Fear of Your First Social

Imagine this: It’s Midnight.

Your flushed cheeks ache from smiling so much, your feet throb where your new shoes pinch them, and yet you don’t care. You don’t remember the last time you felt THIS GOOD.

Sleep?

No!

One. More. Dance!!!!!

As you wave goodbye to your new friends and walk to the car, keys jangling in hand, you reflect on how different you feel now versus earlier. And to think, you almost didn’t get out of the car!

A few hours ago, your heart was racing with nerves and anxiety, but now?

You feel on top of the world! Feel-good dopamine has replaced the cortisol that pumped through your veins.

“What was I so afraid of?” You ask yourself.

“I’m so glad I went.” You smile to yourself.


At Social Dance Academy Belfast, they focus on getting you up to an advanced level as quickly as possible so you can enjoy the regular socials that happen in and around Belfast.

Some say you only really learn how to drive once you pass your test, and dancing is the same – you only really learn how to dance once you go to your first social.

In most of the classes, outside of the Academy, you and your partner know the steps that are coming next.

You are learning the steps together, quite often in the same order or pattern.

While this is a great way to learn, it’s comfortable and you’re only getting the tip of the social-dancing-iceberg experience.

The Academy is different in that they focus on performing the moves in the leads time, not the routines time, or they give you exercises to do in classes that drill in good lead/follow techniques of the moves you are learning.

That way, you really pick up the subtle lead/follow subtleties that are needed to perform the moves at socials, and it gives you more confidence and helps you become a better dancer.

“The devil’s in the details”, I’ve heard them say on numerous occasions, which I’ve found to be true.

Social dancing is a beautiful and exciting way to communicate without words.

You can travel the world with your dance skills, and speak the same dance-language with millions world-wide, without uttering a word to each other!

It’s like one big family.

Dancing is a great way to meet new people, make friends and have fun.

But we get it.

Going to your first social can be scary.

It’s natural to feel anxious or intimidated, to be concerned that others will judge your dancing skills (they definitely won’t!!!).

Or to be nervous about asking someone to dance (go for it!!!).

Everyone on the dance floor will have experienced all of those emotions, and more.

They all remember what it’s like to be a beginner (how quickly those beginners become improvers!) and are more than happy to dance with you.

If you want some top tips to prepare you for your first social, you can read more on that here.


At SDAB, the aim is to get you dancing socially as quickly as possible, to enjoy the freedom of movement while having fun. And I truly think their teaching style and classes allow you to do that.

Dancing is their passion, and it shows.

Social dancing gives you so much enjoyment and it’s a way to meet people from all cultures and backgrounds.

Put the fear down, or take it with you to your first social, whatever works for you, just go to your first social. Flushed sore cheeks from smiling and sore feet but happy minds await you.

Have the courage to know that you can do this, because if you believe you can, you’re halfway there.

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