Hey Dancers! This week I learned some basics of house dance. Keep scrolling to read my thoughts on the class!

Basics

Class: Beginner House

Studio: The Dance Complex

Teacher: Sean Bjerke (@shizz_matic)

Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Category: Teens 16+ and Adults

Cost (Single Class): $20

Background: House is a genre of electronic music that has become popular in the last few decades. It originated in the late 70s/early 80s in Chicago, following the disco era. The term “house” comes from The Warehouse, a Chicago club which often played the music. The essence of the dance is freestyle, but steps performed in NYC clubs were ultimately recognized as foundational steps of the dance (Bjerke, Beginner House).

OOTD

On Sean’s website he recommends dancers dress comfortably, and videos on his Instagram page gave me an idea of what other dancers wear to his classes.

Since the movement in this class is primarily footwork, I opted for a looser, more comfortable top, and saw that many other dancers did the same. While comfortable sneakers were the consensus, Sean acknowledged that the vinyl dance floor was a bit challenging to move on with this dance style, so we were welcome to dance in socks if we wanted.

Atmosphere & Energy

I must admit, I didn’t expect to enjoy the class as much as I did. I knew very little about electronic music, but once I heard how repetitive it was, I was somewhat put off. However, as the class went along, I became more drawn to house dance not for the music itself, but because as dancers we were creating sound with our steps; the music became the accompaniment to our own dancing, and that felt powerful!

I also appreciated how inclusive and welcoming the class felt. Of the 25 dancers in attendance, about a third were first-time house dancers, and this class had more men dancers and more age variety than any class I have tried thus far. The class even had a few participants who were first-time dancers, and I had the pleasure of partnering with one for a footwork drill (more on that in the next section).

After the partner exercise Sean invited several pairs who seemed comfortable in their movements to demonstrate to the class, which clapped in encouragement. The energy levels were a bit more mellow than some of other classes I attended, but that worked great with the dance style, and the participants were just as accepting and nonjudgmental.

Dance Difficulty

The class is very beginner friendly for those new to house dance and also for those who are new to dance in general. No prior experience is required, and Sean does an excellent job breaking things down in different ways – through counting, demonstration, the use of metaphors, and an emphasis on rhythm – that all dancers can apply the learning approaches that are most suitable for them.

We started with a short warm up, followed by footwork drills first individually and then in random pairs (we just turned to the person next to us). These drills, during which we stepped to the music at different beats, provided a great opportunity to slowly become comfortable with timing and our rhythm moving to the music. And the partner work, during which we followed the rhythm our partner created and vice versa, encouraged us to be more playful with our movements and attentive listeners to other dancers.

After the drills Sean led us through a combination of steps, first teaching the steps on their own, and then adding music to the choreography. This was also the only class I have taken so far that had a set water break, so don’t worry about being pushed to your limits. It’s definitely physical, but not overly demanding, and the emphasis is on finding fluidity in movement, feeling the music, and enjoying yourself.  

Top Tip

Just loosen up, physically and mentally. Sean stressed not to overthink the footwork, but to focus on the rhythm, and the sounds we created with our steps. It can be difficult to quiet your mind when you first start dancing, but once you start taking this less-technical approach you will not only move more freely, but also probably have more fun with it!

Awkward

The room was smaller than some of the previous classes I took; it was wider, but only had room for 2-3 rows of dancers, so I felt like I didn’t have anywhere to “hide.” When I stopped trying to hide, I remembered that being able to see myself – and the teacher – in the mirrors at the front of the studio is a great way for me to get a sense of what I’m doing, adjust, and learn from those around me.

Awesome

I gained a new appreciation for a style of music and dance that I had little understanding of before this class, and frankly didn’t expect to enjoy much. I learned to connect to the rhythm we dancers created with our steps and see the music as a backdrop to our own creation, which was really cool!

Though I didn’t find the movements particularly challenging on their own, I was challenged to stop overthinking, and let my body move more freely, and that was the perfect amount of difficulty to keep me going.

Final Thoughts

If you’re a fan of electronic music but not sure how to move to it, I suggest trying house dance. And if you’re new to the world of dance in general, I think this class, which focuses a lot on finding the beat and practicing basic footwork, is a great introduction!

Have you ever tried house? Let me know in the comments, and check out Dance Diaries on Instagram @dancediaries0 to see more of my dance journey.

As always, I’ll be back next Monday to tell you about another style! See you then dancers 😊