Which adult-focused dance class is right for you?

Dance classes are often associated with children, but there are just as many for adults — and it's a great way to meet new people, improve your fitness and learn a new skill. If you're interested in learning to dance as an adult but not sure where to start, read on for a quick run-down of some of the most popular grown-up dance classes and who they might suit.

Ballet

While perhaps most strongly associated with children, adult ballet classes are a great way to improve your balance, your posture and your flexibility. They are generally extremely low-pressure environments, as these are amateur dancers here only for the sheer joy of it. You're likely to be offered a chance to take place in shows and performances, but it's not compulsory and adult newcomers to ballet will rarely find themselves called upon to compete. Start with a beginner's class if it's been a few years, but if you took ballet lessons as a child you might find it comes back to you and you move up pretty quickly!

Latin & Ballroom

Of all the styles of dance aimed at adult learners, Latin & ballroom are the most suitable for anyone who would like someday to compete in a style they didn't begin learning until later in life. Amateur and semi-professional Latin and ballroom competitions take place all over the world and are competed in — and won! — by couples of all ages. Of course, you don't have to compete. If you've ever wanted to waltz like a princess, show off at a wedding or embrace the brooding drama of the tango, there will be a class near you that can help you do it no matter what ability level you're starting at.

Salsa

Salsa dancing is unusual in that there really isn't much of a youth salsa scene; it's a style almost exclusively learned, practiced and enjoyed by adults. This is partly because it's such a social form of dance--there are competitions, of course, but the heart of the style is the open-floor salsa club where people come together and apart and dance with a mix of partners freely. If your biggest priority for dance lessons is meeting new people and making friends, salsa is the one for you!

Street Dance

If you want to pick up a dancing style that comes along with a thriving subculture of its own, street dance is the one for you. As well as the lessons you'll find nightclubs, performance venues, independent retailers and even whole genres of music dedicated to the street dance scene — not to mention a huge variety of people involved at all levels, from the most beginner of classes to the worldwide competition calendar.

For more information on dance classes, contact a professional near you.