Researchers at Northumbria University recently released a study revealing what makes someone a good dancer.
It was a neat idea, but resulted in some pretty strange advice for guys on the dance floor, including elongating their necks, wiggling their right knees, and “us[ing] larger, more variable movements in bending/twisting.”
Not exactly the easiest advice to remember (or follow) up in the club.
So we reached out to Brooklyn-based dance instructor Ben Weston, who has his own dance tutorial called Dance Floor Arsenal that helps rhythmically challenged men find their groove.
“For most guys, they're completely nervous and in their head,” Weston told Business Insider. “Their arms are clenched to their sides, they're clutching onto their drink for dear life, and their whole body is stiff.”
If that sounds familiar, don't fear. Weston has two basic moves all men should master and rely on: the two-step and the bounce.
“I drill the guys in my classes 'Mr. Miagi' style,” Weston joked. “Over and over and over again so that if I woke them up in the middle of the night with a bucket of cold water, they could do these moves.”
Here's a quick primer.
THE TWO-STEP
This is a simple move that will be your bread and butter when you’re not sure what to do on the dance floor. Simply step your right leg to the right and have your other leg step to meet it. Then step to the other side, and have your other leg comes to meet it. Pretty basic.
You can switch this up with the triangle two-step, where instead of having your foot meet your other foot, it will step back to form a triangle:
Another variation is the heel two-step, where you reach the heel of your foot out to the front, leaning back slightly.
![heel two step dance floor arsenal]()
THE BOUNCE
THE BOUNCEThe bounce is even easier than the two-step, because you literally just bounce to the beat. “Most guys complain about rhythm, but the only rhythm you need is the base and snare, boom and clap,” Weston said. “Just bounce to it.”
Keep your shoulders relaxed, groove with the beat, and let your arms sway. Don’t overthink it. “The goal is to find a simple groove that you you can always fall back on so you're not constantly wondering what to do next,” Weston explained. “Once you have the moves down, you can start adding style and flair by changing height, intensity, and swaying from side to side.”
WHAT ABOUT MY ARMS?
“Every guy asks what to do with his arms,” Weston said. “I tell them to have one arm up and one arm down and just switch them back and forth. Just remember to keep space between your arms and your body — that’s key.”
You can also do a shoulder roll where you simply roll your shoulders with the beat. Keep your hands and fingers relaxed while you do this, not clenched.
Weston said there are a ton of other variations (check out Dance Floor Arsenal for more advanced dance moves), but the key is to have confident body language with an expansive chest and broad shoulders while taking up space. “The body language of an alpha male or a confident person is expansive,” Weston explained. “Literally try to take up space and have a broad open chest while you’re dancing.
AND IF ALL ELSE FAILS... JUST SMILE
“Most straight guys on the dance floor are biting their lip, looking down, and seem nervous, scared, or embarrassed,” Weston said. “If you’re the guy there who just wants to have fun and enjoy the music, that makes you more attractive. I've had women push across the dance floor to dance with me just because I was the one dude smiling and having fun.”
SEE ALSO: 25 Places To Party Before You Die
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