I think white people in America usually can't dance for the same reason we're typically not as good at basketball as most African Americans. I think it's a matter of culture which creates opportunities to practice such skill and having role models who practice such skills. I don't know the history that's led to this, but I do know that basically no one in my family dances - or plays basketball for that matter. Personally, I'm white and I think Im' a pretty good dancer. But, that's because I've spent a lot of time dancing. I'm a better dancer than most of my friends (who are predominately white) b/c I took an interest in it in my teens and spent hours dancing at clubs and parties in H.S. and college. On a side note, my girlfriend is from Sweden. She just moved to the U.S. less than a year ago. And, she noticed a difference b/n the way Europeans dance adn white American girls dance. She said that she could see where it comes from after watching cheerleaders dance at her first American football game. So, again, it's a natural development from experiences growing up.
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Name : Michael W., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 27, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Sales, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, I think you presume in your question that when there is soulful or rhythm & blues-type music on, that white people don't dance as well as blacks do. When you consider other music genres, we whites do better, in my opinion. The jitterbug, country music dances; and as for salsa, merengue, I don't think blacks have a better interpretation than Hispanics do. An Irishman/woman can do the Irish dances much better than a black person would. Do you get my point?
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Name : Tom R., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Freedom, Age : 50, City : Pittsburgh, State : PA Country : United States, Occupation : Operations Manager, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, I'm black and have rhythm, but have you seen today's dances? For me they're really hard, because that's not what I was raised up in. I spent my spare time studying or doing ballet and tap. I went to almost all-white schools and spent most of my time around white kids. White kids tend to never watch BET, so where are they going to learn to dance? Have you ever seen the music videos on MTV or VH1? Up until recently all they showed were white rock bands. How do you dance to rock? It's all about headbanging, jumping around and other dumb stuff like that - none of it's ever on beat. So that's what they learned, to be off all the time. They never saw anything else, and if they did it wasn't seen as cool or proper to mimic, so they didn't. No practice equals no skills
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Name : Kira26397, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, City : Willingboro, State : NJ Country : United States, Dance talent and having a good sense of rhythm are often natural talents. These talents have nothing to do with race. I've been kicking it for more than 40 years and have seen plenty of other white folks bust a move also.
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Name : Maggie T., Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Quaker, Age : 47, City : Atlanta, State : GA Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, Dancing is not as universal as many people like to think. Though we all dance, not everyone dances in the same methods and to the same sound. There are so many forms of dancing and bodily expression it's hard to say one race 'can't dance.'
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Name : Ryan D, Gender : Male, Race : American Indian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 20, City : Dallas, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, I do have white friends who can dance and dance well. My view is if your watching don't criticize at least they're out on the floor having fun. If you know what you're doing and someone is struggling, help them out.
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Name : John29187, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 23, City : Huntington, State : WV Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, It's my experience that the majority of white people seem to move to the 1 and 3 beats rather than the more rhytmically pleasing 2 and 4 beats. Not sure why that is - I maintain it harkens back centuries to music that is racially relevant - Mozart's music was oriented to a 1/3, but I think African music and South American music (like Chilean folk music for one example) is oriented to a 2/4. I know a few black people who can't dance but I know a ton of whites who really should sit out. Not sure why.
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Name : Heidi, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Wiccan, Age : 32, City : Durham, State : NC Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, I don't think it's that we lack anything in terms of rhythm, but it's more acceptable in the African-American community for people to take 'risks' in making themselves look stupid than in the traditional Caucasian community. As a result, rhythm and dancing have become intrinsic to black culture and it's easily passed from one generation to the next. A white child with rhythm will probably not be given the same opportunities to express his talent until he grows old enough to become aware of it himself.
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Name : Jessica19720, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 18, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Upper middle class, Maybe it's not that white people do not have ryhthm, but that white people do not define rhythm the same way as you. It's possible that a white person could watch you dance and say you have absolutely no rhythm, according to their opinion of how someone should dance.
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Name : Leslie Doolittle, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : American Indian, Religion : Native American, Age : 32, City : Durant, State : OK Country : United States, Occupation : political scientist, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 
jbParticipant
White boys tend to find intrest in music that doesn't have phat ass beats so it's really hard to dance to. Try doing a kid in play to metallica. It's not that we don't have the ability to dance with rhythm, it's just that the music we listen to really doesn't give you a chance. Now if you're a white boy like myself who listens to all types of music, we can 'bump an grind' with all the beautiful sisters.
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Name : jb, Gender : M, Age : 23, City : bridgeton, State : NJ Country : United States, White people aren't brought up to dance. Unless it is some sort of organized dance like on the Lawrence Welk Show or something. It is not a cultural priority I guess. White guys only dance for three reasons: 1. Because the woman wants to. 2. To get close to a woman. 3. To get in bed with a woman. White guys don't sit around and watch MTV videos to see the latest dance moves or bother practicing them.
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Name : Brad, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Religion : Taoist, Age : 22, City : Madison, State : WI Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, Dancing is not a gift for certain races. It depends on the culture people are born into. Look at Eminem, he can dance to rap. But I bet you he couldn't line dance. It's not what a certain race can or can't do but rather what the individual can or can't.
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Name : Anna, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 17, City : Memphis, State : TN Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Upper middle class, If I knew the answer to that, I could (and would) kick it. It's as much a mystery as us as it is to you... I remember middle school dances: everyone would make a circle and someone would get in the center and break it down. The black girls always impressed me most, moving their bodies in ways I could never get mine to do. I went home and practiced. Not until I took a belly dance class for two years and learned how to move different stomach muscles did I learn how to do a body roll. If only I knew then what I know now...
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Name : Laurie, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 24, City : Dallas, State : TX Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, The reason white people can't dance, although many can, is also tied into why black people rap and white people tend to play classical music, if we're going for stereotypes. The reason is that we're all a result of our history and nationality. African Americans in Africa didn't pay much attention to a tune in music; they were very involved in rhythm. The British, however, were not so interested in rhythm as they were in a tune. So even though it's hundreds of years later, these ideals have been passed down through family music, family dancing, what is taught to you by your culture from birth.
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Name : Lani, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, City : Santa Cruz, State : CA Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, My experience living in a black neighborhood and working with kids and their parents after school left me witnessing something interesting. I can't say whether this is nationwide among black Americans, an economic class issue, a regional thing or all of the above, but I've witnessed black toddlers already two-stepping to hip hop and R&B maybe not even 6 months after learning to walk. The parents are amused and encourage it. You don't see this among white toddlers and their parents. It's not a bad thing, I think it's just black people get introduced to rhythmic dancing at a very early age.
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Name : Eric, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 28, City : Heidelberg, State : NA Country : Germany, Occupation : Military, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 
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