The Last Dance Lesson: The Groom's Perspective

Amazing. That is the only word that comes to mind about Deborah's dance lessons. We had our final lesson before the wedding and it was the first time we did the full dance. Deborah videotaped us doing the full dance and I am shocked at how much she was able to teach someone as novice as myself in just a few short lessons. My confidence is at an all time high that we will for sure WOW the audience on Saturday night. Although Amy and myself make mistakes or forget little things as we go along, Deborah has shown us the best ways to make those mistakes invisible to the audience and when we watched ourselves on tape, even we couldn't notice the missteps, even though we knew we had made them.

I cant put into words how happy and excited I am at the thought of being able to give Amy the "first dance" she has always dreamed of and without Deborah's masterful guidance, it would never have been possible. She is a great teacher and really knows what she is doing. She is truly an expert in her field and I would without a doubt recommend her to anyone who is getting married and wants to wow their crowd.

If you recall my earlier posts, I wasn't exactly confident that I would be able to do even half of what I feel I can do now on the dance floor. I've learned how to keep the beat of the music, how to twirl my angel around, and most importantly...how to dip her without severely injuring her or myself lol. Now that we've had a full set of lessons, I know I can pull all of these things off. For Deborah to be able to teach someone like me all of this, I would not hesitate for a moment to say that she can teach anyone to dance. Click on the link below to read the rest of this article.
http://www.relentlessbride.com/2010/03/wedding-dance-he-said-lesson-5.html

Gift Certificates Available!

The holidays are just around the corner and so is the wedding! Are you looking for the perfect gift? Giving the gift of dance is a gift that lasts a lifetime. Since social dancing enriches lives and relationships it is a thoughtful and elegant gift to give to a newly engaged couple or their parents. Gift certificates are available for any of our a la carte lessons, Wedding Packages or Other Packages. Purchasing the gift certificate can be handled online or over the phone at (703) 626-7016. We will gladly snail mail or email the gift certificate to you or whomever you designate as the recipient.

Dance Tip: Our Roles in Partnership

The Groom, The Leader

Gentlemen, you are in control on the dance floor! You are like the President, the pilot, the one with the power and responsibility to guide your partner through the dance. Your job is to initiate and anticipate everything and warn your partner of your intentions. When leading, it is better to be decisive than to be right. In other words, you are always technically right as long as you clearly tell your partner what you want her to do. You can dance offbeat, go the wrong direction or make up a new step and as long as your partner is adequately prepared, she can accommodate you and make you look good in front of the crowd. After all, your guests don’t know your intentions or your repertoire! If you are hesitant the woman will stumble. Leading and following evolved from the Victorian era. During this era, women were thought of as precious, yet fragile and likely to fall down at any time (corsets had many women fainting from lack of oxygen)

The Bride, The Follower

Ladies, your job is to smile and avoid getting stepped on. The more thinking and analyzing the follower does, the more difficulty she causes her Leader. Empower your Groom with the permission to lead. Often women will try to be helpful by “back-leading.” Back-leading is giving the leader hints or suggestions, moving him around the floor or setting his tempo. Any Leader will lead poorly when they are insecure or distracted by outside pressure or too much input and stimulation. Leaders are inclined to allow back leading because of their deep love and respect for their partner. It is the Follower’s job to be the “wind beneath the wings” of your leader and let him do his job. A Follower does herself and her Leader a disservice by back-leading as she compromise the unified look of the couple and her partner will not have fun. The end result of back-leading risks frustration and dampens enthusiasm for dancing together at future social events. If you are tempted to back-lead, try closing your eyes and taking some deep breaths as you dance. This will relax you and force you to rely more on the energy transmitted from your partner rather than visual crutches. Whenever discussing dance, it’s best to focus on the positive and couch criticism with constructive feedback. Or better yet, relax, let the dance teacher handle the mistakes and simply enjoy the ride!

Dance Tip: The Dance Floor

‘Traveling’ dances such as Foxtrot, Tango and Waltz require a larger floor, whereas ‘spot’ dances like Rumba and Swing can be danced comfortably in a very small space. Arrange for the MC or DJ to announce that guests should remain along the perimeter to respect your dancing space, maximize everyone’s visibility and allow the photographer and videographer adequate angles for good footage. Below are some dance floor tips:

1. If the site has a wooden or marble floor, make sure to leave a minimum of 10x10 section for dancing. If the reception site is carpeted, usually a portable floor is available for rent.

2. Avoid encouraging guests to toss petals, rice, bird seed or confetti on the dance floor as they can make the floor slippery when dancing. If you want to include this for dramatic effect, orchestrate it as a grand finale gesture and then have the floor swept before further dancing occurs.

3. Make sure that the dance surface is swept and completely dry.

4. Ensure that you have adequate space to dance before approaching the floor for your first dance. Request that the DJ or band director announce, “Please gather along the edge of the dance floor for the couple’s first dance.” Another solution is to pre-arrange for the entire wedding party to subtly hint to your guests where to stand by positioning themselves along each side of the perimeter of the dance floor outlining where the guests should fill in the space. Since many people do not really dance, the assumption is that you don't need any room and the well wishing guests will sometimes crowd around you. Aside from feeling a bit claustraphobic, not enough dancing space can also compromise the quality of your video and photography footage.

Why Learn to Dance? by Deborah Joy Block, National Wedding Dance Expert

You’ve made a big investment in your wedding day. Learning to dance is an important investment in your relationship creating lifetime memories — wonderful for the wedding and a skill useful at future social events.

Dance lessons are the most fun and romantic time you can have during your wedding planning process! Shine on the dance floor and make your first dance the highlight of the reception: SPARKLE IN THE SPOTLIGHT!

Your wedding album and video will impress when your first dance is well choreographed. We will teach you how to romantically dance as a married couple with dignified decorum avoiding the "high school prom sway" or "bump and grind."

Unlike flowers, cakes, and decorations, you cannot outsource the first dance. You and your loved one will face the music and dance confidently after lessons with us.

The First Dance is your first presentation to the world of your teamwork, partnership, and unity as a married couple.

Your Vision for Your Wedding Dance Debut

The first step in getting what you want from your dance lessons is knowing what you want. Imagine the mood you want to feel and project as you are dancing. Do you want your dance to look simple and elegant? Classic and traditional? Peppy and cheerful? Sensual and romantic? Elaborate and Showy? Make sure you share your vision with your instructor.

At The Wedding Dance Specialists, we've got some of the best dance instructors around.  With multiple locations throughout the metro-D.C. area, there's sure to be a location to fit your needs.  

We founded the company as an engaged couple and our vision of our first dance was an exotic and sensual expression of our love.  That's why we chose the Argentine Tango.  Click here to view a video of our first dance.