Using Dance to Improve Portuguese

Using hobbies to push learning. In this case dance and languages!

This article came from randomly generating "Discuss" and "Dance" on my Article Generator for Dice Song!

Learning Portuguese

Many people coming to Portugal find it hard to learn the language. Some say it's the pronunciation, the grammar, the speed at which the Portuguese speak. I think a large part is that many trying to learn are Americans and Brits, who don't have a strong culture of learning languages, and might be learning one for the first time.

I think what makes it hardest is the proficiency of the Portuguese in English. The level of English is high among the Portuguese, especially here in the tourist city of Porto. At the slightest hesitation in you Portuguese, many natives (and a few Brazilians) will switch to English. Sometimes you can get a conversation back to Portuguese, but it's rarely easy.

So you need to find ways to learn the language beyond apps and books. A Portuguese friend, private lessons, some talkative Brazilians, or a hobby you can utilise.

If you can find a hobby where you're combining something you're interested in with lessons or activities in your target language, that's a winner.

For me that's dance.

Dance and Language

Partner dancing has been part of my life for decades, Ironically I learnt Spanish because of Salsa. The dance introduced me to people from many nations, lots of them Spanish-speaking. So when sharing a house with a dancer, it was an easy step to finally try and learn a language.

And an environment of dance helped.

Music and singing in other languages is good for learning them. You'll hear the sounds, listen to the words and how they fit together, and maybe learn a few with context. Alot of it will be in the subconscious!

The dance environment has helped me with learning languages. Being relaxed, meeting new people in a fun environment, going to dance events abroad. Dance is the vehicle for new experiences, giving context to the language learning.

The social side of partner dancing also forces you to be around people. I'm often happy on my own, but having the structure of a hobby I love makes it easier to be around people. And speaking to people is the best way for language learning, if you can get out of speaking in English.

Partner dancing is an international thing. I can find places to dance salsa or bachata in Poland, Portugal, Spain or Latin America. So it's easier to find people who might want to dance and chat.

Lindy Hop and Forro

My friend Margarida was a lindy hop dancer. While I'm not always a fan, I opened my mind when trying it out. There are two schools with very different ways of teaching. It was also nice to return to some blues dancing.

One has an amazing Monday where you eat dinner and dance afterwards. There are a lot of Portuguese dancing there in comparison to salsa or many non-dance events. This is a perfect environment for listening to and speaking some Portuguese. If you can get past the tendency of the locals to switch to English when speaking with foreigners!

And then this year it's been about forró. It's a Brasilian dance which I'd never heard of until coming to Porto. There's an excellent dance school here and good opportunities for social dancing. One venue, Mafamood, is one of my all-time favourites, it has a relaxed feel with good energy.

And it's done be good for Portuguese. Lessons are in Portuguese, as are all the songs and much of the conversation at the socials. It will be strange to dance forró in UK in an English language environment.

And hopefully the dance and languages continue into 2025!

Finishing Up

Ultimately it's about finding a way to combine two hobbies into a greater experience.

What things have you combined?