Wedding Dance Survival Tips for the Bride & Groom

Here are some tips/hints for my wedding couples - for both the bride and groom. Its also worth reading through before you start your lessons to get an idea of how to go about choosing a song and what to consider.

Select a suitable song:

With a good easy to hear dance beat. Pick a song that keeps a consistent beat throughout the song. As far as song choice goes - I have a large collection of favourite which we can go through together. Find something that you both enjoy and that suits your personalities. You probably want to dance for about 2 or 2.5 mins for your first dance - not more. Use a CD to practice your first dance, put it on "repeat" and practice, practice, practice.

Start your dance lessons:

About 3 months before your wedding! This will give you enough time to plan, practice, and perfect your dance. It will also allow for unforeseen missed lessons and practice, and will reduce stress.

Make your First Dance photographically interesting so that you will end your wedding day with Video and Still photos you will be proud to show off to friends, family, etc. I can give you some sexy moves, dips, turns, and spins to get memorable photos! Have a good idea of the size and shape your wedding reception dance floor will be so that you can practice and get used to dancing in that amount of space. Plan how and where you are going to start (enter), and end your dance.

I also try and give you choreography to open to the different sections of your audience - so everyone can see her lovely dress and feel part of your dance. Advise your Band leader or DJ how and when you plan to start and end your First Dance. Also let your Photographers know. Plan what will happen when you end your dance. Will you invite everyone onto the dance floor or just your parents and/or grandparents ? Practice is very important (especially for the groom) between dance lessons in order to really feel comfortable and be able to look and feel relaxed on your wedding night.Practice sometimes without the music, especially at the beginning stages, it will help you concentrate on perfecting your steps, and leading or following. Keeping time to the beat of the music is very important - feel the beat! Remember HE leads...SHE follows. (at least when your on the dance floor). He keeps time and dances to the music...she keeps in time with him.

Tips for the Bride:

Relax and let him lead. You probably had to twist his arm a little to get him to agree to take lessons, so encourage him by telling him how well he is doing and how happy your are that he is doing this for you. Do not lean too heavily on his shoulder when dancing, and keep your left hand fingers together and flat on his shoulder blade, that will show off your ring in photos! Check to see if you can comfortably raise your arms in your wedding dress. If you can't, you will not be able to do turns which require you to raise your arms over your head. Check the length of your wedding dress to be sure you can dance and move comfortably in it. You want to be sure its not to long , so that he won't step on it while dancing. Practice with him in a hoop or full slip to test the length of your dress. Ladies, if you are doing a planned dance routine don't get mentally locked into the routine. The most important thing is to relax and follow whatever steps he leads you into. As is life the most important thing to learn is cooperation and flexibility. You're a team now! Practice once or twice in your wedding reception dance shoes. You can cover them with cotton socks or nylons to avoid getting them scuffed or damaged. Ladies, always look diagonally to your right over his right shoulder - if you are doing a ballroom dance), when dancing. This keeps you from blocking his view (he has to see where he's going). This is also important to get your face in the photo's. If you are looking directly at your partner the photographer will not be able to get a shot of your face, especially if your groom is taller than you. Never look down when you are dancing. No matter what happens relax and keep dancing...and follow your partner !


Tips for the Groom:

MEN...you are going to discover that once your get over the initial fear and trauma of taking dance lessons, it can be a lot of fun! The best part is you will learn to lead, take control...and your girl will not only enjoy it, she will actually let you lead! Remember if you don't lead, she will! Also if you don't lead, she can't follow. Remember you are the captain of the ship while you are on the dance floor. Here are some other tips that will help you and your first mate cooperate and become perfect partners on the dance floor and off - Lead her firmly but gently. Your arms are her guide on the dance floor, keep them firm. Look straight ahead (not at your feet), when dancing. Remember you are steering. Believe it or not your feet will work without your looking at them! Listen and keep time to the music. Try to pick a song that has an easy beat to hear. Listen to the song on your own, and if your are doing a dance routing try to visualize what step you are dancing at each part of the song. If you have trouble hearing the beat of the music ask your dance teacher or your partner to help you. Try to practice at least twice a week with your partner. The more you practice the more comfortable you will be...and look on your wedding night. Take each forward step like a comfortable walking step, with your heel hitting the floor first – if doing a ballroom dance. Always try to move counter-clockwise around the dance floor. Become comfortable dancing the steps first, then smoothly combining all the steps and keeping time to the music. Your confidence and lead will improve the most after you are comfortable with the steps. * Remember this is a team effort, the cooperation and teamwork you developed on the dance floor while learning and practicing will serve as a foundation for cooperation and teamwork off the dance floor. Always Remember...Have Fun!

Contrary Body Movement in Ballroom Dancing

Any dancer aiming at a high standard of ballroom dancing must understand the theory and practice of contrary body movement (CBM). CBM is brought about by turning the body slightly, from the hips up, so that the opposite hip and shoulder are turned towards the moving leg. Understanding and applying this cocept on all basic figures will improve the lead and follow and also produce better turning figures (e.g natural spin turn).

The 4 ways that CBM can be used are as follows:

step forward RF, turning L hip and shoulder forward
step forward LF, turning R hip and shoulder forward
step back RF, turning the L hip and shoulder back
step back with LF, turning the R hip and shoulder back

CBM must not be used indiscriminately; it is asomething which should only be used in a natural, effotless manner. Remember that the opposite hip and shoulder should turn as the step is taken, and not afterwards, and, once again, remember that the whole body from the hips up must be turned very slightly. It is a common fault to break at the waist, turning the shoulders only.

You can help teh CBM by allowing the back foot to turn inwards very slightly. Actually it will only be pointing teh way you are facing, but if you think of it as being turned inwards it will help to produce the CBM. There is a natural tendency to turn the back foot out; this must be corrected because it will prevent the hips turning together with the shoulders.

Try to work through some of your figures, thinking about where and when to apply CBM (especially your turning figures...natural, reverse, impetus, telemark, spin turn)

Remember to ask me if you're not sure.

Hope this helps.

John

Improve your Cha Cha and Rumba basic

When dancing your cha cha or rumba one should aim to develop a good neat leg and foot action during your basic movement, working "into" your floor to create the correct hip and leg action. Some beginners struggle to keep their feet in contact with the floor when doing a rumba or cha cha basic, the result being incorrect leg and hip action and often making it difficult to keep proper time. This simple excercise will help you get into the habit of staying "into" your floor, brushing your feet and developing a more controlled basic action in cha cha and rumba.

Some of my private students will be well aware of my sometimes unconventional teaching methods using all sorts of analogies, objects and eccentric behaviour to explain and demonstrate dancing concepts. This time, take two serviettes/tissues or pieces of paper and place them under the balls of each foot (please NOT the expensive napkins that come out only on special occasions!!) . Now try and do a Cha cha and Rumba basic (forward and back) making sure that you don't leave either serviette behind as you move your feet through the floor. This simple excercise will automatically make you brush your feet, straighten and bend your legs at the right time, and make sure that you draw forward and back with the ball, then heel then flat of your foot. You'll probably also find that you will take smaller steps and also get more hip action as you work more "into" your floor.

You can also extend this excercise to your Rumba walks (forward and back), forward walk turns, Alemanas and Spot turns. Try to not look down at your feet when doing this but rather concentrate on working your feet into your floor throughout the movement and keeping a good posture.

Hope this helps.

Yours in dancing,

John