After many of us spent time dancing from home during the pandemic, you might now be searching for new ways to get involved in your dance community. Read on to see what you can do to make new dance friends and be inspired by other dancers around you!
Stick Around at the Studio
As silly as it sounds, hanging out around your studio after lessons and practice is a great way to build friendships and meet new people. Plan to stretch, do a core circuit, or foam roll after practice, and you may find some new friends, check out a class you’ve never seen before, or be introduced to a new dance that you'll want to check out!
Hit the Town
Social dancing is the pillar of ballroom dance culture in the United States and all around the world! Dances such as the Swing, Foxtrot, and Cha Cha were born out of communal, social dancing events, wedding dances and local live music dance scenes. Whether you consider yourself a social or competitive dancer, we can all agree that sometimes our days off from practice are just missing a little something! Checking out your city’s Salsa, West Coast Swing, or Country Two-Step scene allows you to break out of the practice rut, try a new dance style, and make friends within your community!
Take Group Classes
One-on-one lesson time with our teachers is some of the most focused, goal-oriented work we can do as dancers. With this being said, it is essential to not write off the phenomenal benefits of group classes. Learning from peers, motivation, and friendships are just a few reasons to drop into a group class. You get a lot of bang for your buck with group classes - take these opportunities to hone the skills you work on with your teacher, dedicate practice time, and learn to dance with various people. Many studios host daily group classes, including parties and socials on weekends. If you’re not already involved, talk to your studio manager or teacher and get involved!
Join Facebook Groups
In our opinion, Facebook Groups are one of the most underrated features of our world’s expanding dance community. Groups can be joined for costume resale, mentorship, community building, practice tips, dance training content, and more. While we often think of “getting involved” as a local practice, mingling with an online dance community can be much broader! We love seeing new friendships bloom within our Dance Vision Members Facebook group. Members comment about competitions and social events that they’re attending, share information on live classes, and discuss dance tips together. What are you waiting for? Come join these (free!) groups and expand your dance community across the country.
All Aboard!
As a social or competitive dancer, there are ample opportunities throughout the year to travel to dance camps, workshops, summits and competitions. Dancers come together to grow, gain knowledge, and share their passion for ballroom dance. While we’re a little biased, we think the Dance Vision National Championships give dancers the best of all worlds. Our annual event in December includes camp-style classes for teachers and students alike, business development seminars, a night-club competitive event, and a competition exclusive to Dance Vision Instructors and their students. Meet other like-minded, dedicated dancers and grow in knowledge alongside your teacher! We believe in practicing what we preach, which is why we've designed our event with community as the top priority.
