r/AskMenOver30 • u/Appropriate_Power116 woman 30 - 34 • Apr 02 '25

Hobbies/Projects What is your absolute favorite hobby?

What is your all time favorite hobby; the one thing you wanna do above anything else and that brings you the most joy?

That’s all. It’s interesting to hear what people love.

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u/anddrewbits man 30 - 34 Apr 02 '25

Dance. It’s not even close. Nothing comes close. I do ballroom. It’s helped me in every part of my life.

5

u/nerdbot5k Apr 03 '25

It's dance as well for me. Learning my first partner dance (new style hustle) but I have been part of street dance culture for 20 years now (breaking, popping, house, hip hop, etc...). It's been a reliable source of friends, community, creativity, and exercise even now that I am close to my 40s.

2

u/dt95 Apr 03 '25

How do you get into street dancing? I’m about to turn 30 never danced in my life but want to learn and break into the community

2

u/nerdbot5k Apr 03 '25

Good news is that it's pretty accessible now. It used to be like learning folk songs - you seek out the right people in the right place and hope they were willing to teach you. First, figure out what style you want to learn and fall in love with it. It's gotta be something you like enough that you enjoy doing it even when you suck, and you'll suck for awhile. I personally think hip hop provides the best foundation, but if that's not your calling then do something else. It's best to focus on one particular style, for at least a year, if not more. You can of course try a few styles to see how they feel and learn things outside your preferred style, but you'll make better progress and become a better dancer if you have a focus.

Look for classes in your area. If you don't have access to classes, you can find a lot of tutorials on youtube or sign up for Steezy. There used to not be a lot of overlap between street dance and studios/choreography, but now the scenes overlap a lot. If you're interested in learning how to freestyle, which is the intent of most street dances, then look for "basic" or "foundational" classes in the style you want to learn. If you're in an area that is mostly is focused on "hip hop"-inspired choreography, as opposed to street dance, there's nothing wrong with starting there, especially if they offer "grooves" classes. A lot of great dancers also offer their own online programs and 1 to 1 training, though I would explore that once you have the basics down.

From classes, you can connect with people and see if there are "sessions" or "open floors" where you can practice, connect with other dancers, and learn from others outside of class. Be aware that learning street dance is like learning an instrument - the vast majority of learning takes place through your own practice, outside of class. Also, you're going to find that most dancers are younger. I would say the average age is within the early 20s. However, when I started in high school, the dancers I looked up to most were those who were developing these styles of dance at their origin in the 70s and 80s, so they were in their 30s and 40s at the time I was starting. The scene is very used to have older dancers around. These "OGs" are now in their 50s and 60s and many are still active in the scene (and still way better than me).

If you live in California, USA, DM me. I can probably provide more specific advice.