the nerds should be dancing

[This is day #25 of my 30-day microblogging challenge. You can and should still join!

I’ve always been surprised me that dancing isn’t popular among nerds. “But, Zoe, nerds lack somatic awareness. They’re awkward and have no musical sense”. Well, maybe, but dancing is also a somewhat technical skill.

There’s a “skill tree” to climb, though it’s not as objectively verifiable as coding or math. Different genres entail a series of moves that require practice to execute and sometimes demand improvements in flexibility, balance, or coordination. It’s difficult to quantify, but you can clearly see a difference after a few months of dance practice.

In general, dancing can feel somewhat technical. You catch the beat and have to design an impromptu (or pre-learned) series of steps that match the beat, which you then execute to the beat. You feel the 1-2-3-4 or 1-2 cadence and try to move with it. You design different variations and combinations. You practice over and over again until you are able to execute them as you envisioned.

Dancing also engages different parts of your brain that you might not experience otherwise (I know many “nerds” who are deeply interested in exploring the “corners” of the mind, so dancing can also be interesting from a purely intellectual perspective).

If you’re a nerd reading this, I recommend learning to dance because, besides the reasons stated above, it is also beneficial to your health and will likely make you more attractive!