The Reluctant Dancer

Tag: first try

Moments where Jack (or you) gave it a shot—awkward, brave, and real.

  • How I Tried the Box Step and Ended Up on the Floor

    The Reluctant Dancer blog logo featuring a vintage cartoon of Jack Nolan smiling inside a circle.

    I was pretty sure I had it.

    I watched one video, read one diagram, and thought, “Okay. A box. Four sides. I’m a grown man. I can do this.”

    For the first 10 seconds, I did feel kind of impressive.
    Then my left foot betrayed me. And my right foot doubled down.
    And then I tripped over both of them and landed on the floor.

    So here’s what happened:

    The Box Step sounds easy: step forward, side, together… then back, side, together.
    It’s the staple of every wedding first dance and YouTube tutorial ever uploaded.

    But what those videos don’t show you?
    What happens when you try to do all of that in time…
    …with posture…
    …without looking like a malfunctioning Roomba?

    My first attempt:

    Tried the Box Step. Hit the floor. Got back up—and finally got it right with the Social Dance Starter Bundle.

    The turning point:

    After the fall (and one very long moment of laying on the carpet questioning everything), I got up. Slowly.
    No dramatic rescue. No tutorial video. Just me… standing back up and trying again.

    I took a breath. I remembered the rhythm.
    Box step. One… two… three.
    Breathe.
    Four… five… six.

    It wasn’t graceful. But it was progress.
    I didn’t fall.
    Not that time.

    The truth is:

    Rhythm is just the beginning.
    Connection is the bridge.
    And footwork… well, footwork will teach you humility real fast.

    If you’re reading this thinking,

    “I should try the box step—how hard can it be?”

    Please refer to the video above.
    Then download the Social Dance Starter Bundle that kept me from declaring dance bankruptcy.

    Or just keep going. The floor will catch you if you don’t.

    You’ve got this.
    (Seriously.)

    —Jack

    • I Was Fine Until the Dancing Part: How One Wedding Invite Made Me Learn to Dance

      I Was Fine Until the Dancing Part: How One Wedding Invite Made Me Learn to Dance

      The Reluctant Dancer blog logo featuring a vintage cartoon of Jack Nolan smiling inside a circle.

      “Dinner, dancing, and a night to remember.” That’s what the invitation said. All I saw was: panic, sweat, and a night to survive.

      I thought I had one job: wear a suit, show up, smile for the photos.

      Then I saw the word “dancing” on the invitation—and everything unraveled.

      I wasn’t just underprepared. I was a walking rhythm emergency.

      If you’ve ever pretended to tie your shoe just to avoid being pulled onto the dance floor—we might be related.

      Things I Googled Instead of Admitting I Was Terrified

      • how not to ruin a wedding with dancing
      • beginner moves that don’t look too beginner
      • can you die from public dancing anxiety
      • how to not look like a wounded baby giraffe

      At some point, I landed on something called the Social Dance Starter Bundle. It claimed it could help a complete beginner feel good enough to show up at a wedding and try.

      So I downloaded it. Mostly out of panic. And a little curiosity.

      A four-panel cartoon sequence showing Jack Nolan receiving a wedding invite, Googling dance help, trying a rhythm drill at his coffee table, and spilling his coffee in panic.

      Spoiler: It Wasn’t About the Wedding

      That night, I sat at my coffee table, opened the rhythm drill, and started clapping to the beat like the video told me to.

      I may have gone a little too hard.

      I spilled my coffee everywhere.

      But for the first time, I was moving. Trying. Starting.

      The Real Reason I Said Yes

      It wasn’t really about the wedding. It was about Ruby. About not being the guy who always said no. About showing up for something even when it scared me.

      So I clicked download. Not because I thought I’d become some ballroom god.
      But because I was tired of sitting this one out.

      I wasn’t scared of dancing.
      I was scared of looking stupid.
      But doing nothing? That started to feel worse.

      Want to see how it all fits together?
      Step into the full story at The Jack Nolan Story—where panic meets partner dancing, and awkward meets kind of magical.