I was wondering how many of you here do dance? I'm recently getting into it and am really impressed by the range of dance types out there. I also just like hearing people talk about themselves, and dancers now intrigue me!

Feel free to say whatever you want about your dance, but here are a few things I'd be interested in hearing!

-What type of dance do you do?
-How long have you been doing it?
-At what level do you dance? Meaning, is it just a fun recreational activity you do once a week, is it your main activity, do you do performances or compete, etc.?
-Any fun props or costumes involved in your dance?
-What type of music do you dance to? Hip hop, classical, etc.
-Anything else about your dance that you'd like to share?

And I suppose I should also answer my own questions...

I started Irish dancing at the tender age of 28 last year! I had never danced before really...I did a few years of tumbling-like gymnastics "dance" but had to give it up at age 10 due to a move. I did it very recreationally, once a week, until St. Patrick's day of this year when my instructor was looking for additional adult dancers to help out with performances. I'm now totally in love! I dance about 7ish hours a week now, three structured classes plus practice. I'm also going to compete in my first feis next month.

I really love the Gaelic music we have in Irish dance. I could (and do!) listen to it all day. The solo dresses are very beautiful and ornate. I have a goal to do well enough over the next few years to earn the right to wear one. I did soft shoe only dancing until a few weeks ago. I am now dancing in hard shoe too. It is amazing to see how far I've come in the past year in soft shoe, and I try to remind myself that by this time next year my hard shoe should be passable! It's a train wreck right now.

The younger girls wear big curly wigs and poodle socks for shows/feisanna. As an adult, I wear black tights and just wear my hair neat. We try to look nice, but there seems to be a lot more pageantry for the young girls.

-What type of dance do you do? I hoop dance.

-How long have you been doing it? Probably about 3 years or more.

-At what level do you dance? Meaning, is it just a fun recreational activity you do once a week, is it your main activity, do you do performances or compete, etc.? I have competed on the online competition called Hoop Idol. I lost. I have performed. I'm not a professional and don't do performances a lot. I have taught some. Lately I haven't hooped much at all. I am probably low intermediate when it comes to hooping.

-Any fun props or costumes involved in your dance? Hula hoop! Of course, going to the festivals, I see a lot of crazy costumes. Some girls are quite almost-naked. The thing about hooping is you have to be careful with clothes cause natural fibers (and skin) are easier to keep the hoop up. Plus if you spin fire, natural fibers are required. What I see is really popular is leggings and "dance yoga pants" with frills/flares/etc.

-What type of music do you dance to? Hip hop, classical, etc. All ranges of music. If it has a good beat I can get down to it.

-Anything else about your dance that you'd like to share? Hoop dance opened up a whole new world for me. I wanted to be a dancer all my life. Collected bellydance dvds but never did them. I so badly wanted to be a dancer but I was always called too fat. I finally learned how to hula hoop and how to fluidly connect movements with the hoop. Even before I could get the hoop to stay on my waist, I was trying to use the hoop as a prop and dance to the songs that I would use. I've started transitioning to dancing with fire fans, flow wand. I've tried poi and flags (more practice and I'm sure these would be great dance props. I'm not a tricky hooper. One girl even dissed me cause "her mom is a trick hooper." I'm a dancer. I'm teaching a class at Playthink Movement Festival based on adding more dance to one's hooping. Hooping gave me more confidence that I did take bellydance classes for 8 months last year!

Ha, brilliant. Irish dancing and hoop dancing, that's 2 kinds of dance you don't hear much about!

Until recently I was going to a weekly dance class called "Be Moved." It originated in Chicago and has spread all over. It was developed to accommodate people who have never danced before or have injuries. It's very gentle but a great workout. Every week we learned a different routine, one week we'd do a Bollywood routine, the next week we'd do a Jazz routine, or a Disco routine. It was varied and fun. Unfortunately the class didn't have a lot of enrollment so it got cancelled and now I'd like to find something else to do.

This sounds awesome! When I read the first line of your response I thought you meant the Native American Indian hoop dance, but after reading a while I caught on. I think it's wonderful you have achieved your goal of becoming a dancer. It is something I had thought about for a long time but never thought I could achieve. I'm so glad I discovered ID!

That sounds like a really great class as you learn so many different types. It really is unfortunate it was cancelled. I hope you find something similar! Or perhaps one of the types of dance you did in the class moved you enough to pursue a simple beginner course in it?

For Irish dance I started my first year taking a very basic class 1 night per week. The teacher does a great job teaching but also understands adults may just be looking for fun, so she doesn't pressure the newbies into perfect technique or execution. And I never practiced outside of class. I just recently got bit by the bug and am now dancing several hours per week.

My point with that little story about myself being...you could probably find a specific dance class geared at adults that wouldn't put a lot of pressure on you and would allow you to explore and move.

Jazzercise is for me. The only one hour total body workout around. First 40 minutes is dance aerobics, getting you real sweaty, then the last 20 minutes of class, it's weights, bands, balls and floor exercises all put to music to work every muscle and all those problem areas.

I didn't realize Jazzercise was still a thing! That's great that your class incorporates strength training. Such an important component of fitness!

I struggle to fit in my weightlifting shifts between dance classes, but I'm striving to keep on it. My itty bitty weak arms can definitely use all the help they can get.

Yes I need to search out more dance classes for sure! There were times in my Be Moved class that I was in tears because I was so... well, moved lol. Dance is powerful. I grew up Greek dancing and love it.

Ooo, that's neat! Is your family Greek? Or did you come across that a different way? Yet another option for more dancing if you can't find another class like the one you were in.

I grew up in greece. Folk dancing is taken very seriously, everyone enrolls in folk dancing classes and is expected to know how to dance. It is also part of every social situation, weddings, baptisms and there are countless festivals that feature dancing, you can't get away with not knowing how to folk dance in greece. I used to be in a troop when I was little. When I visit Greece not a week goes by where I don't have the opportunity to dance. It's kind of funny now that I think about it. I don't need any more dance lessons where that is concerned, I kind of know everything about it. I'm looking for other dance exposure. Dance is life.

Hi there, I can't dance. But my sister dance very well.

This may sound corny, but I love square dancing. All levels can participate and in a 2 hr session I get over 6000 steps. Very low impact and a great way to start off slow!