Monday 09 December 2019


Revealed: How British men can dance sexily

Science claims to have worked out which dance movements catch a woman's eye. Avid observer Louisa Peacock offers a more common-sense approach

Making an impression on the dancefloor can't be that hard, lads
Making an impression on the dancefloor can't be that hard, lads Photo: BBC

Men, ever wondered how the Bruno Mars', Ushers', and J-Ts' of this world do it? Dance, that is. Or at least, move their bodies in a way that isn't toe-curlingly embarrassing.

Bruno Mars: That boy can move

Well, according to science, they all have something in common. Being a 'good' dancer is all to do with the speed of leg movements and variety of large head, neck and torso moves. Get the right combo, and you'll be beating the laydees off. Apparently.

Researchers at Northumbria University and the University of Gottingen (presumably men) have spent hours and hours identifying the body movements that make people think you can dance well.

The study demonstrates that the faster you move your legs (note - particularly when twisting on the right knee) and the larger, more variable head / neck/ back moves you can pull off, the sexier you will look on the dance floor. Get it wrong, though and you might end up looking like a giant chicken.

We can only imagine why these researchers have spent hours and hours looking at the 'science' behind this: all those hours and hours in a packed nightclub standing at the sidelines of a heaving dancefloor, wondering how on earth they could ever get their Saturday Night Fever moment, is bound to have an effect on someone.

John Travolta rocks it

And so the researchers dedicated a good portion of their time finding out what makes women attracted to men on the dancefloor.

An experiement invloved 30 men dancing to a drum beat for 30 seconds. The men were given no instructions on how to dance, and their movements were recorded before being turned into "gender-neutral" avatars.

Some 37 women then rated the performance of the dancers.

For an example of a 'good' dancer, see the first video below, uploaded on the Washington Post website.

For a 'bad' dancer, see this:

For the record, I think both these videos are pretty appalling - what is the first one doing with his arms? - but the second one is painfully bad. Shuffling around and looking down just screams: 'I lack so much confidence I can't even face looking up!' And zero confidence equals zero sex appeal.

Interestingly, the study says that what guys do with their arms on the dancefloor is inconsequential; the women rating the videos didn't seem to care about arm movement at all. I disagree. The first dancer is doing alright until he looks like he's taking part in an aerobic workout DVD. And what is that running man thing at the beginning? No.

It's obviously very hard to quantify what makes a good male dancer: this study is half way there, but there's so much more to it - including, I'm afraid, what you're wearing, what you look like, your body shape and even, what song you're dancing to. Nobody can look cool dancing to Jump Around, for example.

So, taking the 'science' out of it for one second, how about applying some good old common sense to what really makes a good dancer?

7 ways you can kill it on the dancefloor

1. Smile. Look like you're having fun, even if you're not

2. Keep your head up (don't fixate your stare on the floor). Look confident and like you've done this a million times before

3. Move your hips. This doesn't necessarily mean you need to move your feet as well - you could stay in the same spot but just concentrate on swinging those hips, baby. The rest will follow naturally

4. Go slower. Don't jive around like a headless chicken; relax, be smooth, be cool. Find a repetitive beat in the song that is a nice, slow pace and dance in time with that

5. Put your drink down. It's not sexy to spill beer everywhere

6. Wear something you feel comfortable dancing in. You may be rocking the Russell Brand-esque skinny jeans and black biker boots look, but this will make you sweat like mad and limit your moves, man!

7. Catch a woman's eye. Hold her stare. Smile. She'll be over in no time

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