Dancing is one of the oldest forms of human expression and one which many people simply cannot seem to use. Modernity has divorced us from our bodies and with the march of time, it often seems as if that window to learn how to dance has shut rather firmly. Yet, “it is never too late to learn to be what you should have been”, to quote George Eliot, and so, one can still learn to dance regardless of one’s age.
Many people blame their age for making them worse learners. Yet science suggests that as a person ages, they become worse learners in one way but better learners in another. Children seem to be better learners, but only because they are constantly learning, whereas adults mostly learn when they learn deliberately. What makes you a better learner as you grow older is that you have so many more experiences, pre-existing knowledge and mental models to draw upon. Connecting prior knowledge to new information makes learning much faster than it would be for a child. Also, because adults can be more focused in their learning, they can achieve results faster and deploy techniques that allow them to learn more efficiently and effectively. Age, as they say, ain’t nothing but a number.
Learning how to dance is an exciting journey that you should consider. You can do whatever you set your mind to, at whatever age you desire. Conventional ages to start things are not ironclad prohibitions against learning as an adult or even as a senior. You may be afraid, of failure, perhaps even, of embarrassment, but those feelings just show that you care. That resistance is what you feel on the precipice of doing something exceptional. Find ways to motivate yourself, mantras to inspire you on this journey. Remember that fear is what you feel when you are pressing against a door that you simply have to open. Fear will be transformed into passion, drive and motivation once you start dancing and stop waiting and thinking. As the Nike motto goes, “Just do it”.
You may work full-time, but there are ways that you can use to find time to dance. You may not be able to go to a dance studio, but you can learn to dance at home. You may not even be able to afford a good dance studio, but there are cheap ways for you to learn to dance. Quite simply, there are no excuses for not being able to learn to dance.
Do not set yourself up to fail by trying to do the Moonwalk on Day 1. Start small and build the habit of dancing gradually. Habits are like compound interest. It may seem like nothing to start small but the accumulation of constant effort builds up into something big. Processes are everything, so it’s okay to fail. What will determine your success is not the goal you set for yourself but the systems you create to support your habits. So, go out and find the best dance classes you can, and begin your dance journey.