Midlife: Single & Depressed? Try Dancing. by Susan Dunn, MA, Midlife Coach

Check with the dance halls in your area, or go here to locate a dance teacher: http://www.dancespots.net/Find/FindATeacher.asp?SE=Y. This website needs more names and numbers (there were none listed for my zip code, while there are many opportunities in this town), so if your dance school or teacher isn’t listed there, call and tell him or her to get on this website. It provides needed information.

Once you get into it you may not want to stop with purely social dancing. More people all the time are recognizing the fun and physical fitness aspects and want to get more serious about it. For this you need a steady partner to practice and compete with and there’s even a website for finding a dance partner: http://www.dancepartner.com/?AC=1 .

If you really get into it, you’ll also need wardrobe. Matching Western shirts for you and him? (Buy it and he will come!) I can’t imagine dancing the tango without a ruffled skirt, can you? (The rose in your teeth is optional!) If you don’t want to spend a fortune to outfit yourself, take a trip to your local Goodwill store. They may have just what you’re looking for, including cowboy boots.

How to begin? Find the place, check out the dress code, and show up. You may be a little nervous at first, depending upon how rusty you are, and especially if you’re a true beginner, but don’t worry, you’ll soon be out there doing the Jitterbug with the best of them. The teachers and atmosphere will make you feel at ease immediately, and chances are you’ll find nice people who are there to enjoy dancing in a friendly, healthy atmosphere that’s contagious.

Once you’ve learned the basics and found the venues, you can add dancing to your social schedule. What better way to work off that Thanksgiving dinner than to go dance the night away afterwards?

Dancing makes a great family activity. There are at least two dance halls in my town that offer special family-friendly times. They offer food as well as drink, and it’s sweet to see the dads dancing with their little girls in their arms, and toddlers taking the floor solo to bounce to the beat.

There’s also a chance to dance at local festivals. The recent Wurstfest in my area featured a huge dance floor with a 10-piece brass band imported from Germany that got everyone up and on their feet – from 18 months to 80.

As more people stay single for extended periods of time, line dancing is being offered more frequently. If you don’t have a partner, or just don’t want to dance with someone you don’t know, you can wait till they play Cotton Eyed Joe, Mambo No. 5, Strokin’ or Boot Scootin’ Boogie and get out there on your own.

But you’ll have the most fun if you go ahead and ask someone to dance, and ladies, don’t be shy. It’s quite acceptable to ask men to dance. In fact I think the guys appreciate it.

Whatever your goal, looking for friends or a partner, wanting to master new dances, or simply to get exercise and have fun, you can’t go wrong. It’s highly probable you’ll find all these when you go out dancing.

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BIO:

©Susan Dunn, MA, Midlife Dating and Relationship Coach, http://www.susandunn.cc . Offering coaching for men and women in dating, transitions, retirement and other midlife issues. Susan is the author of “Midlife Dating Survival Manual for Women,” available at www.webstrategies.cc/ebooklibrary.html . Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc .

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