My Biggest Wish for New Dancers: A Rational Optimism

After teaching beginning dance lessons for three years, I believe that one’s attitude is the most important factor influencing whether or not one sticks with the dance.  Let’s be brutally honest: learning to dance involves lots of mistakes and awkward moments.  It’s an athletic and musical skill that is learned in the context of touching people that one might be sexually attracted to, for Pete’s sake! In order to stick with it, you must accept some fundamental truths:  You will make (MANY) mistakes.  Along the way, your brain will want to attribute those mistakes to some causal factor.  You will be the sole common denominator in all the mistakes you…