Start dancing in Edinburgh
Everyone on a dance floor was a beginner once - including those who look like they've been doing it for years! The classes listed below are all in Edinburgh and are designed for people who've never danced before. Our amazing instructors will teach your first steps - and help you find your rhythm.
- Do I need to bring a partner?
- No. In partnered styles, classes rotate so you'll dance with several people over the session and nobody is left out. Plenty of styles - e.g. ballet, tap, street, contemporary - are danced solo anyway. Many people arrive on their own.
- I've got no rhythm! Is that a problem?
- You are not alone! This is a common thing for beginners to feel and say, and our instructors hear it every week. Rhythm is a skill; it's taught slowly, practiced and repeated until it becomes second nature. Our tip? Give it a few weeks before you decide.
- What actually happens in a first class?
- Usually a gentle warm-up, then one or two steps broken down and practised without music, then the same steps with music. An hour or so in total. You won't be asked to perform on your own, and there's no expectation you'll pick everything up first time.
- Classes, workshop or course - what's the difference?
- Drop-in classes tend to run weekly, and allow you to start any week. A course is a fixed block of weeks with the same group, building week-on-week. Workshops tend to be one-off, typically a few hours to explore a topic in depth. Always check the event description, as organizers have different approaches.
- Why should I give dancing a go?
- There are many benefits to dancing! It's great exercise, and great for your mental health. And unlike most ways of keeping active, you'll end up meeting new people - which for many dancers is the reason they keep coming back.