10 Tips For Taking Online Dance Classes

Charise Roberts

January 23, 2024

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Online dance classes are awesome!

By training at home, you get more privacy, more freedom, a huge selection of quality classes, and so much more.

Here are 10 useful tips to help you make the most out of your at-home class-taking experience! 👇

1. Research your instructors

Platforms like Zoom and Instagram Live have made online dance classes more accessible to all, but they've also lowered the barrier of entry for new instructors.

You might feel like you've struck gold after seeing your favorite choreographer announce a Zoom class, but if they don't have much teaching experience, you'll still have trouble picking up their moves.

Take the time to go through your instructor's social media profiles and tagged posts to see first-hand: the levels of students that take their class, their dance style, and the way that they teach.

More experienced instructors give frequent tips and feedback, come to class well prepared, and are skilled at explaining how the moves should feel – not just how they should look.

2. Know when to choose a live vs. a recorded class

When you take a live class, you might have the opportunity to get immediate feedback, talk to the other students, and see the moves on more bodies other than your own.

With a recorded class, you can:

Take classes on your own schedule - perfect for busy bees!
You have control over the pace of your class - perfect for beginners with slower pickup!
You can repeat parts of, or the entire class - perfect for perfectionists!

So, if you're looking for more of the social aspects of taking a dance class, live classes might be a great fit for you.

But, if you're a beginner dancer or want a little more convenience, try a platform like STEEZY Studio where the recorded classes allow you to learn at your own pace.

3. Keep yourself accountable by scheduling classes

If you wanna level up as a dancer, consistency is key.

If you keep at it, your skills will skyrocket. If not, you could lose your progress!

No matter how diligent you are, online classes might not feel like a "legit" commitment, so it's important to have a fool-proof system to make sure you're becoming a better dancer – day by day, week by week.

And your dance instructor is not yo' mama, so (tough love alert) it is not their job to remind you to show up!

Make sure to mark your calendar and set a reminder for yourself.

You'll waste less money and have a much easier time sticking to your dance goals.

4. Create a dedicated dance space in your home

There's nothing worse than slamming your elbow into a wall in the middle of your groove sesh, just because you don't have enough space to dance in!

Trust me, I've been there. 😭😭

Get yourself in the headspace to dance by treating a certain area of your home as your own little dance studio - here’s how:

Set up mirrors (Check out the video below for some helpful setup tips!)
Move your lighter furniture to the edges of the room
Test what’s most comfortable to dance in: shoes, socks, or bare feet?
Test different footwear for different types of movement
Test your camera setup (Pro tip! Get a fish-eye lens to capture more in frame)

5. Don’t forget to warm up and cool down

A lot of dance classes are physically demanding exercise, so warming up beforehand and cooling down afterward is a must.

However, a lot of live online dance classes skip warm ups and cool downs due to time constraints or the more informal setting, and most recorded classes will only cover the exact class material.

Give your body the TLC it needs by setting your reminder for class about 10 minutes early and squeezing a warm up in first.

Then, after each class, use an easy stretch routine for your cool down.

If you don't know any warm up or stretching routines, these videos will give you a great place to start:

See Related Article: How To Take Care Of Your Body As A Dancer

6. Invite friends to take class with you

If it's difficult to stay motivated about taking classes at home, invite a friend to train with you!

Having a dance buddy will keep you much more accountable, and spending time with a friend will give you even more to look forward to on class days.

Plus, as a bonus, you can give each other feedback, film each other's dance videos for Insta, or try some partner pieces while you're at it!

Don't have any dance friends nearby?

STEEZY Studio's newest feature, STEEZY Party, allows you to video chat with up to 10 friends while taking any recorded class!

And speaking of features...

7. Take advantage of technology

A common mistake many dancers make, is treating an online class the same way they would treat a class at a physical studio.

They show up, learn the routine, practice as directed, and complete the class.

But it's 2020... we have technology! Here's how to use it to your advantage:

Use a screen recording app to record your live lessons – then review the class later on your own time.
Pause recorded classes to practice matching up your pictures.
Rewind and repeat challenging sections to lock each move down!

And if you want even more control?

We made taking a class on STEEZY Studio as close to a real class as possible – while using the advantages of technology to add in some elements that you CAN’T get in a real class.

Get the scoop on all the helpful features in this video:

8. Ask for feedback

If you don’t know what you’re doing wrong (and what you’re doing right) – you won’t know how to get better at dancing and end up staying at the same level.

So, establish a couple of go-to people you can rely on for feedback after each online class you take.

If your instructor provides individual feedback during online live sessions – great!

If there isn't enough time, or if you're taking a recorded class, hit up your dancer friends or take to social media for critique.

Most instructors love seeing their students train and improve, so don't be afraid to post a dance video and tag your instructor... they might have some individual pointers to give you in the comments!

There are also several online communities for dancers where you can share your progress and get helpful tips.

Just make sure you're taking the time to give feedback to others – not just take!

9. Connect with your classmates

If you’re attending the same class as someone else, you probably have other things in common – whether that’s music taste, personal dance goals, a low-key obsession with the instructor…

So, be open! Reach out to the other students online! Set up virtual hangouts!

Use forums, comment sections, and other online communities to connect with others and make new friends.

For example, when you join STEEZY Studio, you can join a Facebook group of dancers around the world that you can talk to, share videos with, and maybe even meet in person!

By signing up, you’ll end up with dance homies all around the world who you can rely on for feedback, friendship, and fun.

See Related Article: How To Build A Network In The Dance Community

10. Try new things!

This is THE most important takeaway for taking online dance classes...

You need to EXPERIMENT.

Not only will you level up faster by widening your knowledge, but you may discover something new that you really love.

Online dance classes are the best way to do this because of the lower commitment and greater availability of classes.

So, when choosing classes...

Try new styles – foundational styles like House, Whacking, or Popping will help you build your range as a dancer.
Take classes in different levels – you can brush up on your basics, or challenge yourself to learn an advanced piece.
Train with different instructors - check out that dancer from Japan, or your friend, or someone you’ve only ever followed on IG.
Groove to a new sound – challenge yourself to learn a routine to a genre of music you never danced to before!