How to Start Lyrical Dance: A Beginner's Guide to Flow and Technique
Where emotion meets motion, and every step tells a story.
Have you ever watched a dancer move with such seamless emotion that it gave you chills? That’s the magic of lyrical dance. It’s not just about hitting the right steps; it’s about letting the music pour through your body, creating a physical narrative that’s as fluid as it is powerful. If you’ve felt drawn to this beautiful, expressive style, you’re in the right place. Starting lyrical dance is a journey of connecting mind, body, and music.
What Exactly is Lyrical Dance?
Before you take your first step, it helps to understand the canvas you’re painting on. Lyrical dance is a fusion genre. It takes the strong, technical foundation of ballet—the turned-out legs, the pointed toes, the graceful port de bras—and marries it to the freedom, weight, and emotional honesty of contemporary dance. The result is a style that is deeply interpretative. The dancer doesn't just perform to the music; they become an extension of it, using movement to convey the song's lyrics, mood, and story.
The Core Idea: Lyrical is about authenticity. It’s less about perfect lines (though technique is crucial) and more about making the audience feel something. Your face, your fingertips, the breath you take—they all become part of the dance.
Your First Steps: Building the Foundation
You don't need to be a prima ballerina to begin, but a willingness to learn the basics is key. Here’s how to build your lyrical foundation from the ground up.
Lyrical is deeply internal. Start by simply listening to music—ballads, emotional pop, cinematic scores. Close your eyes and notice what the music makes you feel. Where does the emotion sit in your body? Does the crescendo make your chest swell? Does a soft violin make your arms feel light? This mindfulness is your first tool.
Take a beginner ballet class to understand posture, turnout, and basic positions (first, second, third, fifth). Simultaneously, a contemporary or modern jazz class will introduce you to grounded movements, contractions, and using weight. Lyrical lives in the space between these two disciplines.
Forget a normal walk. A lyrical walk is a slow, controlled, and fluid transfer of weight, often on the ball of the foot, with a sense of purpose and grace. Practice walking across the room as if you’re moving through water, connecting each step with intention, letting your arms flow naturally.
Essential Techniques to Practice
- Contraction and Release: Borrowed from modern dance, this is the curling in of the core (like being punched in the stomach) followed by a lengthening out. It’s pure emotion made physical.
- Sequential Movement: Instead of moving your whole arm at once, initiate the movement from your shoulder, then let it flow through the elbow, wrist, and fingertips. Think of it as energy rippling through your body.
- Balance & Control: Lyrical is full of sustained poses, développés, and turns that require immense core strength and control. Practice balancing in relevé (on the balls of your feet) and slow, controlled leg lifts.
- Facial Expression: Your face is not an afterthought. Practice in a mirror. The emotion should come from within and be reflected genuinely, not look like a forced "performance" smile or frown.
Creating Your First Piece of Choreography
Once you have some vocabulary, try interpreting a song.
- Choose Your Song: Pick a piece of music that genuinely moves you—one with clear emotional shifts and lyrics you connect with.
- Listen. Then Listen Again. Map out the song. Where is the chorus? The bridge? The instrumental break? Note the dynamics (soft vs. loud).
- Start with Feeling: Don’t think "what step goes here?" Think "how does this part feel?" Maybe the verse feels like sinking, so you might use a slow floor spiral. The chorus feels like breaking free, so it might be a big leap or turn.
- Keep it Simple: Your first piece doesn’t need 10 turns in a row. A beautiful port de bras (carriage of the arms) with a meaningful look can be more powerful than the most advanced trick.
Pro-Tip: Film yourself. It’s the best way to see the difference between what it feels like you’re doing and what it actually looks like. Be kind to yourself—progress, not perfection, is the goal.
What to Wear & Bring to Class
Comfort is key. Opt for form-fitting clothing like a leotard and footless tights or leggings and a fitted tank top so your teacher can see your lines. Most lyrical dancers start in ballet shoes or half-soles (lyrical sandals) for flexibility and foot articulation. Bring water, a towel, and an open heart ready to be vulnerable.
The Mindset of a Lyrical Dancer
This might be the most important part. Lyrical requires vulnerability. It asks you to take technical skill and then let go just enough to be human within it. You will have days where the technique feels clunky and the emotion feels forced. That’s okay. The journey is about integrating the two. Be patient, be consistent, and most importantly, be willing to tell your story through movement.
Your lyrical journey starts not with a perfect pirouette, but with a single, honest breath moved by a song. Now, go find your music and begin.
