Dance
How to learn to dance at home: A step-by-step guide
Interested in dance and want to learn a few moves at home? Here's how to reach headliner status without leaving the front door.
In the pantheon of underrated skills, dancing may well rank at the very top. After all, what else can you use in the club and as a workout?
Equipping you with fitness, poise, and the confidence to carry into the real world, while drawing you closer to music than you’ve ever felt before, dance is downright good for the soul.
Lots of people learn to dance in structured settings like studios, but with the prevalence of the internet, and with many resources like videos and online communities for support, anyone can learn to dance at home.
B-Boy Hotshot dances in his home in Kolkata
© Kaustav Sarkar
Virtual lessons mean signing up for a class is no longer as daunting as it used to be. Now you can study ballet or samba without the eyes of 50 strangers on you. With so many dance classes on tap – and in tap specifically if you fancy it – there is something for everyone online.
Here’s a guide to turn you from novice to domestic dance icon.
How to Learn to Dance at Home
Start by deciding what style of dance you want to learn. There are tons out there — individual styles like ballet, jazz, and hip hop, and partner styles like ballroom and salsa.
Certainly, it helps when you really enjoy the music you’ll be shaking your body to. Love hip hop and enjoy watching Red Bull Dance your Style? Maybe breaking or contemporary is the path for you. Or maybe your favourite movie is Billy Elliot? A bit of ballet will get you fit like never before. Or, if it’s something a bit easier on the bones you’re after then maybe it’s time to tango…
Here's a brief list of dance styles along with the sort of movement they require:
- Ballet – Pumps, precision, power and a flair for drama needed. Swan Lake anyone?
- Belly dance – Originating in the Middle East, this fluid dance targeting the torso and hips is the stuff of legend
- Bollywood – High-energy fusion of various Indian dance styles (and fashion)
- Breaking – Popping, locking and b-boys/girls doing windmills
- Contemporary – Modern dance taking cues from many styles but has no rules
- Flamenco – Yes, it’s the Spanish dance with hand claps you've probably seen in films
- Hip-hop – Street dance which traces its roots from the music of Seventies NYC
- Irish dancing – Well choreographed footwork to Celtic music that will make your mammy proud
- Jazz/swing – Lively, dynamic, unpredictable with lots of kicking (think the musical Chicago)
- K-pop – Choreographed pop routines from Korean giants such as BTS
- Rumba – A slow dance with plenty of hip motion and expression between two partners
- Salsa – Fiery Latin two-person dance with intricate footwork
- Samba – Brazil’s ultra vibey dance you’ve probably seen a footballer use as a goal celebration
- Tango – Intimate two-person dance made up of precise steps and a strong sense of tension and connection between dancers
- Waltz – Flowing ballroom classic to make you feel like you’re in Bridgerton
Open up your horizons in dance
01
Select a style
How low can you go...
© Andrew Large / Red Bull Content Pool
Start by deciding what style of dance you want to learn. There are tons out there — individual dance styles like ballet, jazz, and hip hop, and partner styles like ballroom and salsa. Definitely figure out what type you're interested in before you get started, which will make it easier to find the best resources.
Decide on technique or routine
Next, decide whether you want to learn basic technique or a specific dance. Most dance styles have foundational movements that trained dancers practice repeatedly to build their strength, endurance, and skill. However, some folks who are just learning for fun might prefer learning a specific dance, like Lil Uzi Vert's Futsal Shuffle rather than just practicing the basics.
Look around on social media too. There could be a trend to follow on TikTok or inspiration to be found on Insta. Dancing can also help people connect. Take Shuffle Mamas: two suburban mothers in the US who began shuffling together and decided to film routines in their garages between school runs. Testament to the power of dance, it’s transformed their lives and doubtless the lives of some of their audience too.
If you don’t have a double garage of your own to bust a move inside, or a back garden for that matter, then select a room with space (ceiling room included) that best matches your movement. Practicing tango may be difficult on a carpet, but moving a kitchen table and utilising a solid wood floor could be a wise move.
Ultimately though, it’s likely you’ll be practicing solo inside your house or apartment, so just try and find a space with plenty of elbow room, removing as many obstacles and bits of furniture as you can. Try and time it around your family, partner or housemates as much as possible (i.e. choosing to dance along to a YouTube video when others are out at work) to ensure you have the place to yourself.
02
Find the right video
1 min
Dance Home Guide: B-Boy Wigor
Zaczynamy wyzwanie: #RedBullHomeChallenge! Pukamy do drzwi domów B-Boys i B-Girls, a oni pokazują, jak mieszkają. Oczywiście tanecznym krokiem! Zobacz wideo Dance Home Guide z B-Boyem Wigorem.
Now's the time to find your teacher. There are tons of fantastic videos out there from professional dancers, teachers, musicians, and amateurs to help you learn to dance, including the likes of Monika Matys, who in this video reveals simple steps that will improve your dancing in every day situations, i.e. parties, weddings and clubs.
Lots of websites offer classes, tutorials, or tips for burgeoning dancers — some are free and some cost money. If you're looking for a technique class, search for something like "hip hop dance class." If you want to learn a specific dance, search for the name of the dance along with "tutorial," like "Chicago Cell Block Tango tutorial."
03
Warm up
B-Girl Jin wows the crowd
© Red Bull
Before you dance, it's important you warm up. Get your heart rate up and your muscles warm by jogging in place. Do some stretching like touching your toes and opening your hips to loosen up. Most dance styles require a bit of flexibility, so focus on a few exercises that will help lengthen tight muscles before you get going.
Veronika Polakova, founder of Ireland’s Jump to the Beat, is here to provide some sage warmup advice.
Top to bottom flex: "Start by rotating your head and neck in a circular motion and then loosen up the rest of your body. This might be gyrating the hips, rotating the shoulders, pulling your foot behind you in a standing quad stretch (an arm outstretched to help you balance) or performing a few squats to work the hamstrings, quadriceps, calves and more. Just as a professional dancer would, it's ideal to limber up the body, back, shoulders, elbows, wrists, fingers, hips with rotations before exercising proper."
Jumping jacks: "Stand up straight, holding your arms by your sides, and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keeping those hips over your heels, then you'll want to jump, extending your arms overhead until the hands overlap when you move the legs apart. Ensure those elbows are slightly bent as you do so. Keep repeating it until you feel suitably energised and ready to go."
04
Do the lesson
Finally, it's time to dance! Play your video, and get moving! If you're using a smart TV, keep the remote nearby so you can pause and rewind when you need to see a step again. If you're using your phone or laptop, keep it close by for the same reason. Don't be afraid to do the same step or section a few times over — some steps take longer than others to master.
Tip: Try the moves in front of a mirror next to your video so you can see how you look.
05
Level up by refining technique
Another option is to analyse your poise is to leave a smartphone or other recording device close by to capture your magic on camera. That way you can go back and examine both timing and technique.
It's also worth starting off by mastering on one single routine. At least to begin with. Work on it, perfect it, again, again and again, until you find a flow state and know you have nailed it. Focus on technique and consistency and the rewards will follow, giving you plenty of confidence before you move onto the next sequence.
B-Boy Junior poses for an action shot
© Little Shao/Red Bull Content Pool
One of the biggest appeals of learning to dance at home is that you have no pressure on your shoulders and can afford to ease yourself into this high-intensity artform. Don’t forget to relax and take plenty of breaks, being sure not to overdo it which can not only risk bad form but also lead to injury. Rome wasn’t built in a day – and neither was your paso doble.
06
Best Resources to Learn How to Dance
The internet is an amazing place. So many resources exist for people to master dance at home. Consider these top learn-to-dance-at-home resources to get started...
Paid Options
Keelan Reynolds's electrifying Red Bull Dance Your Style Ireland
© Szymon Lazewski/Red Bull Content Pool
Looking for some solid technical guidance? Consider these classes, tutorials, and lessons from professional dancers:
- Lauren Smyth Academy: This former principal dancer for Riverdance is bringing Irish dancing into the 21st century with 200 on-demand classes that you can complete at any time. Join her academy for €40 a month.
- Pineapple Dance Studios: A household name in the dance world, London-based Pineapple Studios invites you into its famous doors virtually, with a range of online classes ranging from belly dancing to classic ballet to Bollywood and more. Prices vary.
- Steezy: Super interested in urban dance? Steezy focuses on learning movements from hip hop, krump, breaking, popping, and more. Get started for €18 a month or €85 a year.
- Preply: This hugely popular brand is best known for connecting language learners to language tutors, but – unbeknownst to many – it also platforms with dance coaches. If you’re looking for a particular kind of teacher and style, and want 1-on-1 lessons online, this could be for you.
Free Options
For a more cost-effective option (though you'll have to do more searching for solid content), try out these guys:
- YouTube: YouTube is a great place to start to find dance class videos if you're still figuring out which styles you're interested in learning.
- Vimeo: Vimeo has always been a favourite of creative types, so you might be able to find some solid videos there.
- Twitch: Mostly popular for gamers, Twitch's live streaming makes it a great platform for live, interactive dance classes in hip-hop and more.
FAQs
What's the best way to learn to dance at home?
Once you've decided what dance style you would like to master, find a teacher, class, or social media dance craze online and give yourself time to learn. Find a space around your home that works best for the movement, taking into account surfaces: do you want grass to help break a fall, or do you want a hard dining room floor to help you with ballroom? Beyond that it's practice, practice, practice.
Can I get fit learning to dance?
Yes, almost a cheat code for fitness, dancing to your favourite songs over and over is akin to interval training in a gym. Only instead of a series of shouty commands, you're learning dance choreography, giving you a real skill while also keeping you in peak condition. Building stamina is twice as fun when dance is involved.
What's a good warm up exercise before dancing?
Beneficial pre-dance class exercises include jumping jacks, squats and any light stretching. All of which help you limber up and, hopefully, stay injury-free.