the wall - getting from complete beginner to the next level

Some of the faster learners hit a wall after just a few weeks whilst others must pass through it a bit later but I think just about everyone, at some stage early on in their learning, contemplates screaming SCREW THIS! I'M OUT! while making a dramatic exit.

I'm fairly sure it's not unique to swing dancing but as that is the dance family that I'm a part of I hope this post will help some of the new learners appreciate that they are not alone - especially since the current term at Swing Belfast, where I help teach, is drawing to a close and class numbers are starting to drop.

I can remember my own frustrations starting out and they were magnified all the more because when I was first learning swing I was already somewhat competent at salsa and ceilidh dancing.

In the first few swing classes I could write-off my struggles as being normal. I had never moved my feet/arms/body in such a pattern before in my life so I was quite at peace with the idea of not 'getting it' and I reckoned it would come soon enough.

But around my fifth or sixth week of going to classes when I could see some others, who I assumed had started at the same time as me, were having no difficulty at all, all I could think of was "well... if only they could see me salsa dance they'd know I wasn't completely useless."

Pure and simple, it was pride. It sucked to be rubbish, to be near others who weren't, and to be at the bottom of the ladder again after having climbed much higher up a few others (although, if anyone saw me dance salsa now they'd wonder how I could claim to be anywhere but the bottom rung).

Thinking there were other styles that I wasn't completely useless at, and thinking that every time we rotated partners I had a new follow to disappoint, really tested my desire to persevere but as anyone who has broken through the wall can attest: keep going! It's the biggest dance hurdle you'll face!

In a way, these frustrations are a useful bottleneck as they filter out those with too much overt pride. The sanctimonious types who would likely be absolutely no fun to dance with anyway.

But there are plenty of people learning to dance who are naturally quite shy and reserved and after thinking it hasn't quite clicked for them, they decide to quietly slip away, avoiding what they expect to be certain public humiliation. It is those people that I hope will read this and stick at it.

Everyone has to learn from scratch, everyone has misread/kicked/apologised to a dance partner at some stage, and most importantly, everyone is still learning. For a perfect example, check out the most recent videos of your favourite pro dancers and then search for older videos of the same pros and you'll likely see a big difference. And not only in the way they dressed!

Stepping up from complete beginner to the next level is genuinely the biggest step you will take learning swing dancing. Beyond that point you will simply be adding to the concrete foundation you have built over the past few weeks or months as pretty much every other move you learn will be an embellishment or refinement of a fundamental pattern or rhythm that you already know.

And finally, it's worth emphasising that social dancing is where the learning and the fun really happens! There's no point learning a new skill if you don't actually trot it out but more than that, social dancing is where you will start to truly appreciate the hype about swing dancing! I've written before about the fear some people have for their first social dances (and a few tips for how to ease into the social scene) but going to a social dance well and truly obliterates any of these fears.

The dancing is awesome, the music is awesome but most of all the people are awesome and the sooner you realise that absolutely no one in the room cares who makes a fool of themselves (and the more you get into it you may actively attempt to look ridiculous) you'll wonder why you were so worried in the first place.

This is likely to be the only time I ever endorse Miley Cyrus but she makes a fair point - when you hit that wall, WRECK IT! Just keep your clothes on.