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Dancing in 2020 – The Year of the Groove
In a world of free information, hyper-connectivity and cultural evolution, dance is everywhere. Whether you are watching buskers, having your social stream assaulted by the latest #dancetrend or discussing Strictly, chances are you have been touched by the art. Why not start dancing in 2021 and explore this art for yourself?
In the last year, we’ve seen a royal prince dance-shamed on national TV and the resultant backlash. We’ve seen big conversations about cultural appropriation. We’ve seen global brand, Red bull, hold 50 events in 30 countries to find the world’s best street style dancer. Who knows what the year ahead holds?!
Whatever your take on dance, we’d like to invite you to join the worldwide community. Here are some reasons we think you should accept and let 2020 be The Year of the Groove 🙂
1. Human Connection
Most dances, in essence, are social. Whether you are introverted or the life of the party, connection with other humans is key to our existence. Tens of thousands of years ago, if you were not part of a social group, you might end up being eaten by a sabre-toothed cat!
Although we are much less likely to be gobbled up on the streets of Bath, social interaction is still a highly important part of our experience here on Earth. Everyone knows that social media and social sites are actually making us LESS social, but that doesn’t mean we must just surrender to the programming. Dancing in 2021 is a real antidote.
Zumba classes are all over the world and have you ever seen a grumpy Zumba instructor? Head to a session today and feel the energy of moving as one with other humans. And if you’re not very good at keeping up, tell your instructor after class and they will take care of you. How about that – a human connection!
(On a side note, we touch on the importance of community in our ultimate guides to Street Dance and Breakin‘. Take a look!)
If you want an activity with more actual contact, try Lindy Hop, Hustle, Salsa, Bachata or Zouk. There are classes in these partner-dance styles in most major cities around the world and you can go alone – partners constantly rotate during the class.
Honestly, we could stop the list here as connecting with others is as great a reason as we can come up with, ha. However, if you need another reason, what about…
2. Learning a skill for life
Despite what your friends and family may think, it’s never too late to acquire a new skill. Believe it or not, there are even 14 year olds who question whether it’s too late to start dancing. What are we doing to our youth?!
Dance is truly, truly for everyone and we believe that anyone who says different has some deeper stuff going on *shrugs*
Whoever and wherever you are, there is music, there is community and there are opportunities to shake a leg. Learning dancing in 2021 can give you a greater sense of self worth and here’s the good news – nobody can take away your knowledge.
Try telling these over 50’s that what they learnt in their teens would mean nothing to them in later life.
3. Physical, Mental and Spiritual Health
The physical health benefits of dance are common knowledge as the National Health Service will support. However, there are other benefits which may be overlooked.
This article by StarQuest Dance, touches on a number of mental health benefits of dance. These include:
- Lowering anxiety
- Improving one’s mood
- Stress alleviation
- Combating depression
- Therapies, and more
Speaking of therapies, Simone Sistarelli developed, ‘Popping for Parkinson’s‘. This method of dance has had overwhelming success an we have mad love for the program. Check the video below.
But what about our spiritual wellbeing? In a rapidly changing world an information EVERYWHERE, we may feel disconnected from our ‘source’. You don’t need to be religious or even consider yourself spiritual, to take part in 5 Rhythms.
This system, created by Gabrielle Roth, promotes 5 States of Being: Flowing, Staccato, Lyrical, Chaos and Stillness. No dance experience is necessary and, we assure you, taking part in a session will change your week. Truly.
So you want to start dancing in 2021 but don’t know where your nearest class is? The good news is that..
4. Classes are easy to find
It’s never been easier to find a dance class. Here at B-Better we use Dance Near You. Thousands of classes are listed around the UK and the launch into North America has begun.
Also, you can try Classfinder. With a slight bias towards fitness classes, there are still a number of dance activities listed.
Comment below with any dance class search engines you know of and we’ll add them to the list!
5. You can learn online
There are a number of platforms which teach different things and even though we WANT you to get out and meet other humans, for some people, that may be difficult.
Perhaps you work anti-social hours or live in an isolated region. Maybe the shyness is is too great and private lessons are difficult to schedule.
We have our own online teaching program here on Teachable, so take a look today. There are also other people we recommend in different styles including:
World Mastery – Latin partner styles
Aranivah – Northern Soul (And more ‘ alternative’ dances to come )
Lets us know other educators in different styles we should add to this list.
6. (Dis)ability is NOT an excuse
We’re not saying you have to be an Olympian…but you could try!
Here in the UK the work of Paradance UK has, and continues to, revolutionise access to dance and sporting activities. Inclusive dance is a growing artistic industry and in the last 12 months, I personally had the good fortune to host the ParaDance UK ParaGames school dance competition.
Observing the creativity, nerves and professionalism of young people from around London, competing for the crown, was as enriching an experience as I’ve had in the last 12 months.
If they can do it, you can too!
7. Gianluca Vacchi dances
Here’s a bit of a curveball as to why you should start dancing in 2021. Gianluca Vacchi is a multi-millionaire who, in a departure from the world of business, wanted to explore some artistic pursuits.
His reasoning? “I want to be rich in the bank account of moments“
This refreshing stance on life has endeared Gianluca to millions around the world, and the lesson we learn from him is that it’s never too late to take a new direction. He has added author and DJ to his list of skills and continues to energise many around the world.
Gianluca’s dance videos frequently go viral and he was a feature dancer in J Balvin’s video for ‘Mi Gente’. (He’s the first human you see!)
Conclusion
In summary, these are 7 reasons you should be dancing in 2021:
- For human connection
- To learn a new life skill
- For physical, mental and spiritual health
- Classes are easy to find
- You can learn online
- Disability is NOT an excuse
- Gianluca Vacchi!
This year, let dance be part of your life. Share your experience with others, challenge yourself and create memories you will treasure forever.
Let us know below which of these ideas resonates with you the most, and whether you are going to give it a try. We want to hear from YOU!
Happy new year, one and all,
Damien, B-Better
