5 Ways To Convince Your Man To Take Dance Lessons

Now, play it cool. Remain calm. He’s right there.

The one thing that could stop this mission in its tracks is some average blunder. So, while other ladies are using the latest guilt trips and death threats, you’ll be the cool one. No pressure.

Convincing your man to take dance lessons will require a delicate approach. Just a series of strategic moves, investments of time, and all for a good purpose.

1. Football Insurance

Bottom Line: Leverage Guilt-Free Football Games for lessons at Arthur Murray

History: Most guys want to watch the game. In most cases, this comes with a little grief. Football Insurance gives him the luxury of watching the game with no fear of silent, or not so silent, retaliation.

The Deal: Just make a deal that every ballroom and latin dance lesson with you earns him an hour of guilt-free-go-ahead-put-your-feet-on-the-coffee-table-football. Be sure to replace dance lessons with any other normal “honey-do” activity you’d use as football watching currency.

In fact, this approach works because you’re framing dance lessons as something that benefits both of you. He gets uninterrupted game time; you get a dance partner. Everyone wins. The key is making sure you actually honor your end of the bargain – no comments from the kitchen during the fourth quarter.

2. Movie Swap

Bottom Line: Trade a chick flick for a Tango Lesson

History: Most couples will alternate between his and her movie choices. So men, typically, only enjoy half the movies they see.

The Plan: Offer to trade out your art house foreign language movie selection, or anything with Ryan Gosling, for a Tango lesson together. Any couple can go see a movie, but not many can say they go tango dancing.

So even though you have to give up some quality girl-cinema, you’ll have your leading man on the dance floor. And here’s the secret advantage – he might actually enjoy the dance lesson more than he would have enjoyed the movie. Movies are passive; dancing is active. That masculine energy has somewhere productive to go.

3. Be an Exchange Student

Bottom Line: Offer to be an exchange student in one of his hobbies, for yours at Arthur Murray Dance Studio

History: Unfortunately, history suggests that there are numerous demands for men to join in on dancing, but without any exchange of student services. Rather than letting things regress to an eye for an eye, may we suggest a lesson for a lesson?

The Plan: If he’s asked, if you feel uncomfortable, if it’s not your thing… great! Tolerating that is the first step to making this work. After all, he will feel all of that in the first few minutes on the dance floor. For more on this topic, check out 9 Holiday Ways to Social Dance in December.

So, set a great example and he is likely to reciprocate. One golf lesson for you, one dance lesson for him. One fishing trip for you, one Salsa class for him. The math works out – and you might discover you actually enjoy his hobby too.

4. Ditch the Destination

Bottom Line: Make your dance lesson part of a great date night

History: Some guys are resistant to the positive effects of dancing. Try making your dance lesson part of your evening out, instead of the whole show.

The Plan: If you’re too eager, you may come across as pushy. Instead, resist the temptation and make it a secondary activity for your evening out. Even if dancing is just an appetizer, it’s still working toward the goal.

Safe to say the “date night that happens to include dancing” approach removes the pressure. It’s not “we’re going to dance lessons.” It’s “we’re going to dinner, and there’s this fun thing we could do beforehand.” Much easier sell.

(Suggestion: Withhold dessert if he skips any part of the evening.)

5. Make Your Move

Bottom Line: Take a lesson without him

History: We have had plenty of Arthur Murray students who have started, or maintained, a dance hobby without their significant other.

The Plan: Sometimes, all it takes is the motivated party getting their foot in the door. If you wait until the excuses stop, you may wait forever – and resent him for it. Instead, go on a scouting mission. Start your lessons, share the results, and stick with it.

Here’s what often happens: you start dancing, you come home excited, you look different somehow (more confident, more poised), and suddenly he’s curious. “What exactly are you doing over there?” Interest sparked.

In fact, some of our best dance partnerships started exactly this way – one person leading by example until the other person couldn’t resist joining.

Final Thought

You didn’t nag. You took some risks. You played it cool. Now it’s time to keep it that way.

The reality is that dancing may not be in his future, but that doesn’t need to stop you from pursuing something that makes you feel happy, sexy, feminine, or alive. There are hobbies that he has, that you don’t have – and that’s perfectly normal.

Learning to dance together can do wonderful things for your marriage and ability to communicate. Hopefully this is the start to something great in your relationship.

The worst case scenario in all of this is that you become a better dancer… and we think that’s pretty cool too.

Happy dancing!

For more tips on dancing as a couple, check out 21 Tips for Couples Starting Social Dance Lessons and learn 7 Things Your Dance Partner Needs to Hear You Say.