06/14/2026
Are you ready to move up a level?
I'm regularly asked what level of class one should be in and when it's time to give a more challenging level a try. It depends a lot on your natural ability, any dance experience you already have, and your willingness to practice. Remember, coming to social dances is a GREAT way to practice and lock in what you learned!
Absolute beginner to me is for the total newbie. You are taking your first steps into line dancing. You still need to learn the basics, which to me is learning when you take step or just touch, learning the names of movements like grapevine, K-step, V-step, etc. I keep the dances taught very simple. Still a lot of fun, and currently my AB classes are just on fire, so many people having a great time. I love it!
Beginner to me is someone who has the above basics down and is ready for some new moves. Still relatively easy dances, but with more syncopations (chase step, coaster step, sailor step) and for tags and restarts. This is where many people like to stay, especially if they're more into the bar dance scene. There are many popular dances at this level - Miles on It, Swamp Thang, Ziggy, Choosin' Texas. This used to be my biggest class! Are you ready to move up to beginner? Just stay and give it a try! Your best indication of being ready is if you are starting to get bored with the super simple AB dances.
Intermediate has a wide range of difficulties, from barely above beginner to practically advanced. In my intermediate class, I try to offer everything but the almost advanced level. And it depends on who's in class - I will often teach two in a night to give people an easier one and a harder one. These are the dances that tend to stick around longer and are done at dance weekends around the world. Yes, they're more challenging, but they are also more interesting and truly match the musicality of a song. Tags and restarts are common, footwork can be faster, and we add in steps like spiral turns or diamond fall-aways. But if you want to learn dances like Sports Car, Dangerous Games, Fever Dream, or No Time to Talk, that's where I teach them. Are you ready for intermediate? You should be having no trouble at all in beginner, know your basics, and are able to move your feet fast. I don't go as slow as in beginner class. To me, the challenge is half the fun and these are the dances that really catch people's eyes. You CAN learn them - they're not as hard once I break them down and we practice.
So what's "transitional"? That's my term, not the dance world's term. It started when I had some people moving up from beginner to intermediate and they had not yet learned popular intermediate dances like 3 Tequila Floor. I was staying late after beginner to teach them. Once I gave up teaching Zumba Gold, I had an empty hour before the intermediate class to catch people up. At this point, those people are pretty much all caught up, and I would love for it to be that middle ground between beginner and intermediate that some people call improver. Maybe I'll start using that class for the easier intermediate dances - ones like Rhumbumbumba or Right Foot First.
Just be willing to give a new level a try. Don't be scared. One thing I can say for sure about my dancers is that we are a welcoming and supportive bunch. I love that about my dancers! By the way, these are all how I personally view levels. Other people may have different opinions.
