I tried to learn to dance (hated it). It is a bit of a weird thing though, there as social events where people feel like it is OK to really try and pressure people into dancing. It is really annoying.
It's a pretty important social custom in a lot of cultures. I feel for you as there are times when I really, really don't feel like dancing but also don't want to be the odd one out.
It doesn’t really seem like an important one in US culture anymore, thankfully, so much as one of the few remaining fronts on which it is oddly socially acceptable to pester people.
I dunno, maybe it's not as important as it used to be, but high school dances have some cultural heft, and dancing is a centerpiece of the American wedding tradition. Weddings are pretty universally important across cultures. Plus America is becoming more Latino which I understand values dancing pretty highly.
I've had very good experiences with swing dancing. People are so nice (LindyGroove in Pasadena). No pressure, and everyone is very accommodating to newbies. I'm not sure why, but there is a very high percentage of engineers.
I tried Contra dancing a couple times. The people were nice enough, no complaints there, it was just like… I could be doing anything else and be happier, hahaha.
incase you want to give it another shot sometime, teaching your self via youtube/other platforms like steezy.co is a viable option if you want to go at your own pace w/o peer pressure.
Yeah, I hate it. I now can say "no" in such a way, that people immediately stop trying to make me dance, but when I was younger, it was really annoying.
