8 Common Dancing Mistakes and How Beginners can Avoid Them

Dance classes are an amazing way for your kids to socialize, learn new skills, stay fit and healthy, and hopefully have tonnes of fun. Sometimes, however, you’ll find a child who appears not to be enjoying their dance classes.

This could be for a number of reasons—dancing isn’t for everyone, and that’s ok—but often it’s because they are making common dancing mistakes that beginners often make. This can slow their progress, prevent them from picking up dances easily, and make their overall experience less than stellar.

So for those kids who are starting out with learning how to dance, and could use some pointers, we’ve compiled this list of dancing mistakes we often see, and how they can be avoided. Make sure their first, second, fiftieth dance classes go off without a hitch with this handy list of dos and don’ts. Read on for everything you—and your little one—need to know.

1. Expecting to Be Perfect Right Away

Some kids are natural athletes, who seem to excel at whatever sport they try their hand at. Similarly, some kids are naturally talented dancers capable of picking up moves and staying on rhythm with ease. However, this won’t be the case with all children.

For some kids, many kids, in fact, it will take some time before they get the hang of learning steps and feeling the beat. For this reason, it’s important to manage your kid’s expectations when they first begin dancing. Let them know they might not be perfect right away, but that’s ok.

2. Not Practicing Enough

Following on from the last point, it is of course ok if children don’t pick up dances right away. But the only way they ever will is if they practice their moves consistently. Dancing, in large part, is about discipline.

If your child is serious about becoming a better dancer, you’ll have to let them know they will likely need to put in effort and practice. This is also a great way to teach them about routine, consistency, and hard work.

3. Forgetting to Have Fun

Becoming a great dancer requires discipline and hard work, but sometimes, a child will want to dance because it’s something they enjoy. You don’t want your child to get stressed out and upset about dance classes, they should be enjoyable and fun times to be looked forward to.

Try to make sure your son or daughter remembers to throw themselves into their classes and enjoy themselves. This is one of the main aims of all of our classes.

4. Picking the Wrong Dance Style

There are hundreds of different dancing styles, so it can be hard to choose the one that’s right for you and your kid. They might have dreams of being a ballet dancer, but after starting the class realize that this type of dance isn’t for them. 

Different people will take to different styles of dance, there are no right or wrong answers. You should allow your child to experiment with different styles so that they can find the one that they truly love.

5. Not Properly Warming Up

Even in a kid’s dance class, warming up is of the utmost importance. Failing to do so can result in muscle strains and other types of injury.

Dancing is a form of exercise that often involves stretching and contorting the body, and because of this, the body needs to warm itself up before and warm down after. Even something as simple as walking in a circle, some light stretching, or jumping jacks can help to prepare them for their upcoming class.

6. Not Wearing the Proper Clothing

Something that can also prevent kids from being able to give their all in dance class is not being properly kitted out. Different dance styles demand different types of dress. The best dancing shoes for ballet are different than those required for jazz, and so on.

While you don’t need to buy your child hundreds of dollars worth of gear, it can be helpful if they decide they really like their chosen dance style. When in doubt, try to send them off in something that’s comfortable and allows as much movement as possible.

7. Not Following the Music

Dancing, it goes without saying, is inextricably linked to music. The beat or melody of a piece of music provides the backdrop against which choreography is performed. But some people are better at staying on beat and following rhythm than others.

One common dance mistake is that kids spend too much time focusing on the steps and not enough connecting with the music. They will need to be sure to do both in order to find their natural rhythm and dance in a fluid and fun way.

8. Having Bad Posture

Children are notorious for slouching, crouching, and having less than perfect posture. Dancing is something that can actually help with this issue. But this is also an issue that can hinder good dancing.

Try to encourage your child to stand up straight when they’re dancing for better results. They should be looking straight ahead, not down at their shoes, so they can see the steps to follow and not appear too timid or shy.

All Too Common Dancing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

The above errors are common dancing mistakes for a reason. At one point or another, everyone will encounter at least one of them, but it’s by no means the end of the world when this does happen. Encourage your children to speak up, work hard, and above all, have fun.

If you’re in the San Diego area and your child is interested in beginning dance classes, the San Elijo Children’s Dance Academy would be happy to welcome them. Get in touch today to enquire about class types and times.