If you’re an introvert, you tend to gain energy alone or in small social groups, and spend energy socializing. There’s nothing wrong with having these personality traits. In fact, the steady, quiet habits of introverts help make the world a better place. That’s where dancing comes in. By learning how to dance, you give yourself multiple ways to step out of your comfort zone. And the best part of how dancing helps introverts? You can do all this without having to become an extrovert overnight.
A Great Way to Make New Friends
By and large, dance classes are filled with friendly people who enjoy engaging with others. This makes sense since they’re doing something they love in a comfortable setting. This welcoming group of new social contacts can be an introvert’s dream. Instead of going out of your way to make friends, all you have to do is attend your class.
Your group will almost certainly contain a mixture of introverts and extroverts. The presence of other introverts can help boost your confidence since you’ll see others like you pushing their social boundaries. But the extroverts are the key. Their outgoing energy will help you feel welcome and at home. Without having to force interactions, you can forge connections that last far beyond the length of your dance course.
In fact, anywhere where dancing is on the agenda, you’ll have a great “in” for forming new friendships.
A Social Environment Where the Focus Isn’t On You
Like a lot of introverts, you may experience more than a touch of anxiety in unfamiliar social environments. Still, not all environments are the same. Some might make your anxious feelings less intense, while others might make them worse. For example, you probably feel more relaxed when you only have to interact with a few people. On the other hand, if you have to mingle with large groups, your tension level may skyrocket.
At first glance, clubs and other bustling social scenes might seem like an introvert’s worst nightmare. But strange as it may sound, when these scenes feature dancing, they can be a great option for introverts.
Why? First and foremost, people who love to dance tend to put their focus on what they’re doing, not on you. Sure, someone’s bound to look your way every once in a while. But all they’ll see is a fellow dancer, enjoying the freedom of movement just like them.
That brings us to point number two. When you go dancing with a few friends, you bring your own social scene with you. No matter the size of the room, you can limit most of your interactions to your small group.
Want to talk to more people? You certainly can. But you don’t have to. The choice is up to you.
A Group of Others Who Share Your Interests
People tend to make friends with others who share their interests. And that’s just as true of dancers as anyone else. Shared interests can be especially important to introverts trying to jumpstart their social lives.
There’s one big reason for that. Natural topics of conversation are much easier to navigate. Instead of fishing around for something to say, you can just skip right to the good stuff. From the very first day of your dance course, you’ll share common conversational ground with your classmates. And the topics up for discussion will only grow as you gain more experience and sharpen your skills.
The great part is that you can widen your net even further when class comes to an end. No matter where you go, you’ll share language and understanding with other dancers. Some of this communication will be verbal. However, you can also express your mutual interests through body movement out on the floor.
Arthur Murray Can Help!
Feel worried about overcoming your introversion and getting back into the flow of things? You don’t have to be. When you take up dancing at Arthur Murray, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to reach out to others. Ultimately, you’ll discover that it’s easy to push your limits without pushing yourself over the edge.