You gotta admit, being a dancer is a little weird.

I mean, anyone who sacrifices hours of their free time to train their bodies to move in synchronization with a group of people.. is gonna be a little funky (ha!).

Obviously, we’ve got our idiosyncrasies. But did you expect you'd adopt them when you first started dancing?

When you start being a dancer, you sign up for a lot more than just dance classes. You've have these 8 things happen, whether you realized it or not...

1. You become addicted to dancing

Dance classes should come with a warning label: Highly addictive! (Do it anyway.)

‍Once you start dancing, it’s hard to stop.

All dancers develop a dance itch, at least to some extent — that nagging feeling in the back of your head that tells you to go to class, to choreograph to that dope song, to freestyle in your room (or in your car, or in the aisle of the grocery store).

Do you get antsy when you don’t train?

Get hardcore withdrawals when you look at team vids/pics when you’re on break?

Do you spontaneously dance when you hear music?

If so, you probably are a little addicted. It’s okay – you’re not alone. We all have a bit of a dance problem.

2. You listen to music differently

Dancing changes the way you listen to music.

I mean, dancing is a physical interpretation of music, so it makes sense that we pay more attention to what we hear.

Dancers don’t just listen for the lyrics or the drumline.

We hear the little sounds, pay special attention to the accents, because that’s what we build choreo on.

Where others might just be like “Oh, this is a dope song,” dancers are like “Oh, this is a dope song…I wanna choreograph to it.”

‍Music is our muse, canvas, and paint; our bread and butter. We listen to it, we love it, and we dance to it.

‍Get even better at listening to music: How To Train Your Musicality As A Dancer

3. You spend an ungodly amount of time watching dance videos

When you get into dance, one of the first things that change is your explore feed on Instagram and Youtube.

Who needs Netflix when you have Tim Milgram and Vibrvncy, am I right?

In our defense, the dance community is full of creative visionaries who put out all sorts of awesome content.

Concept videos, competition pieces, classes...there’s so much good stuff out there.

Dance videos are a great way to explore the community and be exposed to different styles.

They’re inspiring, fun, and educational, so is it any wonder that we love to watch them? They kickstart your dance muse.

That’s obviously why it’s cool to burn four hours watching the same five medleys from VIBE 2017 in both full view and front row. Yeeeeeeah.

‍Or, make one yourself: How To Make Amazing Dance Videos

4. You become part of a community

We tend to think of dance as an individual or team thing.

But one of the things that nobody really tells you about the community is how interconnected dancers are, especially with the advent of Youtube and social media.

As dancers, we share a history. We share a common passion for dance. We have a culture, complete with common etiquette, celebrities, and fashion trends.

Heck, we even have our own language! The best part is, it’s a natural acceptance.

Nobody really tells you that you’ll join the dance community because it just happens to all of us. As long as you enjoy dance, you’re one of us. And that’s super cool.

‍Make it an even better place: How To Positively Contribute To The Dance Community

5. Your life kinda starts to revolve around dance

“I can’t; I have dance.”

‍Every dancer has said these words at least once in their life. Non-dancers just don’t get it—you can’t just ditch dance. No, not even if you have a test the next day.

No, not even if you’re sick. Obviously, dance has to take a backseat to commitments like work, school, and family.

‍Watch this video for tips: How To Balance School And Dance

‍Everything else? Ehhhhh. Dance also starts to bleed into the rest of your life (see point #1).

Do you ever notice how much dancers talk about dance?

Or how you start to think about clothes in terms of how easily you’re able to dance in them?

And on that note...

6. Your closet kinda starts to revolve around dance

Remember when your closet consisted of more than XL tees and sweatpants? Nobody tells you that dance clothes take over your closet.

It starts small...

Maybe you go to an event — so you have to buy a shirt, obvs.

Or you realize that you need another pair of sweats because you’ve worn the same pair three times in a week. Ew.

One shirt becomes two, which becomes three, and before you know it your dance clothes have gone through mitosis.

You have four virtually identical pairs of Adidas pants. That’s not necessarily a bad thing! Clothes are practical mementos... Right?

7. Dance changes you

Dancing requires you to connect with yourself both physically and mentally. You develop a sense of self-awareness, of how your body moves, of your limits.

You learn these limits, and you learn to surpass them. For some people, dancing teaches the importance of self-care.

We all know that dancing is highly physical — it’s literally moving to music, after all—but nobody really warns you about how difficult is on your body.

‍Invest in yourself! How To Take Care Of Your Body As A Dancer

‍Being a dancer (hopefully) makes you more aware about your body’s needs, and encourages you to take care of yourself.

8. You meet a ton of new people, many of whom become lifelong friends

One of the coolest things about dance is that it brings together people of all backgrounds.

It doesn’t matter how different you are, because you’re connected through the common thread of dance. Dancer friends are cool because they get it, you know?

Even acquaintances you’ve only met once comment on your videos and like all your #RoadTo_____ posts.

But sometimes, these friendships become something more.

‍Give it up for these: The 9 Best People In Any Dancer's Life

‍No, I’m not talking about romance. (Though that’s cool, too. We’ve all dreamed about finding the Keone to our Mari, right?)

Dancing together builds a very unique bond, especially among teammates.

From inside jokes to the shared high of performing together, it isn’t a stretch to say that the hours dancing together forges a connection unlike any other in our lives.

There are a lot of things that people don’t tell you about being a dancer. Learning these things along the way, however, is exactly what makes the journey so fun!

‍All these and many more reasons we love being a dancer: Why I'm Thankful To Be A Dancer

‍What's something that you were surprised to learn about being a dancer? Comment below to share!

‍Hungry to keep training? Sign up for STEEZY Studio now (for free!) to take unlimited dance classes!