How Many Lessons You Actually Need to Get Ready for Your First Dance
This is an abridged answer to the questions, “how many dance lessons do we need for our first dance?” If you want to read a more thorough answer, click here.
Every couple who comes to Ballroom Dance Chicago to prepare for their first dance wants to know how much time/energy they must dedicate to the learning process. As teachers, we find this to be one of the most difficult questions to answer.
So You Think You Want a Choreographed First Dance...or Do You?
Quite Possibly! But it’s not your only option. First off, we understand why a lot of people would want choreography for their first wedding dance. It would certainly be comforting to get up in front of all of your guests on your wedding day and know you can rely on a specific pattern of steps when you begin your first dance. If you carefully rehearse every detail of your first wedding dance, that could go a long way in helping you feel confident that you'll hit all the great moments you want to highlight in your wedding song.
The Perfect Time to Do Your First Dance During Your Wedding Reception
Honestly, you can plan your first dance at any point in the reception. Traditionally, you’d dance right after dinner to open up the dance floor for your dance party, but we all know that tradition isn’t always the way to go. There are definite pros and cons to all of your options, but it’s most important to consider how you want your first dance to affect the rest of the evening. Here are a few options to consider.
I Don't Have Any Rhythm... Should I even bother with Dance Lessons?
We’re glad you asked! First of all, everyone has rhythm. Your heart beats. Your breath can quicken or slow. There’s even a cadence in the way you walk and brush your teeth. You already have rhythm. You just have to learn to listen for it. Learning to listen for rhythm is really just learning to recognize the regular patterning of beats within music. All it takes is a little awareness, practice, and self confidence!
Read More for advice on learning Rhythm
Why Should Dance Lessons Be a Priority During Wedding Planning?
Of course at Ballroom Dance Chicago we believe that First Dance Lessons should be top priority in the months leading up to the wedding. But why, you ask? Click to find out.
Everyone is a Leader, Both On and Off the Dance Floor
In corporate America, the cubical worker will forgive his visionary CEO - who seems to have a far greater vision than his own - all sorts of transgressions in order to facilitate the delivery of the CEO’s all important vision for the company, much like the way a family/community in the past gathered around and supported the needs of a woman giving birth. Yet, in corporate America, as can be assumed in many other walks of life, a CEO who feels superior to other human beings, like Belfort’s character, will suppress the voices of workers whom he relies upon in order to deliver his vision of the company.
This idea of a leader being the all important muse and dictator, has connections with the ballroom dance world in a couples of ways...
Out to Dance: Ballroom & Latin Dance in the LGBT Community
Building a community of dance, based on the traditions of formal ballroom and Latin dance, in the LGBT is vitally important, especially at this time, when the Supreme Court of the United States of America legalized same sex marriage in all 50 states. We see dance as important right now because this pastime, of dancing with your partner in public - in non-lgbt venues - has been reserved for male and female couples. Our dream at Ballroom Dance Chicago is to see same sex couples take the dance floor, right along with the rest of society, without hesitation.
Being a Contribution in the Dance Learning Process
From our very earliest age, we are taught that life is something to be conquered and that we have landmarks ahead of us and many tasks to achieve and that there are obstacles that must be overcome along the way. How does that affect the dance learning process? Read more to find out.
Everyone is an Ideal Dance Student
At ballroom and Latin dance competitions around the world, the most outstanding dance couples gather to show off the skills they’ve been painstakingly developing, often from the time they’re old enough to walk. The judges are instructed that only one couple can win, and that the second and third place dance couples will also receive notable mention. In other words, one couple will receive an “A,” and two others a “B” and “C” and everyone else a failing mark, even though the dance skill of every couple is outstanding compared to anyone’s standards. Imagine the blow to your morale if you are the couple in the requisite fourth or fifth place.
Entering A Life of Possibility Through Dance
Now that we understand that all of our negative perceptions are all invented, we’d like to discuss how to create a place, or mindset, where we fluidly invent new ways of thinking that do not confine us. Let’s call this place the “realm of possibility.” This realm is limitless and extends well beyond the borders we’ve created for our everyday reality.