One of the great wedding day traditions is the first dance. You take time to consider the song you will dance to, but what about choreographing a dance? Fear not, Alison from For the love of dance has joined us today to answer all your questions.

Why bother with first dance lessons?

• I/My partner can’t dance.

• I’ve got the first wedding dance nerves.

• We hardly ever or never dance together, and when we try we step on each others’ toes.

• We don’t know how to dance to our song.

• We want our first dance to look amazing and be memorable for us and our guests.

• We want our first dance to be an all singing, dancing show!

• We want to learn a style of dance so we can learn some social ballroom dance technique and dance together with coordination and grace.

• We’re actually pretty smooth on the dance floor, but don’t know how to put our steps together and choreograph a first dance.

• We want our friends and family to get involved in the first dance, flash mob style!

Any of these statements ring true to you?

Chances are in your wedding planning daydreams you’ve either sashayed past first dance plans with thoughts of ‘lets come back to that one later’, or lingered dreamily on the topic, picturing you and your new spouse gliding around a cloud lined dance floor with fireworks exploding overhead, whilst doves and butterflies (unfazed by the fireworks) flutter merrily around the dance floor, playing out like a cinematographic film as a camera pans around you both in an aerial shot as one of you lifts the other into the air with slow motion SFX.

Ok, so perhaps if you enlist superb videographers who can set up screens and a drone camera at the wedding venue, so guests can view the first dance from different angles, alongside wedding planners and venue stylists who are expert in special effects, you could commission a Youtube worthy, multimedia theatrical first dance experience!

Whatever your first wedding dance goals, here are some top reasons why to work with a first wedding dance choreographer and have some lessons in advance:

Calm, Confident and Prepared

Whatever impact you want to make, the first dance moment, when your guests are expectantly poised with drinks in hand at the side of the dance floor, shouldn’t be a moment to fear.  As you probably wish every other part of your day to be planned to perfection, to make it a fantastic day for both you, your beloved friends and family, first wedding dance lessons should help you to feel prepared, calm, confident and ready to start the rest of your wedding reception off on a high.

Quite often those with a long lead in, starting their dance lessons well in advance – ideally shortly after the proposal, and no less than 6 months before the wedding day – find they have time to relax, practise at home, and maybe even find extra group dance classes to perfect their dance technique in between private lessons.  The end result: a cool, composed first dance, which couples feel ready to take by the horns.

Learning to dance together to the first dance song

A good First dance teacher will teach the basics in a style of dance, to enable you to carry on dancing, at other parties and wedding receptions you go throughout your lives together.  It’s just a lovely feeling to move with your loved one in an effortless, coordinated way, with a bit of practise at home too!

Your wedding dance choreographer will listen to the rhythm and tempo of the song and identify the best style of dance to suit your song.  They might even know of a different version of the song – e.g. a Latin version of a pop song, or a slower or faster version – and your live band may be able to rearrange a song to work with the choreography.  Read the blog here about tips for finding unique first dance songs if you are stuck for finding the first dance song.

Alison from the Love Of Dance says ‘There’s no better feeling than seeing a couple finding First Dance Alchemy: that moment when a couple connect with each other in a way they may not have done so had they not have started dancing together: a set of components and compounds spark together, as they bond through their shared journey learning a new skill. And it feels great when their movement clicks and they realise they can actually dance together!’  Read about Ben and Rachel’s first dance synchronicity here.

Choreographing a dance to match your personalities, levels of adventure and first dance goals

Your first dance choreographer should meet you in advance, get to know you and quiz you over all sorts of aspects of your first dance goals.  You might have some YouTube clips, music videos, favourite TV celeb dance competition moments you could send to the choreographer to inspire them and learn a bit more about your preferences.

Here’s where your teacher will also find out about your previous dance experience.  You might have never danced together, in which they will take dance lessons right back to basics.  Or you may be freestyle demons on the dance floor, can dance together without thinking about where your feet step next, but just want something choreographed to learn some extra tips, ‘power’ moves (think Strictly style tricks and partner lifts), and perhaps bring in other members of your bridal party, getting friends and family involved flash mob style!

We want everyone involved in our first dance

This is where you play out the wildest music video dreams.  Getting your guests involved in the first dance can be a lot of fun.  A great way to build up the bonding across families in advance of the wedding.  Find a date or two to get everyone together – possibly with the help of a video conferencing platform for those who can’t make it but want in – and learn a flash mob dance.  Bridemaids and groomsmen/ushers; parents; brothers and sisters…any of your wedding crew who are up for it, and they learn a flashmob dance.  It could be a surprise to your spouse.  Hen Parties can also be a great opportunity for the hens to learn a dance together.

Whatever your first dance daydream, The Love Of Dance will help you.
Book your first online dance lesson for free with Alison at The Love of Dance to unearth the alchemy of learning to dance together by contacting her on alison@theloveofdance.co.uk.