Top 5 Tips For A Flawless First Dance

After years of teaching wedding couples their First Dance, I've concluded these are my "Top 5 Tips For A Flawless First Dance". Even if you're not concerned with wowing everyone with your dance skills, there are things you can do to make an organized and stress-free wedding day. Ask your First Dance Philly instructor how to get started on your flawless First Dance!

Know your shoes

Shoes play a major role in the overall comfort of your First Dance.  New shoes?  Don't let the first time in your new shoes be on the dance floor the day of the wedding.  Make sure to wear them around the house a couple times to lightly break them in.  Also, slightly scuffing the bottom of the shoes will give you extra traction on the dance floor.  While taking wedding dance lessons try to wear a similar style to what you'll be wearing for your First Dance.  Grooms, get accustomed to a dress shoe.  Your wedding shoes will be more restrictive than sneakers.  Brides, wear a comparable heel height to the wedding shoe.  Avoid wearing actual wedding shoes to practice, they will get dirty before the lesson is over!

Communicate with the band and DJ

Communication between you and the band/DJ is very important prior to the wedding.  Nothing beats live music from a band but be sure they're playing the right version of the song.  Remind the band prior to the wedding the speed of the song.  Should it remain exact to the original or be sped up a little?  Depending on the dance routine, the band might begin playing as you enter the room or when situated on the dance floor.  When using a band or DJ, it's reccomended the music be 2 1/2 minutes or less to keep the audience attentive and the routine enjoyable.  DJ's also need direction when to press play.  Having a music edit already done can make things easier for you and the DJ.  First Dance Philly includes music edits with all private lesson packages of 10 lessons or more. 

Keep the material of dress in mind

Get comfortable with the feeling of extra fabric around your feet while dancing.  If you've mastered twirls and spins in jeans, the added bulk of your wedding dress will be unexpected.  Grooms, be aware of fabric near the floor by taking smaller steps.  Brides, make sure the choreography is suitable for your dress.  Once the routine is done, wear a long skirt during dance lessons so you and your fiance can get comfortable with added material.

Know the room-set up

Most couples come fully prepared, already knowing the set-up of the room.  This makes routine creation easier for you and your instructor.  Basic facts about the room are helpful such as size of dance floor, location of audience, band/DJ, and couple's entrance to the dance floor.  The routine is based on the size of the floor and audience location.  Some couples may have a long routine that travels back and forth for rectangular spaces.  Others may have a centralized routine that's appropiate for smaller square spaces. 

Practice.  Practice.  Practice! 

If you can only take one of our tips, take this one!  There's nothing more uncomfortable and frustrating than cramming for an exam.  Your First Dance is supposed to be memorable and fun.  Private dance lessons give you information and help you improve.  If you can avoid re-learning what you did in the prior lesson, you'll save time and money.  Try to set aside one hour a week to practice.  This can be done in two seperate half hours or in one full hour. If you can have a conversation with your partner while dancing without interrupting the choreography, you're in good shape.  If you stop after each step asking your partner what comes next, you haven't practiced enough. 

The earlier you can start learning the First Dance, the better off you'll be. Make your wedding dance lesson appointment in our Ardmore or Philadelphia location today with First Dance Philly!