If you’ve ever seen a dance competition or even an episode of “Dancing With The Stars,” the graceful and confident way the dancers glide across the floor probably had you hooked. If you’re like most people, the thought “Wow! I wish I could carry myself like that!” may have even crossed your mind!
Well, are you ready for some good news? You can!

Learning to dance is not only an excellent way to physically improve your health, but can boost your emotions, as well! Dancing has shown to increase self-confidence and self-esteem by providing an expressive outlet and the opportunity to learn something new and fun! Whether it’s through toning your body, mastering a new move, or just building up the courage to ask a new person to dance, dancing provides many avenues for boosting self confidence.

Many people secretly would love to learn to dance, but they let their fear of looking silly, being around new people, or possibly doing something uncomfortable get in the way. Here’s the thing — so often all it takes is showing up, and then overcoming that fear and stepping out onto the dance floor to kick the self esteem into motion. We’ve seen it time and again: people take a chance by learning something new and then realize they are more courageous and capable than they ever imagined!

We love hearing contestants on shows like “Dancing with the Stars” share stories about how dancing increased their self confidence and self esteem, because we see it every day! Candace Cameron Bure, well known for her role as DJ Tanner on the hit show “Full House,” competed on DWTS during season 18. She recently shared with People Magazine that while on the show she felt her insecurities becoming less and less important as the weeks went on. “I’m trusting and believing that my confidence will shine through more and more,” she said.
Here are a few ways that you can gain confidence through learning to dance:

• Making mistakes and learning from them!
• Asking a new partner to dance during your class
• Mastering a new move or dance that you have been struggling with
• Improving your overall health and fitness
• Meeting new people
• Learning about different cultures

When you’re learning to dance something new, you can stop worrying or comparing and simply “dance your own dance.”

Tell us: what new activity have you tried that helped improve your confidence?