5 Reasons Why Couples Should Take Ballroom Dance Lessons

If curiosity killed the cat, then we think that the Olive Garden and movies killed the spontaneity in couples. Someone has to say something. It’s time for a change, even if you love the all-you-can-eat salad and breadsticks. Here are 5 reasons why couples should take Ballroom Dance Lessons.

Look – there’s nothing wrong with dinner and a movie. But when was the last time you left a restaurant thinking, “Wow, that really brought us closer together”? When was the last time a movie gave you both a skill you could use for the rest of your lives?

That’s the difference. Dance lessons aren’t just another date night activity. They’re an investment in your relationship – one that keeps paying dividends long after the lessons end.

1. Work Things Out – on the dance floor

What if you had a secret word that you could use with your other half that got you out of trouble? We know it! Are you ready? Write this down: Rumba. The cool thing is, you don’t need to know how to pronounce it, heck – you don’t even need to say it. If you know the moves, you know the magic.

Here’s what we mean: the Rumba is a slow, romantic dance. It requires physical closeness, eye contact, and synchronization. In other words – connection. When you’re dancing Rumba together, you’re not thinking about the dishes, the bills, or that thing they said last week. You’re present. You’re together. You’re working as a team.

In fact, many couples report that dance lessons improve their communication far beyond the studio. The skills you develop – listening to subtle cues, adjusting to your partner, staying patient during the learning process – those transfer directly into daily life.

2. Who Are You?!

When was the last time your spouse did something so spontaneous and out of character that you asked “Who are you?” – in a good way? Dancing builds confidence. It can turn a mild-mannered research scientist into a matador. So when he boldly executes a Tango maneuver that you’ve never done before, enjoy it. Whisper the question in his ear for added points.

Relationships fall into patterns. You know what they’ll order at restaurants. You know what they’ll say about the neighbor’s new car. You finish each other’s sentences – which is sweet, but also predictable.

Dancing breaks those patterns. It reveals sides of your partner you’ve never seen. The shy one becomes bold. The serious one becomes playful. The one who “can’t dance” suddenly can. For more on this topic, check out 5 Reasons Why Guys Should Take Ballroom Dance Lessons.

3. Let’s Get Physical

OK, so let’s just say you’re not that marathoning couple in your neighborhood (they might be from another city, but just run through your neighborhood). You know, the types that just run for fun? So, finding regular exercise amidst the take home work, wind-down time, and commute is not really a high priority – let alone together. Let’s just say that taking a dance lesson:

• Is fun and socially interactive
• Can burn up to 300 calories per lesson
• Benefits, like exercise, come with every program we teach
• Will feel nothing like going to the gym, or running a marathon, so, therefore, you’re more likely to continue doing it.

BOOM! There’s your new workout routine.

The best exercise is the one you’ll actually do. And dance lessons trick your brain into exercising because they don’t feel like exercise. You’re learning something. You’re laughing (probably at yourself). You’re holding your partner. Time flies.

Before you know it, you’ve been moving for an hour and you’re asking when the next lesson is.

4. Improve Your Options

If you gamble – you know where all the card clubs are (legal or otherwise). If you shop – you know which stores to go to, when the sales happen, and which register is fastest. And if you know how to dance – you know where to go dancing, what music is played, and which dances to have ready to go when you get there. Thank you dance classes!

Last time we checked, going out dancing rated 10,000 times higher than the Olive Garden on the “Sexy Date Night” rankings.

When you can dance, every cruise ship, every wedding, every vacation with live music becomes an opportunity. You’re no longer the couple sitting at the table while everyone else has fun. You’re the couple that makes the party better.

5. Dating – again

How long has it been since you and your other half were “dating”? It’s easy to think of that as a past-tense period of time, but it doesn’t have to be. Chances are, you’ve just become too busy to date the way you used to. You may do something exciting on your anniversary, but how many of your regular date nights are “brag-worthy”?

Now let’s try that same question after taking some dance lessons together. There aren’t enough free breadsticks in the world that can compete with that. You get closer, you learn something together – and dancing is just the medium.

The medium matters less than the result. And the result is two people who are making time for each other, learning together, laughing together, and building something new – even if they’ve been married for decades.

What About the “He Won’t Dance” Problem?

We hear this constantly. She wants to dance. He doesn’t. End of discussion.

Except it’s not. Because here’s what usually happens: he comes reluctantly, expecting to hate it. Then he discovers that he’s actually capable. That it’s not as embarrassing as he feared. That his partner looks at him differently when he leads her through a Foxtrot.

Safe to say, the men who resist the hardest often become the most enthusiastic students. They just needed to get past the fear.

Final Thought

There are plenty more reasons why couples should take ballroom dance lessons together, but first you need to see it for yourself. This article is like describing an amazing dish (not at the Olive Garden) – eventually you just have to try it yourself. A complimentary lesson at Arthur Murray would certainly upgrade any date currently on the calendar. Who knows, after you schedule yours your main squeeze may be saying “Who Are You!?”

Ole!