What is social dancing? Seems pretty simple right?  It must mean dancing socially, Which it does but there are actually several forms of dance that could be considered “social dancing”.

Social dancing was first really coined as a term to describe how men and women used to dance with each other at “Socials” which were organized events where a band would come play music and people would come specifically to enjoy dancing with each other. You could go back to old england to when the royal court used to have social gatherings where dances like The Waltz were performed. But in modern times the term social dancing started to gain popularity in the 1920s with the big band sound that was popular back then and dance styles such as swing, quickstep, foxtrot, and lindyhop coming later on.

Social dancing can also be used to describe “Party Dancing” which is what people would call the original styles of hip hop grooves that originated in the block parties in Urban areas like new york, and Los angeles in the 1970s and 80s.

All of these different definitions of social dancing can get confusing so i think it is much easier to use the term “Social Dancing” as a blanket term to describe any style of dancing that is best performed either with a partner, or in “Social” situations I.E. Salsa, Tango, Waltz, Foxtrot, Swing, Bachata, ETC.

Finally then to answer the question “what is social dancing?”  It is any dance that is primarily performed with a partner in social situations like dances, weddings, competitions ETC.   Originally when dance socials were popular the term made much more sense to use to describe these events, but nowadays so many different styles have emerged that it doesn’t make sense to use the term to describe any one style.

Keep Dancing!

-Brian

I need good music, room on the floor to dance, and a good atmosphere. But what does this even mean?

When I go out to a club with friends or my girl I am looking for a few things specifically when I make my choices as to where I am going to spend my night out. First, I look for new and interesting places that I haven’t gotten the chance to check out yet. This is pretty easy living in New York City as you may imagine, there are probably close to thousands of clubs/lounges here in this city catering to many different tastes. Second, I want to make sure that they will be playing the type of music I am in the mood for. Some nights I really want to listen to hip hop and top 40 and just party with my friends. Other nights I want to really dance and listen to some house music or latin salsa music. Other nights its more about techno and dub step. It all depends on what mood I am in.  Third and finally I check a few reviews on Yelp. I don’t pay much attention to reviews because i find that often people are looking for reasons to complain about anything and reading a scathingly bad review of a place isn’t always the best representation of how that particular club really is. Reviews can help me figure out about how expensive the club is to get into, the dress code, the normal mix of people that attend Etc.

I have started to go off on a bit of a tangent so let me come back to the original topic: My favorite types of dance clubs.

For me, my favorite type of club is one that is SPACIOUS (There is nothing worse then being smashed together in a sweaty club like a bunch of sardines!), HAS A GREAT DJ ( some one who plays a good mixture of music and knows how to mix between songs smoothly), HAS AMBIANCE ( who wants to dance in a bright plainly painted club? it has got to be interesting looking inside!), and finally A GOOD BARTENDER ( a expertly mixed drink can really break the ice on a date and get the night started right! )

So there you have it friends! My favorite types of dance clubs. I want to hear your favorite types of clubs too. leave me a comment below and let me know where you like to spend your nights out.

stay funky

-Brian

First lets tackle the differences between a “CLUB” and a “LOUNGE”. This can get confusing because often times these names can be interchangeable but normally a Lounge is a place that is a bit more laid back. the music is more subdued, and its a place where you can grab a drink and just chill out to whatever music is playing. a Club is usually a more open space with a large dance floor, and Dj booth in addition to the bar, and most people go to a club for the specific purpose of going out and dancing. if your planning a night out and aren’t sure about a particular place just call and ask rather then playing the guessing game.

Second lets talk about how clubs can differ depending on where you are. Within the U.S. clubs vary from city to city depending on the local culture of that area. Clubs down south may play predominantly southern hip hop music. Some Clubs may only play “Top 40”, or what is on the radio. Some places may only play one style of music catered to the cultural back round of the people who frequent the club, like Reggae, Dance hall, and salsa clubs.  The energy or “Vibe” you feel when you walk into a club will differ depending on what music is playing, who your with, and what the other people there are like.

There are many variables that make every club you go to unique but thats half the fun of going out with your friends and living life! No matter what club you go to, rest assured there will be an area to dance, and a DJ playing music. Thats all you need to put your club moves on display!  If you are still confused about whether or not a certain club is worth checking out you can always google it and check out the reviews, other wise just go with the flow and enjoy discovering new places to dance in whatever city you are in!

Stay tuned in May for more new content, and another video just for you all!

Till next time!

-Brian

in this blog I want to showcase a few of my Favorite Hip Hop videos that really showcase Dance.  I am going to share the videos with you first and then let you know what is so appealing to me about them.

There are two videos that I want to share with you today for completely different reasons.

The first video is none other then Missy Elliot’s iconic video for “Work it”

CHECK IT OUT!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UODX_pYpVxk

The reason I love this video so much is because it is so true to REAL Hip Hop dance. the video features some of the most iconic Hip Hop dancers of our time, and it features none other then the legendary “Mr. Wiggles”. You can even catch him doing his famous “Wiggle Walk”  at about 1:09.  This video showcases ever Hip Hop dance style from B-Boying to Lockin’, Poppin’, and house!  This is one of the first music videos in the 90’s to really bring back true Hip Hop!

The second video i chose is a video that is very near and dear to my heart it is the single reason that i first found a love for dance, and it is none other then Michael Jackson’s timeless video for “Smooth Criminal”.

If you haven’t already seen this video and you call yourself a dancer, you need to get your head examined!  so do yourself a favor and CHECK IT OUT!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_D3VFfhvs4

I could go on for hours about all the reasons that this music video will stand the test of time to still be considered one of the top 3 music videos of all time, but I will focus just on the dancing. This video showcases so many different styles of dance from Poppin’, and Lockin’, to Jazz, Latin, Swing, and Fosse.  MJ worked closely with the original poppers “The Electric Boogaloos” to get his dance steps down for this video. MJ also was closely trained by none other then “Poppin Pete” who many believe to be the originator of the dance style.

Some may ask “Brian, Why didn’t you pick and recent videos?”. Here is my answer. It is because in my opinion music videos today lack creativity, good choreography, vision, and pretty much anything else that makes a great music video. Not to mention that the medium of music videos is pretty much Dead due to the fact that MTV doesn’t really play them anymore.  If I absolutely had to pick a video from the past few months that captures dance in a great way I would choose Chris Browns video for “Fine China” Or Justin Timberlake’s “Suit and Tie”. Both are refreshingly well shot and thought out, as well as having great choreography.

Check out “Fine China” :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGs1gODLiSQ

and “Suit and Tie”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsUsVbTj2AY

I hope you enjoy these videos as much as I do!

Till next time

-Brian

I used to hate clubs. Why would I subject myself to the pimped out bouncer who looks like he might have a heart attack before the end of the night.  Why would I subject myself to velvet ropes and pretentious women when I can get drunk with my friends at my favorite pub? Pubs are easy. Clubs are hard. Right? Wrong.

Where do women go without men? Clubs, Chip and Dales, and Museums. Since the latter two are most definitely out, clubs are the way to go. And since most clubs keep a strict 1:1 ratio (or try to anyway) you know your competition is limited. Guys, be prepared to purchase bottle service and a table if you’re travelling in packs of more than three. But if it’s just the three musketeers and you have some patience, you’ll make it in easy. Remember not to give the bouncers any excuse not to let you in though. Make sure you’re dressed for the occasion. This means you should leave you baseball cap at home, trade your sneakers for some shoes, and try to have some fun on line. Bouncers can sense whether you’ll be an addition to the club or a lame groping trio so try to keep the conversation going and the complaining to a minimum – especially when people cut. They know someone you don’t and even though I hate them too, there’s nothing we can do about it.

Back to clubs. It takes a few trips to the club to get comfortable. Try different ones to see which ones match your vibe. Some have lounges where you can talk and rest in between dancing while others have seats that are exclusive only to bottle service (which means you’re standing the whole night). Clubs have different shapes and sizes which a have huge impact on the people and vibe. You’ll see pretty soon though that clubs are not that intimidating and have much more to offer than pubs. 

The dance floor is just full of women dancing in a group and the bar is just full of women listening to boring finance talk for a few free cocktails. The dance floor: so many girls dancing, so few guys. Why? It amazes me how fearful we get when it’s time to dance. For some of us, it’s the fear of rejection. For others its lack of confidence and skill I suppose. Whatever the reason, I can’t help but notice the vast amount of men standing on the perimeter of the dance floor, wanting so bad to get in, but stopping themselves.

I used to be just that way until my friend really showed me up. Never really aware of his surroundings, he’s the kind of guy who never gets embarrassed).  With no reservations and an air of confidence, he glides up to groups with a smile and always steals a girl away. Now I know what you’re thinking. Telling you confidence is the key is a cop out. After all, confidence can’t be built overnight and certainly not from a few poorly written paragraphs.

So how can you get the confidence to approach any woman you want? One way is to think of something that you’re really good at. Try to think about how you’re so much better at something than the people around you in the club (in your head of course). Look smug like you’ve found something really funny and keep your head up high. Overcome the anxiety of being in a large crowded place with strangers and get over the fact that others are judging you. The truth is you’re another face and no one even notices you. Make a mental note of what others are doing but don’t compare yourself to anyone. Remember that you’re the man and make sure to think of that one thing that you’re really good at it. 

The other way of course is to gain confidence from acquiring the right skills. Learning exactly how to dance in a club at home for example gives you the confidence you’ll need to do it in clubs. Why? Because you’ll know what others don’t? You’ll know the latest moves, you would have practiced them and, and you would have learned them cold. After you’ve learned how to dance, you’ll have what it takes to have more fun in clubs. You’ll know what others don’t. Imagine being that guy in the club surrounded by girls. It’s a thought that’s very possible and truly attainable. All you have to do is do your homework. 

The moves you’ll learn and the confidence you’ll get from being completely prepared for any club dancing scenario will be priceless. It’ll improve your nights tremendously and allow you to have the kind of fun you’ve always imagined. Clubs are not that intimidating, you just have to know what you’re doing. It’s like snowboarding or baseball or riding a bike. Before you learn, you cringe at the idea and while you learn, you wish you never started to. It takes practice and commitment but once you’ve learned, you realize just how much fun it is.

In a moment i’ll share with you my favorite ways of how to approach girls on the dance floor.

But first, here’s how NOT to do it:

We’ve all seen the guy in the club, who just sneaks up behind a girl and tries to start grinding with her. Almost never works, since girls just find this creepy. Maybe if you’re a really … and I mean REALLY… good looking guy then you might get away with it. But more often then not they’ll just move away.

You need to approach girls on the dance floor so they see you coming.

Here’s exactly how I do it:

First, start out dancing next to them for 15 seconds or so. Doesn’t have to be longer than that, but just long enough so they see you and feel semi-comfortable, since you look like you’re having fun dancing.

Next, you get a bit closer and maybe playfully bump your hip into hers. See her reaction. If she moves away, she’s probably not interested. If she smiles, laughs then you move onto step two below.

Reach your hand out to take hers, and just spin her around. And just start dancing with her. Remember, you don’t want to be overly aggressive and try to start grinding with her right off the bat.

One of my other favorite ways how to approach girls on the dance floor is to dance over to them, look at them dancing for 2 seconds and nod like you’re impressed by their dance moves and high five them as if to say “nice moves”. It’s going to be hard for her not to high five you back.

At this point, now that you have her hand, spin her around and start dancing with her.

And if you want to see a video that shows you step by step how to approach girls on the dance floor check this out and learn exactly how to dance with a girl.

>>> How To Dance At A Club - Click Here To Learn More

Hey all! today I want to talk a bit about how hip hop has changed over the years both as a culture, and also as a style of dance.

Hip Hop as you know started first as a cultural movement in the early 1970s by the youth of the Bronx in New York who were disenfranchised with the status quo at the time and wanted a positive way to release their frustrations and also inspirations through artwork, music, and dance.

in the beginning Hip Hop started as a cultural movement but quickly started to shift into a pop culture phenomenon once people realized they could profit off of the high demand for Break Dancing, Rap Music, and Artwork in the form of Fashion. Once this shift started the main purpose of commercializing Hip Hop became profit and the cultural aspects began to dissolve.

As a musical style most commercial “Hip Hop” is more of a blend of some Hip Hop influence and mostly pop music. Finding authentic Hip Hop music has become much more underground, while the vast majority of commercial Hip Hop is about capitalizing on whatever fashion or celebrity scandal is the most current and relevant.

In short, Hip Hop has changed greatly as a culture and much of the original message has been lost.

Hip Hop dance hasn’t changed much in regards to the individual styles: Breakin’ is still Breakin’, Poppin’ is still Poppin’ ,but many of the originators of these styles either aren’t teaching any more or are very displeased with how hip hop dance is viewed by the public. The reason is because T.V. shows are showcasing watered down Hip Hop dancers with weak fundamentals which is not reflecting well on the dancers who came before and paved the way for what Hip Hop dance has become.

do yourself a favor and research the originators of hip hop dance:

Mr. Wiggles

The Electric Boogaloos

The Lockers

Crazy Legs

Poppin Pete

Brian Green

-Brian

Nowadays not vary many musical artists are using actual Hip Hop dance and instead have opted for more of a jazz funk style of movement that has become synonomous with music videos and concert tours. Artists like Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, Madonna, Neyo, Rihanna, and more all utilize jazz funk type choreography but are often labeled as “Hip Hop”.

In my opinion the only mainstream artists that are still using real hip hop styles of dance are: Chris Brown, and Missy Elliot. Both of these artists have featured legendary Hip Hop choreographers on stage and in their videos. Names like: Poppin Pete, Mr Wiggles, Buddha Stretch, and many more have all been seen lending their moves to these iconic artists concert tours and music videos

It only takes a few moments of watching these artists perform to understand the differences between the mainstream “jazz funk” style of commercial choreography, and the real freestyle based “Hip Hop” style of choreography.

Check out Chris and Missy’s many music videos on youtube today and see for yourself!

Here is a link to Chris’s new video for “Fine China”  His two main dancers Hefa, and Timor are so smooth with their movement! check it out!

http://youtu.be/iGs1gODLiSQ

Remember, most girls that you see in the club have been going out clubbing every weekend and they’ve pretty much heard it all.  So here’s how to stand out from the crowd with my 7 point checklist for how to pick up girls in clubs:

1.  First, don’t look at going clubbing as putting in work to meet girls.  Go out to have a great time with your friends.  And don’t make it a mission to absolutely meet a girl that night and get her number.  This way you’ll be so much more relaxed when talking to her.

2.  Don’t hesitate when you see a girl you want to meet.  That’s not to say that you shouldn’t be conscious of the situation… sometimes she’s clearly in the middle of a serious conversation.  But more often than not, the longer you wait the more time you’ll give yourself to make an excuse and not to go over or hype her up in your mind so that you’re too nervous to approach.

3.  Stop thinking you have to say something brilliant.  You don’t.  She’s just tired of guys being nervous and looking uncomfortable.  She’s totally happy talking to you about whatever you want to talk about as long as you look comfortable and relaxed.  And just ask her questions.  This way you do less work and she gets to do what she loves best: talk about herself.

4.  Don’t ALWAYS joke around.  It’s good to tell her you’re an ass model… but if she asks you “But, really what do you do?” don’t keep telling her the same thing.  Doesn’t mean she wants to have a serious conversation with you… but she does want to know that you can be real with her too.

5.  Be the fun, party guy.  Girls go out to a club to party and dance.  They hardly even want to talk to their girlfriends that much.  They did that on Wednesday night over dinner.  So now they just want to let loose, do some shots and dance to their favorite songs.

6.  Get on the dance floor.  Most guys avoid the dance floor like the plague so you’ll have almost no competition.

7.  Learn how to dance.  Like any other skill, nobody is born a great dancer.  But once you know how you’ll stop wondering how to pick up girls in the club, and just dance with them.  It’ll be so much easier to meet girls every night you go out since they’ll see you as the party guy who’s just out having a good time dancing with them… instead of the guy who’s trying to have a serious conversation when they just want to let loose and dance. To learn how to dance at a club, click on this link and check out our entire line of club dance lessons.

Next Up: How To Dance In A Nightclub. Click Here To Keep Reading.

If clubbing is something that puts you out of your comfort zone, (and believe me, it did just that to me for years), then have things to do when you go out to give you a purpose.

Truth is, going to the club should be a matter of hitting up “certain checkpoints,” each of which builds up your social proof and makes you more attractive to every woman in the club.  Your job, from the first moment you walk in, so to make every woman believe that you do not have any ulterior motives, that you are there just to have fun.

With that in mind, this post will give you a list of things to do to help you have more fun when you go out.

Without further ado, here is how to be the top dog in your club:

The club you go to IS important. You want to go to the same places, and get to know the staff.  We’ll give a few tips on how to interact with bouncers and waitstaff to improve your social status and to make you feel comfortable below. Stop googling the coolest club in your town. Most high-end clubs have limited dancing because people don’t want to be judged (note, this is especially true in the big cities and in cities where there is a bigger lounge culture than dance club scene). Instead, go to a smaller venue (one with nooks and crannies as opposed to one large box where everyone can see your successes and failures), and keep going back week after week. Make friends with the staff and you’ll feel like home every time you go there.

Check out a club where your going to stand out.  If you’re a student, check out an after work club.  If your going to a club famous for attracting the finance crowd, wear a nice looking hoodie and tee-shirt.  Your odds are going to improve tremendously when you’re the one to break from the mold.

Head out a little earlier than you would have otherwise.  It’s easier to get into the nightclub of your choice and the people inside will be more accessible.  Keep it to the three musketeers   More than three men in your group will hurt your chances of getting into a nice place.

Make a few jokes and meet people waiting on line with you.  People tend to be more receptive outside, men including women, and you can use the women you meet to build up your social proof once your inside.

Go out with women. Whether it’s your sister, your co-worker, or a group of women you just met in the pizzeria, going out with women immediately increases your attractiveness.

Make eye contact with the first woman you see when you walk in.  Be confident.  If she reciprocates, you’ve just found excellent social proof.  If she’s by the entrance, that probably means she just walked in as well – which means shes more likely to respond since she doesn’t know that many people either.  If you are stumped for openers, try commentating on the line, or tell her not to waste her time waiting for a drink at the bar in front of you, that you know of another one upstairs that has a lot less people.

Be the man when you walk in.  Be pumped.  Enjoy yourself.  You’re there to have a good time.  You know you can dance, you know the rules of the game, and you know that in a few minutes you’ll be dancing with one of the hottest girls in the club.  Have a few drinks with your buddies back home before the club, chug a redbull, be energetic from the first moment you enter the club.  Tap your toes, move your head, your hips, and have a smile on your face, a cocky smile that says I’m the man, I love clubbing, I am here to have tons of fun.

No one knows who you are when you enter the club.  Therefore everything you do from that moment on either improves your social status (and your attraction), or decreases it.  Don’t stare at anyone when you walk in.  Simply meet eye contact with whomever is looking at you and reciprocate a smile.  Make a mental note of which women were checking you out when you came in.

Make noise and laugh.  Laugh even if theirs is nothing to laugh about.  Laugh because your friend is laughing.  The louder, more obnoxious, and oblivious to the world around you, you are, the more attractive you’ll be to the women around you.

Establish social proof in a certain section of the club. The more women you dance with and have a good time with, the more other women in the area will want you. If you get rejected though, don’t attempt a quick rebound pick up right away. It’ll see like you are just playing the numbers game and are willing to talk to anyone.

Ok boys, I left this tip for last because I think it’s by the far most important.  But it’s funny because every time I bring it up to my students, I always get a groan; they think its obvious.  But let me tell you, having fun when you go out, whether it’s on the dance floor or off, is the single most important thing you can do to help your game in the club.

As we talked about earlier, the only thing to go by in the club is body language.  And when you are having fun with your friends, your body reflects your emotions completely, making you levels more attractive to every woman in the club.  Before you even go out, you’ve gotta get yourself in the right state of mind.  Have a few beers with your boys.  Check out your local radio station for a list of today’s most popular music and get used to hanging out to that music.  Have a redbull.  Have two.  When you walk into a club and make eye contact with the first woman you see, everyone should know that you’re there to have fun.  Clap your hands, tap your foot.  Feel the music and pass on the energy.  Call up friends you haven’t seen in a while so that you have tons to talk about you go out.  When women see that you’re out to have fun with your friends and that you don’t have ulterior motives, they’ll automatically be attracted to you because you’ll be one of the only guys in the club with that state of mind.  Then they’ll be the ones with the ulterior motive, and that’ll be to snap you up before another girl does, .  Having fun in the club is not easy, especially when its not your thing.  Check out clubs that are slightly off the beaten track.  It’s better to be the man in a smaller club than be lost in a more popular one.  Frequent the same places on a regular basis and get in good with the staff.  It’ll make you feel like home every time you go, make you feel more comfortable, and will sky rocket your social proof.

But I assure you, that after a few weeks out, especially with the success that you’ll have on the dance floor when you learn exactly how to dance in a club, you’ll wonder why you never hit up clubs before.