Dancing Questions

[merida321]

Hey there!
So I am interested in learning tap/show dancing! Think stuff like the “Good Morning” scene from Singin’ In The Rain.
I hope this isn’t a silly question but; are there any Catholic restrictions on dance? I’m not going to be doing a club dance or something suggestive lol, just interested in learning some tap and show-tuney stuff and maybe making some silly music videos with my siblings
And lastly…is it ok to dance with a partner of the opposite sex if I were to take a class sometime? (though I may opt for YouTube learning haha).
Thank you in advance!

 

[LastMinute]

are there any Catholic restrictions on dance?

Not that i’m aware of - i’ve been dancing in a lot “couples dance” venues for more than a decade. Salsa, Mambo, West Coast Swing, Bachata, etc.

A lot of that is showing off what you can do with your partner - basically you get to a point where you can read each other’s movements and wow a crowd. So perhaps I can categorize it as “artistically suggestive” - but definitely not what Americans think about when clubbing.

A little more like…

or this…

 

[merida321]

Thanks so much for the reply!! I really appreciate it!
Wow, those folks are really talented! I like the communication between the partners and how they work together!
This is more what I’m into, hehe :

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Unless you were engaging in some kind of “dirty dancing” where the point of the dance is to sexually excite your partner or the audience, the Church doesn’t have a problem with people dancing, either alone or with a partner.

It doesn’t sound like what you want to do is anything the Church would forbid.

 

[Rozellelily]

Perhaps ask this priest?

Gardaí called in after dancing priest receives abusive phone call and 'beheading' letter | Independent.ie

Or these ones

https://ucatholic.com/blog/dancing-priests-become-internet-sensation/

In Croatia we’ve have traditional folk dances since the “beginning of time”, and not only do the Catholics priests “allow” it, but they also encourage it.
Happy dancing!

 

[EmilyAlexandra]

You should watch the film Brooklyn (or read the book, although in some ways I enjoyed the film more). It’s not a work of history, but it seems to be a pretty faithful portrayal of life in the Irish community in Brooklyn in the 1950s. The parish church holds a dance every Friday night to provide an opportunity for young Irish people to meet each other.

 

[LastMinute]

This is more what I’m into, hehe :

Oh so more the Ginger Rogers / Fred Astaire. Or maybe even La La Land

What i’ve always admired about tap is its precision. I’m usually heading in that opposite direction though - trying to reach that state where you can just Free Form it and still look amazing. Not as polished as the videos i showed you above (the West Coast Swing one is already at Champion Competitive Level), but enough to signal “yeah i know what i’m doing”

Good luck to you! I hope it works out well. And here’s a little amusing one - both are actually Salsa Instructors having fun…

 

[merida321]

Thanks so much!

 

[merida321]

Ooh yes!! I love both those examples! La La Land is a fave of mine!! I would love to be in it, haha!

Ooh I totally admire free-forming!! That’s amazing to me, to be able to make up stuff on the spot! I can’t dance at all so far, haha, this will be a journey!

What a fun video! I love how happy they all look!
Thanks so much! <3

 

[merida321]

This is awesome!! Thank you so much!

 

[merida321]

Thank you Emily!

 

[Annie]

I would love to learn to tap dance! Enjoy!

 

[Beryllos]

And lastly…is it ok to dance with a partner of the opposite sex if I were to take a class sometime? (though I may opt for YouTube learning haha).

In a well-conducted dance class, yes, it is okay. The primary purpose of the class is dancing. Some people might be there in the hope of meeting someone special, so be sure to maintain a proper emotional distance and physical separation.

If you want to learn partner dancing, it is very helpful to dance with several opposite-sex partners. If you dance always with the same partner, whether it’s your instructor or your significant other, you learn that one person’s style and it becomes difficult to adapt to another partner.

Professional dance instructors and many dance enthusiasts can dance both parts, so it is possible to learn partner dances with partners of the same sex, but you can get a lot more practice if you are flexible on this point.