Men Who Ballroom Dance

A lot of men think of ballroom dance as an activity for sissies. But in fact, this is so much further than the truth.

Men who ballroom dance are confident, personable and self-aware. They are both masculine and sensitive to their partners at the same time.

To be successful in ballroom dance, a man must be assertive enough to lead with clarity, knowing his own technique and the intended step sequence that’s coming up, while also being fully aware of the music that’s playing, the space available on the floor, and how his partner is responding to his movements.

A good male dancer is even aware at all times exactly what foot the lady is on. If she’s on a foot that doesn’t accommodate a planned sequence, he is skilled enough to make adjustments on the fly so that the lady feels as if she was actually on the correct foot.

Men who don’t dance have trouble even knowing what to do with their own feet, never mind being aware of their partner’s feet.

Ballroom Dancing Is A Challenge For Most Men

Many are scared of the challenge of ballroom dancing, often putting down men who dance to cover up their own sense of inadequacy. In my experience, this comes from a fear of being seen struggling with a physical learning process in the presence of women.

Men want to look as if they have their stuff together on anything they do, and learning to dance puts them in the uncomfortable position of not being perfect at it right away, while having women see them going through this learning process. But those who are willing to go through that end up gaining way more ground in their masculinity than those who avoid the challenge.

Compared to men who just do male-centric athletic activities like hockey, football and baseball, ballroom dancers are much more mature in their world view. On top of that, they have great posture, are willing to learn new things, and are comfortable in social settings.

This applies to boys, too. As a dance teacher, I’ve seen the difference between teenage boys who dance and those who are only involved in other types of sports. The dancers are much more sophisticated in their relationships, especially how they relate to girls, more mature overall, have better bearing and posture, great self-confidence, and have terrific situational awareness.

Are you convinced enough that ballroom dancing is a sport for real men? Still not convinced? Read the benefits for men learning ballroom dancing HERE.