Secrets from a dance teacher: 6 things you need to know about wedding dance lessons
Many, many (but not all) weddings feature dancing in some fashion. There’s the first dance, the parent and child dance, and then there’s the reception. That’s a lot of dancing! If there’s going to be dancing at your wedding, it’s a lot more fun if you have some idea of what you’re doing. As someone who has professionally taught wedding couples how to dance, as well as gone through my own engagement process (and learning to dance with my fiancé), here are some tips for learning how to dance.
Who cares who leads? Non-gendered first dance ideas for all
My brother-in-law — who has never danced himself — once told me that it is only natural in dancing that the man leads and the woman follows. Having taught many partner dance classes, from Swing to French Folk, I can tell you that that is completely and utterly untrue. Of course there is nothing wrong with the “man leads, woman follows shuffle”-type first dance, but not every wedding involves one man and one woman. And even for those who do, there are many options beyond the traditional first dance…
Non-cheesy songs for the mother/groom dance
We have a post about non-sappy father/daughter dance songs, but we don’t have one about mother/son dances. Let’s rectify this!
Wedding standards and audience participation songs that won’t embarrass you
I’ve seen the posts about first dance and father-daughter dance songs that aren’t overdone and cheesy. But there’s another tune or two that haven’t been addressed yet… The overdone “party songs” that everyone knows, and that people (who may or may not be “too cool” for stuff, like myself) will always dance and sing along to. I hate them. So I’m on the hunt: What are some well-known, yet not-so-cheesy-and-“standard” songs that I can sub in for the usual wedding tunes?