No Stupid Questions

This is actually a great question, but it doesn't have one answer.

Usually people learn their first "dancing" at home from their parents or siblings, or maybe even at school at dances. Most of these are just simple movement to music, like a slow dance, or just a step back and forth kinda thing.

Usually people then pick up some sort of "moves" by seeing other people do them, often in popular media like tv shows, movies, music videos, etc.

This is where most people stop.

Then there's the people who want to DANCE. And a lot of those go to dance studios or join a dance club as kids or youth, or even as an adult, and learn both different moves and full choreography for entire songs where there's intentional patterns of moves in series.

Like most things these days, you can also do that alone with some youtube videos in your bedroom. If they need more space, they may go practice outside. Pick a move, learn it, pick another move, learn it. String them together into your own choreography, or copy the choreography from a video you found.

As you get a bit into the dance scene and are confident enough to do it in front of others, there start to be times and places you can go to show off. I'm not just talking about competitions, but even parties hosted just to cater to dancers. Often with specific music types for a specific type of dancing.

Dancing is awesome. I never got very good at it, but it's very healthy.

Dance clubs.

Many already said how people start dancing. I'll add some things to keep in mind:

1- culture is a massive factor: nobody mentioned birthday parties. I'm going to presume kids don't dance at birthday parties in English speaking countries, but elsewhere in the world you have birthdays and I'm going to guess other festivities in other cultures include dancing. That's a major step before you are old enough to go clubbing. Freestyle in the case of birthdays, but you also need to keep in mind my next point,...

2- TV, Music videos, Videogames and whatever media in which people see these moves also helps people learn them. It's not uncommon for a small group of friends trying out if they can do this Celebrity Move like in Such Video Clip or whatever and this can happen while they hang out anywhere, even during school breaks.

So yes, if you have the inclination for dancing you have plenty of opportunities to practice and learn as you grow.

Graves

There are barn dances every Monday night at the Irish American Heritage Center here in Chicago. Usually Contras and some Waltzes, every so often a Square. The IAHC also hosts Ceili dances but that's less accessible for beginners.

I know there are Swing clubs and Salsa clubs throughout town as well.

I dance where I work. I have a standing desk and dance to music to focus on brainy tasks.

We can dance if we want to, we can leave your friends behind. Because your friends don't dance and if they don't dance, well, they're no friends of mine.

While it might seem obvious, I know people who just dance on spot in public when they hear a song. They might not even hear a song, they might sing it instead. I also know people who like to dance in their room (as someone else here mentioned). They might not use the very complex moves though, I dont know if you ask specifically for these.

People probably use more "serious" moves in dance classes/events/clubs.

PS. I'm too shy to dance and I ~always admire people who do (especially when you see that they don't do it forcefully, they just express themselves). I'm doing some dance classes to improve my situation, hopefully I might make it, or at least I'll have tried🤷

Much of your choice of moves comes down to your partner.

In a place where dancing happen people are usually helpful and know more than basics, so i’d not say unprompted. Dancing is about promoting.

Just picked up swing - we’re just starting our 50’s and I never learned to dance. Two short courses this autumn and back again in january for 3 more until april.

There are dace-halls and clubs, but here in Norway its kinda fringe culture so you need to look for it. No fancy nightclubs or stuff like that as far as I know that have dance floors and music. There are huge dance parties in sports halls and the likes in the weekends. But they are far out and about.

Lots of places, anywhere you can really

Clubs and bars around here occasionally have country line dancing night, but other than that I just go see live music and if it moves me, I dance.

If you're an angel, on the head of a pin.