most stunning dress, feeling like a princess dancing with her prince...Ballroom dance has always fascinated me, but it was a territory so foreign, that I never explored it, until now..

Film inspirations

Pop culture is a reflection of the reality we live in. That is why films are often so relatable, that we feel that our average and clumsy self can make the impossible happen - just like a character in a film. I first began intrigued with the beautiful and graceful dances at around age 13. I used to go to dance school when I was 7 for about a year, but that didn't really go anywhere (the dances were cabaret sort of style). Watching films has greatly contributed to the formation of my outlook on life. Films give us an insight into the minds of people who live thousands of miles away, in a different continent, in a different time era, or in a fantasy-world. When watching a film, we are taken on an emotional journey of the characters, and truly can immerse ourselves in their experiences and life stories.

Here are a few films that have inspired me to take ballroom lessons:

Take the lead

What an amazing film! Growing up in a impoverished area, I immediately connected with the high school kids in the film. Their lack of opportunity and tough home life really touched my heart. The film is about the handsome Antonio Banderas portraying Pierre Dulaine - a wealthy ballroom dance teacher who decides to teach a bunch of low-level students in one of America's roughest neighbourhoods. What I found stunning about this film is that it is based on a true story of Pierre Dulaine.

Side note: The film features my all-time-fav song ''Que sera sera'' by Sly and The Family Stone.

Shall we dance?

This film taught me that anyone at any age can learn to ballroom dance. It's an amazing film starring Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez. It's a film about true love, marriage and teaches us the importance of keeping romance alive, especially after being with someone for a long time. Highly recommend to watch this one (it is my dance teacher's favourite film too!)

Dirty Dancing

Oh the passion in this film! Ahh... Patrick Swayze (RIP) and Jennifer Garner were a perfect match for the role of Johnny and Baby in this cult classic. The couple grow immense passion for each other after they begin training - a beautiful love story. I love the soundtrack of this film as well as the stunning calm lake setting, and the ''80's does 50's'' wardrobe.

Can you spot a common theme here? All those films are about being introduced to the world of dance and falling in truly, madly and deeply love with it - how can we not be inspired by that?

Mary, Mary, Extraordinary...

The dance studio I go to is called Roy and Mary Knight's Dance Studio, situated in the edgy, hipster-land of Hockley, Nottingham. The story behind the dance studio is truly magical and deserves its own blog post. When I first walked into the dance studio, I was so warmly surprised at how family-like all the dancers and teachers seemed to be. It felt like I was adopted into this dance family. And for the first time in my life, I felt like I truly belonged somewhere. I found my special place on this earth. And it was called Mary and Roy Knight's Dance Studio.

Mary started the dance studio with her husband, Roy Knight who sadly passed away last year. Mary is 90 and still teaches, sings and dances - which is incredible! I love those little moments I have with her, when she tells me stories of her life - romantic, sad or simply beautiful; she shows me pictures of when she was competing in the 50's and 60's. It's so heart-warming to find people that can really appreciate life; feed us the wisdom no one else could possibly give us. I truly feel like I have the family I've always wanted when I'm in that place with those amazing people. Dancing gives me vitality.

I am very proud of myself for taking this step forward and making my dreams into reality. Tuesday and Wednesday evenings are like my therapy - I get to dance, learn, laugh, practise, perfect, connect and be surrounded with truly beautiful people that make me feel like anything but an outsider. All my insecurities vanish and I become a student willing to take criticism, but also praise.

Roy and Mary Knight in the early days of their dancing career

A special kind of communication

The beauty of ballroom dance is how extra-ordinary it is; how it is nothing like our hunter-gatherer days. It's for the sensitive, the expressive, and emotionally driven beings. Doesn't sound very efficient, or army-like - it's not for our society which doesn't appreciate art unless it has some commercial gain from it. We are all left and right brained, because we all have one whole brain, (unless you've had a lobotomy, that is.) When I decided to start ballroom dancing, I went alone for the first few weeks, until I found a partner. Now, me and my partner are very serious about this - we want to pass exams and eventually win in competitions. It's amazing to have a goal like this (it's a dream come true, really!).

The connection with your partner gets stronger as you both learn together. Your partner could be your lover, or friend; no matter who they are, dancing will certainly strengthen your bond. The communication is special as without words, the leader can lead you across the ballroom and you under their spell to follow, almost like a secret-mind reading ritual.

Why do people have a first dance at their wedding? Because partner dancing is romantic, magical and blossoms with love, unity, and absolute, unapologetic vulnerability. I love going to weddings - they are a celebration of love taken to a whole different level. Ballroom dance has always and I think will forever remain a special gesture that we dream of doing with that one person we truly love.