Were you standing against the wall on New Year’s Eve, that old high-school feeling of angst rising in your stomach as you watched glamourous dancers twirling confidently around the room? If so, do not despair. All you need to do is enroll in a class at any one of hundreds of city dance studios, including those detailed below. All are open to individuals, so you are welcome with or without a partner. The skills learned can transform you into the star of next year’s New Year’s Eve ball and can help keep you trim and toned, à la the contestants on Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance.” Latin or salsa dance is a good way to begin because, like learning Spanish, it has low barriers to entry and only starts getting difficult after you’re well into it.

YOU SHOULD BE DANCING (412 Eighth Ave. at 31st Street, 212-244-0011, youshouldbedancing. net)

The Basics: A stone’s throw from Penn Station, You Should Be Dancing is a large ballroom dance studio with a friendly, small-studio culture. With a full class schedule, evening practices, and frequent weekend dance parties and workshops, it’s a veritable world of dance — plus it offers some of the best rates in town. The studio’s director, Tammy Halaburda, urges new dancers to take a mix of private lessons “to refine your technique” and group classes to “build a support group of dance friends — not to mention partners when you go out social dancing.”

Introductory Cost: $20 a person covers one half-hour private lesson and assessment, along with free entrance to a dance party. An ongoing special rate of $195 covers two private lessons and one group class of four sessions.

DANCE TIMES SQUARE (156 W. 44th St., between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, 3rd floor, 212-994-9500, dancetimessquare.com)

The Basics: Founded by U.S. Professional Latin Champions Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin, this venue attracts serious students, emphasizing private over small group classes. Choreographer Mercedes Ellington, a classically trained dancer who’s been going to the studio for three years, said that when she first tried partner dancing, she “couldn’t cha-cha to save my soul.” She and her boyfriend, artist Kent Drake, a self-taught dancer, felt like they were always doing the same old steps — until they began taking classes. “When we tried to teach ourselves, we’d argue,” Ms. Ellington said with a laugh. “We needed intervention.” At the studio, they worked with an instructor, Michael Choi, who helped choreograph a mambo-tango routine for them.

“When you start, the big thing is quantity — dancing as much as you can,” Mr. Choi said.

Introductory Cost: $60 buys a 50-minute private lesson; $200 buys a series of three classes, which last four weeks each.

STEPPING OUT STUDIOS (37 W. 26th St., between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, 9th floor, 646-742-9400, steppingoutstudios.com)

The Basics: As one of New York’s largest studios, Stepping Out offers multiple classes in just about every form of partner dance — every weekday evening plus Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The beginning classes tend to be huge, a disadvantage if you want attention from the teachers; but that’s an advantage if you just want to learn inconspicuously and anonymously. Instructor Alfredo Melendez, who has been teaching since 2001, says that all the teachers know how to work with the crowd, making everyone comfortable, even if the room is packed. He urges beginners to start with the music they like, choosing the dance accordingly. “Dancing is about enjoying yourself,” Mr. Melendez said. “The music will help push you along.”

Introductory Cost: A $25 pass buys a 30-minute consultation, a 30-minute private dance lesson, a free group class, and entrance to one party or practice; $200 a month buys unlimited Latin classes. In addition, Stepping Out offers free classes on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. and Fridays at 8:30 p.m.

SPORTS CLUB/LA AT ROCKEFELLER CENTER (45 Rockefeller Plaza at 50th Street, 212-218-8600, thesportsclubla.com)

The Basics: At 5:30 p.m. on Fridays, this luxurious gym offers an entirely different route to Latin dance; it’s called Zumba, and it incorporates the principles of fitness, interval training, and resistance training to maximize caloric burn. Since hearing and distinguishing the multiple percussion of Latin music is a problem for many beginner dancers, Zumba gets you listening while doing one of the most rigorous workouts in the city.

Cost: $35 for a day pass; guests must be accompanied by member.