How to approach your first class at Dallas Dance Fitness
Everyone has a story about their first class at Dallas Dance Fitness. What will yours be? Whether you are taking an in-studio class or a virtual livestream class, the DDF community is there to welcome you.
And the first thing that everyone agrees on is this.
First tip: learn the footwork first.
“Early on, one dancer shared that advice with me,” says Amy, who took her first class in 2015 and later became a DDF instructor. “Do your feet first. Your arms will come naturally.”
Hope agrees. “Don’t do the arms. If you’re having trouble, don’t even think about the arms, just look at the instructor’s feet. If you get the feet the arms can come naturally.”
When you’re a DDF member, you can access the virtual class with a private YouTube link and replay and practice dance routines of your favorite songs. Plus, you have access to more than 200 Dallas Dance Fitness videos with our most popular choreography of the last five years including some throwback faves like Elton John’s I’m Still Standing. (Or check out some of our “how to dance” tutorials to learn popular hip-hop moves like the “knee pop.”)
Second tip: pick a dancer to follow.
Even lifelong dancers like someone in front of them. Even though Hope has been taking dance and fitness classes for decades, she likes to watch a person in front of her. That’s how she met Alana and Michelle and encouraged them to become teachers, and DDF was born.
If you are taking an on-demand class, you can stop and replay footwork or choreography that you want to master. When you’re following a livestream, drop a comment into the chat and ask a question.
Every class has two teachers, and while one teacher is dancing, the other is monitoring chat along with our moderator, and can help.
Third tip: remember that nobody is watching you.
This is true even when you take class in a dance studio. “You could do your own thing,” says Hope. “It took me six months to get the ‘Roger Rabbit’ move that Haley teaches. I’m doing it in my house, and now I think I got it.”
Especially when you’re taking an on-demand or livestream dance class in your house: no one is watching.
If you’re feeling self-conscious or unsure, that’s normal. Doing something for the first time is good for your brain and your body; and when it’s challenging, it is rewarding mentally and physically.
And the fourth thing that DDF members know and share with first timers is this:
Fourth tip: better dancers make you better.
Your confidence will grow in every class you take because DDF dancers inspire and support each other. They have different backgrounds and experiences, and they come together to dance. “We love having the bodies around us. We like being together,” says Hope.
“Dallas Dance Fitness will welcome you,” says Amy. “You feel it. If you’re supposed to be there, you feel it. DDF is a good workout with fun choreography, but the whole experience is available to you. DDF can also be your family. This is what sets DDF apart.”
Ready for your first class? Get your first class free, and pick the DDF membership that suits your schedule and your budget.