BDC Student Spotlight: Ken, Sam and Her Hot Pink Heels
When Ken and Sam stepped into the studio for their first lesson, Samantha’s polished curls and Ken’s smiling face caught our attention. With no particular song or dance in mind, they wanted to have fun exploring a few different dance styles. They agreed their first dance should be both fun and traditional, and feeling confident performing was a top priority, particularly in Sam’s tall hot pink heels! Having taken a few lessons at another dance studio, Ken and Sam were careful in choosing a studio that was right for them in preparation for their wedding. And we were lucky they chose us! Four months to the day after they came to BDC, Ken, Sam and her hot pink heels enjoyed a beautiful first dance in a room full of their friends and family!
How did you meet? Ken and I were both going to Loyola University for college. We had an Accounting class together, we started talking in class a little; our professor at the time always held a semester-end party at his house for all of his students in that class. We both said we were going to go to the party and that was the first night we actually hung out outside of the classroom!
What is your favorite place in Chicago? Ballroom Dance Chicago
What do you enjoy doing together on your day off? We don’t have a favorite thing to do, we like to do a lot of different things together, we often take bike rides on nice Saturday’s down Lake Shore Drive to the farmer’s market or just for a ride. We mostly like to just spend time together since we are so busy with work during the week.
What was your marriage proposal like? Romantic. In the seven plus years I’ve been living in Chicago I had not seen “A Christmas Carol” but had desperately wanted to. That year I asked Ken if he would buy us tickets to see the show as my Christmas present. So we decided to go the day before Christmas Eve. Our date started out with dinner at Rosebud on Rush and then we went to see the play. From there we walked over to the Daley Plaza where the big Christmas Tree is at Christkindlemarket, we were going to have our picture taken in front of the tree. When I asked him if we should ask someone he said, sure just let me tie my shoe, and then he proposed! He had his brother and brother’s girlfriend waiting nearby to take pictures as he proposed!
What was your engagement like? Exciting, fun, and gave us plenty of time to prepare for becoming a married couple. It also gave us a chance to take dance lessons at Ballroom Dance Chicago and learn a dance that wowed our guests.
Where did you have your wedding? Egg Harbor, WI – up in Door County
What are some of your favorite moments at your wedding? All of them!! Three of the best were seeing each other down the aisle, saying our “I Do’s,” and our first dance.
What was your first lesson like? Was it different from what you expected? Welcoming! It was different in a very positive way, we had gone to another studio in Chicago for a first trial lesson, but we didn’t experience the same welcoming and personable feel that we had at Ballroom Dance Chicago.
What styles of dance did you learn? What is your favorite style? Foxtrot and Swing; Foxtrot was our favorite. We danced Foxtrot at our wedding with a little swing thrown in.
What was the best thing about learning to dance together? The time we were able to spend together, you are able to feel a lot closer with your significant other when you can dance and enjoy yourselves on the dance floor.
How did your first dance go? Fantastic! We were nervous, but we did a fantastic job and we didn’t mess up at all! Thank you Audrey!!!
What advice would you give other couples who are learning to dance together? Be patient, give yourselves plenty of time, and have fun!!
Special thank you to everyone at Ballroom Dance Chicago, we not only learned a lot but we had a lot of fun along the way!