How many lessons for wedding dance
Everything You Need to Know About Booking Pre-Wedding Dance Lessons
Whether you simply want to feel more confident in your coordination as a couple or you want to bust out some serious moves on the dance floor, it’s a good idea to consider dance lessons before your wedding day so you don’t end up with four left feet in your debut as a duo.
Plus, not only are you practicing this special moment for your wedding by taking lessons, but this dance adventure is something you can enjoy throughout your lives together. You’ll always have a little something to show off as a couple at future events, says choreographer and dance instructor Catherine Edwards.
Meet the Expert
Catherine Edwards, choreographer and instructor for Wedding Dance Houston, specializes in Latin and Swing dance. She also has national certification for all ballroom styles.
To make sure you’ve got all the right steps (the first dance is your premiere moment as a married couple, after all!), Edwards shares everything you need to know about booking wedding dance lessons.
Average Cost
You can expect that a professional dance lesson will cost between $50 and $150 an hour and many studios will offer packages that may provide some savings. But, Edwards says to remember that less is sometimes more. If you have a specific budget or timeline you need to adhere to, make sure you communicate that from the start.
“The instructor’s job is to teach you the best they can in the allotted time frame you have given them,” Edwards shares. “You should feel some sort of progression forward after each lesson. If you want your dance completed in five lessons, you should have most of it done in four lessons.”
Dance lessons should be factored into your wedding budget and you shouldn’t feel pressured to buy the most expensive package. You can always add additional lessons if needed, but you likely can’t get your money back for unused time.
You may also consider a few lessons for the father-daughter and mother-son dances. Some packages will allow you to split up your lessons between all the people who will be participating in the dance segment of your wedding.
When and How to Begin
Keep in mind that depending on your level of experience, you will likely need anywhere between three to nine lessons to feel confident learning the rhythm, timing of the music, the dance steps, how to lead or follow, and more complex moves like spins, dips, and potentially a lift (if you’re feeling daring!).
If your wedding is in three months and you have picked a song that requires an elegant dance such as a waltz, you will want to allow for at least five to seven lessons. Ideally, you would plan for one lesson per week or every other week, so it’s best to start three to five months prior to your wedding date and then give yourselves some buffer time.
Consider factors that can interrupt lessons such as family emergencies, sickness, work trips, and other social engagements. Cutting it too close to the main event could make lessons stressful instead of being an enjoyable part of the wedding day countdown to look forward to each week.
Choose a Dance Style
While some couples prefer to keep it simple, others may want a medley that moves into fun choreography that highlights their humorous sides. Is your relationship a little more romantic? Are you a couple full of jokes? Consider your personalities and be sure to bring them to the dance floor through your style selection.
If you have a specific song and style you want to be choreographed, you’ll want to look into private lessons, and Edwards says it’s important to confirm that you can have a private space and time when others are not taking lessons so you won’t have distractions.
If you’re simply looking to feel a bit more confident moving in unison on the dance floor, you could consider group lessons with others sharing the same floor space and music.
Pick an Instructor
As with any other wedding vendor, Edwards says you should choose a dance instructor who can share your wedding vision. Yes, they are the dance professional, but it’s still your wedding!
When seeking out a studio, Edwards urges the importance of reading reviews about the instructor or dance company, and advises talking to friends who took lessons to find out who they used.
Once you’ve narrowed down your options, get on the phone with the instructors. Get a feel for how you connect when they are answering questions about your song choice and what dance style you should pick. Questions to ask include:
- What styles of dance are you experienced in?
- Do you teach on the weekends?
- Will you meet us at our venue to practice prior to the wedding?
- Will lessons be private or will we be sharing space with other dancers?
- Are you well-versed in knowing what dance steps to teach to protect areas of past injury?
What to Wear
When getting ready for lessons, you’ll want to wear comfortable clothes that are easy to move in. Formal attire or skirts are not necessary for lessons, however, if your wedding dress is very full you might consider buying a tulle skirt to practice in so you can get used to moving with a lot of volume.
For shoes, opt for flats or running shoes to start. If you’re wearing high heels on your wedding day, you don’t need to wear them at every lesson, but you certainly will want to practice in your day-of shoes once you’ve got the choreography down.
The Ultimate Guide to Wedding Music
Dance Lesson Tips
Have a Dress Rehearsal
Always get with your dance instructor ahead of lessons about the expectations of your wedding day outfit—even better if you have a photo to show them so they can visualize what type of choreography will work best.
Edwards says most dance steps require you to move your feet in distances of about 12 inches, so a mermaid-style dress could constrict a lot of traveling steps. If your outfit is strapless, lifts and some turns could lead to wardrobe malfunctions. And some fitted sleeves can impact the ability to spin.
You can also mention the style of dance you’re practicing at your dress fittings and perhaps try to practice spinning or swaying in the outfit so the tailor doesn’t let the skirt hang too low or make the ensemble too snug.
Practice Makes Perfect
The dancing shouldn’t stop after you leave the studio. Edwards advises that to get the most out of every lesson you should schedule time with your significant other to practice at least three times in between lessons for 15 to 30 minutes each session.
Edwards wants couples to remember that the partnership between you and your significant other on the dance floor is built more from the practice you commit to each other in between the lessons than the number of lessons you take.
“Pop open some Champagne or have a beer... and make it a fun date night to practice together,” Edwards suggests. “Try your routine to other songs, too, when you're at home and no one is watching!”
How Many Wedding Dance Lessons Do You Need Before the Big Day?
Author: jackie,
Published On: July 7, 2021
Planning a wedding can be emotional, stressful, exciting, overwhelming, joyous. Creating your perfect day will mean a lot of decision-making, and that could take up a lot of your time. One of the decisions you’ll need to make will involve your first dance as a married couple.
Having wedding dance lessons is a fantastic way to blow off some steam during the planning process. Along with destressing, you can also learn some impressive moves to stun your guests on your wedding day.
So, take a look at all you need to know about wedding dance lessons.
1. Confidence Boost
All eyes will be on you during your first dance as a married couple. It’s a time-held tradition that every guest must stay and stare at the newlyweds until they’ve finished their first dance. If you’ve got a large guest list, this can be incredibly daunting.
If you don’t feel like you’re a good enough dancer, the thought of having your first dance can cause anxiety throughout your wedding day and may spoil the day for you. Having dance lessons will boost your confidence enough for you to feel like you can enjoy the day and the dance.
2. Dancing With Others
You may have boosted your confidence after one or two lessons, but dancing with your partner is one thing; dancing with someone else is quite another. Perhaps you’ll be asked to dance with your in-laws during your wedding reception. If you dance awkwardly with your in-laws, it could make a very interesting wedding memory.
Learning to dance with different partners will stop you from building on bad habits and help you to perfect your dancing technique.
3. Exploring Different Genres
Having dance lessons isn’t just about learning a few steps that can get you through your wedding first dance. Taking lessons will allow you to explore different genres of dance and find out which ones you’re most excited about. Perhaps you’ll enjoy a touch of Latin, or maybe you’ll prefer classical ballroom.
Experimenting with different dances could bring out a passion you didn’t know was there. You can then use this to create a wedding dance that suits you. When your guests see that you’re enjoying yourself, nothing else will matter.
4. Dance The Night Away
Your reception won’t end at the first dance. The celebration is likely to go on for hours, and even if you plan on sneaking away early, you’ll be expected to dance at your wedding. If you’re not someone who usually joins in on the dancefloor, you may be apprehensive about what the night will hold.
Having dance lessons for couples may just inspire you to dance more often. Knowing your way around the dance floor will make you more secure dancing around other people. So, if the DJ starts playing your song, nothing is stopping you.
5. Practice Makes Perfect
The more lessons you have, the more comfortable you’ll feel dancing in front of an audience. Taking dance lessons for your wedding isn’t just about learning the steps to a single, so you can get through one song. You’ll gain so much more from dance lessons than many people are aware of.
The lessons you have before your big day are lessons you can carry with you for the rest of your life. Along with confidence and security in your dancing abilities and your body, the skills you learn will never be forgotten. Many couples continue to dance together for years after their wedding day.
Take a Break
Dancing has so many benefits in the lead-up to your big day. With so much stress on your plate, it’s great for you and your partner to spend quality time with each other without having to think about anything else.
It’s ideal for taking a break from all the questions and organization.
In addition, dancing is an ideal way to reach your goal weight. If you’re hoping to shed a few pounds to slide perfectly into your wedding dress, dance is a great option for losing weight. It’s a fantastic form of exercise that will also boost your endorphins.
So, if you walk into a dance lesson feeling overwhelmed and on the edge, you’re sure to walk out feeling much happier. Along with a natural boost for your body, dance is also perfect for your mental health. Planning a wedding isn’t always good for mental health but dancing can help you stay on track.
How Many Wedding Dance Lessons Do I Need?
There’s no definitive number of lessons a couple should have before their big day. However, the more you can fit in, the better. It’s often advised that you contact a dance school a few months in advance of your wedding day. At World Champion Productions, we’ll work with you to make sure you feel comfortable dancing at your wedding.
Not only will your first dance look natural and elegant, but it will also feel like you. We’ll choreograph a dance that suits your abilities and your preferences. When you put your faith in us, you can be sure your dance will be special and unique for a day to remember for the rest of your lives.
For more information about wedding dance lessons, why not take a browse through our website or contact us with any questions?
Wedding dance performance in Moscow
The first wedding dance performed by the bride and groom... What could be more beautiful and touching? According to tradition, the young people opened the wedding ceremony with their dance. Circling in the center of the hall and sparkling with happy eyes, they seemed to light up the celebration, like a fairy-tale prince and princess. Now many do not follow the traditions, and the wedding dance is losing its relevance. But, believe me, it will greatly decorate your wedding and leave a lot of pleasant memories.
Please note that it is better to start staging a wedding dance in advance , optimally a couple of months before the celebration, although urgent preparation is also possible.
For this, it is better to find a professional trainer who will help you create the best and most suitable production for you.
It is important to take into account the size of the hall where you will be dancing, the wedding attire, as well as the style of the dance. The coaches of our dance school on Voikovskaya will make all your wildest dreams come true.
Also Latin American dances of young people have recently become very popular. Brazilian passions have always stirred the blood. Why don't you light it up, blowing up the atmosphere with your love and passion? They are not difficult to perform, there is no need to hone and remember every detail. It is important to understand the basic principles, catch the mood and keep the rhythm.
Dance is your cry from the soul, your call, the desire to tell everyone about your love. Your feelings and emotions are important, this is what will make your dance of the bride and groom magical and memorable for you and your guests.
You can dance anything you want - from classical waltz to incendiary latin. The waltz is the simplest to perform. There are no sharp sweeping movements in it, it is easy to remember, and it dances to slow melodic music.
An interesting variant of wedding mix , now fashionable in Moscow, is performed to mixed music, something like potpourri. Due to the change in style and musical directions, such a production will look very bright and original. Other guests can also participate in this option by joining the dance of the newlyweds. With the help of a well-staged composition, you can tell the story of your love by including mini-scenes of the main events and music suitable for them in the composition.
It all depends on your imagination or on the style of the wedding itself as a whole.
Practice shows that staging a wedding dance requires an average of 3-4 lessons. For a more complex number, about 7-8 lessons may be required. The preparation of the couple also affects the required number of lessons. Rehearsals of the wedding dance are recommended for the bride in wedding shoes and a dress. It is important that there are no unpleasant surprises at the ceremony during the performance.
The newlyweds' first wedding dance prepared and rehearsed in advance will be the highlight of the celebration. It touches the guests, gives pleasure to the bride and groom, and will forever be preserved on video in the family archive.
To register for wedding dance lessons and to find out the cost of the production, call the studio. M We will find you a suitable coach and class time!
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Wedding dance. Set or not? We talk about 3 main reasons why grooms are skeptical about this venture
A wedding dance is the highlight of any wedding, as important as the wedding cake. We deal with the question of why suitors are “not burning” to devote a lot of time to this part of the program.
A wedding is the most touching holiday in the life of a young family. Every girl dreams that this day will be the most magical. But men traditionally for the most part consider the wedding day a responsible event.
It is precisely in the fact that women and men have a different view of the wedding that the reason lies why men are more relaxed about the ritual of the wedding dance. And although the wedding dance has become a tradition and, in fact, an obligatory ritual, it has not become easier for anyone.
So what to do? To put on a wedding dance or not? If so, which one? If it is clear which one, then by yourself or apply for the service of staging a wedding dance to professionals. If to professionals, how to understand exactly where to apply?
Today we asked our main teacher Egor Shemetov to answer all these questions. He has more than a hundred staged wedding dances behind him, and he knows exactly what needs to be done so that the wedding dance is chosen correctly, and the wedding dance itself goes like clockwork.
How to choose a wedding dance?
To choose the right wedding dance, you need to start from the image of a couple. There are couples where both the bride and groom are very similar to each other, and it happens that they are complete opposites.
It happens that a couple prefers the classics, and it happens that they are sick of the classics. Treat the wedding dance like your couple's calling card. Let it be a complete reflection of your relationship. And first of all, choose the music to which you would like to go out together and present yourself to all your guests. This melody will become the main soundtrack for your new film “YOU and I”
When the music for the wedding dance is chosen, what's next?
Then you need to spend 1 hour of your time in order to discuss the concept of your dance. There are two main options:
- your own improvisation
- a dance choreographed by a professional choreographer who, having assessed your abilities, will choreograph in such a way that you can dance it despite, for example, even the lack of dance experience
Moving on: the music has been chosen and the decision has been made to stage the dance with the help of a professional. Now we need to find a studio.
Free trial lesson with Egor Shemetov
How to choose a dance school for a wedding dance?
Here it is important to pay attention to several criteria:
- Will it be convenient for you to get to the school where you will put on the wedding dance. Please note that really professional dance teachers have a rather rigid schedule and being late for a lesson you will lose part of your paid time. If a teacher does not value his time and he is not in demand, this is a reason to think about whether you need such a teacher. Will he value your time himself and does he really have a lot of experience in staging wedding dances. The production of a wedding dance has a number of criteria that complicate the process of staging a dance: uncomfortable dresses and shoes, the floor of the venue, excitement in the process and, as a rule, tight deadlines. It is because of such nuances that not all teachers will be able to correctly stage the dance.
- For how many lessons you are offered to stage a wedding dance. As a rule, schools offer to stage a dance for 5 lessons or more. Here it is worth paying attention to the wording “PUT A WEDDING DANCE”. Putting on a wedding dance means, in simple language, coming up with the steps that the couple will perform to the music. And try to go through these steps with a couple so that they feel comfortable and succeed. As a rule, staging a wedding dance requires in practice from 1 lesson to 3 lessons. It is also worth noting that for most of the teachers working in the field of sports ballroom dancing, that 1 hour is an academic hour of 45 minutes.
- You also need to pay attention to whether it is convenient to sign up for a lesson. For example, in our Dance School, an appointment is made through a mobile application for any free time, which allows you to make an appointment for a lesson on your own even at night without making any phone calls.
- Be sure to go to a trial lesson first. It can be paid or free. Perhaps you just don’t like the teacher who will put you on wedding dances, this also happens and it’s better to refuse to work with him after the first lesson.
- Decide how many lessons you will need to rehearse the choreographed dance and whether you will rehearse on your own or under the supervision of your teacher. Then you will need to purchase more lessons.
Sample wedding dance plan (1 lesson = 45 minutes):
- The first trial lesson where the teacher will take your music apart. He will think over the choreographic pattern of the dance and try to walk along the melody with you in order to better understand which movements will be easiest for you to perform. If the girl has a train or a crinoline, then it is better to take a dummy imitating a complex dress with you for the first rehearsal. Also, for a trial lesson and the last lesson, it is best to bring original or similar shoes with you.
- Second two lessons : the teacher will fully choreograph your music according to your abilities. In the second lesson, it will be possible to record the elements of the dance on video or that the teacher shows or yourself, so as not to forget anything.
- Fourth lesson : rehearsal. Here you will need to make sure you have learned the dance. If you have learned it or are ready to learn further on your own, then congratulations!
If not, or if you just want to keep polishing the dance and you both really like the process of spending time together (and this is very romantic, of course), then classes can be continued not only before the wedding, but also after the wedding. And make dance lessons your family hobby for two.
No teacher can tell you how many lessons it will take to make the dance “fly off the teeth”. Everything is very individual and also depends on whether you will learn the variation yourself and rehearse it outside the dance school.
What types of dances are most often chosen for a wedding dance?
The most traditional is SLOW WALTZ is an elegant dance, whose unfading popularity remains a mystery to many. For example:
ARGENTINE TANGO
A popular dance that captivates with its powerful energy. Learning Argentine tango can be a real adventure for the bride and groom. This is an interesting dance, in which it is not necessary to have the technique of many figures. The main thing is the emotions that you want to convey. Tango at a wedding is an original way to express your passion on the one hand, or you can put on a more relaxed variation of tango. Your wedding dance will definitely be remembered by everyone simply because tango is not usually
Por una Cabeza Carlos Gardel
FOXTROT
A dance of American origin that will surprise not only the guests, but also the newlyweds themselves. It can be performed to almost any tune.
