Can I REALLY Learn to Dance Online?

bachata salsa Nov 27, 2020

YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and numerous online courses are all available to learn online! But do the really work is the question! Technology continues to push, dictate and change how we live our lives. When I first started learning to dance Bachata, Salsa (Mambo) I poured over countless YouTube videos and DVD’s to learn. It was less expensive, convenient and less intimidating than going to a dance studio to learn.

How did I do? I struggled! Before I explain why let’s discuss the power of online learning or e-learning has in our world today. It’s no secret about learning online. With YouTube created years ago and now COVID-19 more and more companies are using Zoom and other platforms to get their message and products to others. Since the year 2000 online learning has increased 900%!

Check out these benefits of online learning!

40-60% less time required than learning the same material in person
25-60% Retention rates vs. 8-10% face-to-face learning
Online participants learn nearly 5X more material in the same amount of time
It’s convenient, less expensive than in person
You can pause, rewind and go at your own pace with replays

So with all of these benefits, why did I struggle to learn to dance online? Why did YouTube and those DVD’s frustrate me? And how can you make it work for you?

There are two key things you need to succeed in learning to dance online:

The right Instructor
A positive attitude

The Right Instructor: Every great dancer doesn’t make a great Instructor and every great Instructor doesn’t make a great ONLINE Instructor! It’s very different. You have to teach totally differently than you would in person and most Instructors, while well-intentioned, miss that mark!

I struggled because the explanations were not clear to me online. They taught like they do in person with little to no explanation dancing at home. With no way to ask questions, how could I grow?

So what can you do to ensure you have an instructor or online course you are sure to benefit and learn from and not waste your money and time? Seek out those that offer a free sample or trial period! This way you can assess the program in advance! Is it detailed? Do the explanations make sense? Are they teaching movesor movement, not just the how but the why?

This will go a long way to seeing what works best for you! Are you able to communicate with them somehow to ask questions and receive help or are you left on your own completely? Just because it is an online course the instructor still needs to be available to you if needed!

Once you have accomplished #1, it’s imperative to have #2!

A Positive Attitude: Positivity always goes a long way but even more so while learning online. It’s the future whether we like it or not. There are so many benefits like the ones mentioned earlier that it should excite us! Who doesn’t want to learn faster and retain information better? Yes, give me more bang for my buck!

So being open-minded will help re-train how we are used to learning. It will open our minds to explore things differently and will help us discover and learn in ways we never thought about previously.

In order to really learn to dance online no matter if it’s partner dancing like Salsa, Bachata or solo with Jazz, Ballet and Hip-Hop dancing, you need both the right instructor and a positive attitude. But even then, while reaping all the benefits of learning to dance online, it could never fully replace the human element of in person dance classes! The saying is true, you can’t learn connection (in the fullest sense) on YouTube! In person will always be the absolute best way but online learning will give you the head start, accelerate your growth and lift you to a level that would take you years to achieve otherwise so why not incorporate both!

So take the leap today and research those free samples and trial periods. Ask questions! Have a positive attitude once you decide on a program. Do both in person classes and online dance classes to jump start and accelerate your growth! If money is an issue, as it often is and especially during this time, the online classes are not only convenient and beneficial but can save you money too!

You CAN REALLY learn to dance Online!

Check out one of our free video classes, email us questions about our online courses, private Zoom lessons and any courses/classes in our academies!