Get some sounds on your music-making device. To make dance beats, you will most likely want to use a computer with music and beat-making software such as Reason or drum machine software such as Rebirth, but you can also use a setup as simple as a drum machine with a tape recording device.
Lay down your bass beat and tempo. It is a good idea to pick a beat speed a little faster than the beat of a human heartbeat. The speed of the beat is called the tempo. Heartbeat tempo works for dance because it is a natural beat that people are used to in their own bodies. A good range for this tempo is 90 to 120 beats per minute. It is okay to vary the tempo depending on how fast you would like your listeners to dance, but the heartbeat tempo is a good place to start if you have never made a dance beat before.
Pick your melody. Many popular dance songs use a melody that varies in timbre or rhythm throughout the song. Timbre is the term that refers to the qualities of a sound that make it unique. For instance, a trumpet will have a different timbre than a saxophone, even if they are playing the same note, because subtleties in the sounds make them different. These differences are what comprise the timbre.
Many beat composers make a change in the sound of the beat every fourth measure. In composition classes, musicians are taught that the fourth repetition of a sequence is when a listener's attention begins to drift.
Lay it down on a record. If you have a computer and a microphone, you can get free software to record music on your computer. One such program is called Audacity. With programs such as Audacity, you can record your new beat to multiple tracks. If you don't have a computer, you can try hooking your beat-making machine up to a simple tape recorder or four-track recording setup. Getting a recording done is an important part of making a dance beat. If you never finish the beat and get it out to the dance floor, you are wasting your time.
Get your dance beat heard. Play your beat for your family, friends and anyone who will listen to it. Send your beat in to contests and talk to local rappers, singers and musicians who might want to put some vocals on your dance beat.