The 10 Best Dance Moves To Woo A Lover & 10 To Leave At Home
How Many Of These Moves Are In Your Repertoire?
Dancing is the language of love... or not. The way you move your body on the dance floor can either pump up your game or kill it entirely. Scientists have done studies on what dance moves are the most alluring to people of the opposite gender, linking their results to biological factors. That's what makes some moves timeless gems. Meanwhile, others are so bad it's flabbergasting that they're still being used. Here are the 10 best dance moves to woo a lover and 10 to forget about.
1. Hip Sway
When it comes to dancing, simple is sexy. If you can move your hips, you'll fool everyone on the dance floor into thinking you have rhythm.
2. The Walk Away
Make your dance partner's heart miss a beat by spinning around and taking a few steps away from them. Then, casually change your mind and walk right up to them again.
3. The Dip
This one may take some practice before you can pull it off smoothly on the dance floor, but once you get it down, it's a head-turner. Bend your knees and dip your hips down to the ground or as low as you can go, then pop back up to standing.
4. Hair Flip
If you have long hair, whip your head to one side and let your hair fly into the air and let it fall back down as it pleases. This move exudes confidence when done right.
5. The Fly Swat
This move is the perfect answer to the question: "What do I do with my hands?" Hold your hand flat and raise it into the air as high as you want, then flick your wrist as if you're batting away flies.
6. The Feelin' Myself
While moving your hips in a slow, circular motion, run your hands up your own body as if you really can't get over how hot you are. If your dance partner didn't notice your allure already, they certainly will now.
7. Body Roll
This move takes some practice and a lot of confidence to pull off, but it can be very impressive when done well. Push your chest up and forward, then, in a fluid motion, roll it down through your core and hips.
8. Slow Grind
The sustained eye contact is key with this move. Look your dance partner square in the face as you move your hips in slow, controlled circles.
9. The Shoulder Shimmy
The shoulder shimmy is a sassy and flirtatious Latin move that anyone can do. The key is the shoulder isolation. Keep your body still and quickly shake your shoulders.
10. The Subtle Touch
If you and your dance partner are vibing, you can reach out and very subtly touch their chin, shoulder, or arm. You don't even really have to touch, you can just hover your finger very close to touching. Watch as their skin gets covered with goosebumps.
Now that we've covered our favorite dance moves for wooing a lover, let's talk about the cringe-worthy ones that have the opposite effect.
1. The Running Man
Running in place is not dancing, even if you're stepping to the beat. It's a good way to clear some space around you, as no one wants to get stepped on.
2. The Awkward Finger Pointing
Didn't your mother ever tell you pointing is rude? This applies to the dancefloor too, especially considering the danger of poking someone's eye out.
3. The Grandma Clap
The DJ didn't intend their music to have your annoying claps in it. When you are just there putting your hands together, it looks like you're waiting for the music to end and not enjoying it at all.
Samuel Regan-Asante on Unsplash
4. The Face Frame
This move entails framing your face with your hands. It's almost always done comically, and it can be cute when you're dancing with friends. However, if wooing a lover is your goal, you should leave this one at the door.
5. The Lasso
We've all seen this one done on the dance floor before privately gagging to ourselves. It's where you make an air lasso with your hands and rope it around your dance partner before pulling yourself to them.
6. The Sprinkler
You know, the one where you have one arm behind your head and the other straight out in front as you jerk it around like the spout of a sprinkler. It's an old-school move that should be left in the past.
7. Hammer Time
Popularized by MC Hammer in those ridiculous hammer pants, this is one dance move we're glad didn't make it into the 21st century. It's achieved by shuffling your feet back and forth while keeping your legs wide apart and slightly bent.
John Mathew Smith on Wikimedia
8. The Robot
Let's be honest; the vast majority of us don't know how to do the robot. Let's just agree to stop trying. Even if you get it right, there's nothing sensual about those robotic movements.
9. The Arm Dancer
A lot of people who feel a little self-conscious on the dance floor get fixated on moving one body part, for example, the arms. This results in you uncomfortably flailing your arms around on the dance floor: not hot. Focus on the hips instead.
10. The Carlton
Remember the character Carlton from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? He had a signature dance move that was a sort of a jog with finger snaps fit for nowhere but the living room.
