Ballroom Dancers In Real Life Are Fun To Watch!

As ballroom dancers, we spend a lot of time among dancers. We live most of our days in the dance studio and we develop our attitude in a certain way. Especially if you have been a ballroom dancer most of your life. Without even realizing, at one point dance becomes you and you become dance.

Nevertheless, as much as we stay in the dance studio, at one point we do have to go out in the real world. The funny thing is when you start noticing that in daily life you start doing some of the things that should’ve stayed in the dance studio.

Here are some things that I’ve noticed I do all the time and have seen at my ballroom dancers friends as well:

1. Dancing in public spaces

Right, so dancers are also human beings. We have needs as everyone does, like going grocery shopping or going to the mall. The issue here is the following: we dance without realizing. I am not saying that you start doing promenade runs on the aisles or feather steps (OK, that I might have done a few times).

I am saying that you walk in a certain way (sometimes even in a rumba walk). I’ve noticed that when I walk on the street I apply what my teacher said during lessons. For example, I try to feel my center, keep my belly in and feel the floor. I sometimes even walk and keep my hand in the same position I do when I am dancing, especially if I am listening to some paso doble.

It’s funny because as ballroom dancers, you can even tell who is a latin dancer and who’s a standard dancer – they walk differently. Latin people walk very grounded, whilst the standard dancers are very graceful and seem like they’re floating. Why simply walk down the street when you can make it more fun?

2. Hearing music beats everywhere

It happened to me more than once to hear people clicking their pens or stamping their feet and pick up a beat. It’s actually really cool. I can even start to imagine myself doing like a cha-cha basic step.

Don’t even get me started with songs that come up on the radio when you’re driving. Once you hear a song you can’t help but imagine a new routine for jive or quickstep. You sort of zone out, like in a dream!

3. Wearing dancing like attire

I found myself in situations where I was shopping for clothes for an event or for some interviews. I basically bought dresses that I could’ve used without any issue in practice as well. You know what I am talking about: black robe-style dresses with stretch material.

I am not referring only to ladies here. How many times have you seen a ballroom dancer out, at a romantic let’s say, with his buttonless shirts and his necklace showing? 🙂

Trust me, I tried wearing normal clothes…they just do not define me!

4. Wearing sleek hair

Wearing ballroom dancers attire is just not enough, isn’t it? We have to go full on dancer-mode!

Have you ever found yourself in the front of the mirror, preparing yourself for a night out, and just ended up doing a sleek ponytail? Well, I cannot count how many times I did that. My friends even had to point out to me that they cannot recall how I look like with my hair put down.

Thank goodness the wet look it’s trendy now!

5. Correcting everyone you dance with

Ok. This might be quite an annoying one for the people around us, and frustrating for us.

Let’s say you go out on a date with someone who’s not part of the ballroom dancers community. A non-dancer (uuuuh, scaaary!). And you start dancing a romantic dance. You suddenly feel the urge to correct their rhythm, posture and or lead.

I know that is in our blood and that we just want to improve that special someone, especially if we see the potential. The idea is to stop being a professional dancer for a second and just enjoy the moment. You’re not in a competition and it doesn’t matter if you make a fool of yourself.

As I said before, ballroom dancers in real life are fun to watch. We can come across as weirdos, or uptight. Men might look too macho or ladies can seem too shallow. But we know the truth: we’re actually very dedicated, passionate, sensitive and fun-loving people.

If you want to find out what type of ballroom dancer you are, we figured out some patterns here. 

And if you want to double check if ballroom dancers are the only weirdos, you can read this article from Laurel Ballet Company and see that ballerinas have their own things 😉 

What about YOU? Have you noticed you’re doing some of the stuff I mentioned here, or you’ve done some other weird dancer things in public 🙂 Leave a comment below!

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