Wedding Dance Lessons (not just first dance lessons) in Chicago

My Name is Matthew

I've been teaching people to dance for over 15 years. Here's some advice about dancing at weddings.

What do you think of when you hear "wedding dance"? 

If you're like most people, you probably think of the first dance that the newly marred couple performs at the reception (if you're interested in first dance lessons, click here). But the truth is that that moment in time - the first dance - represents  a mere fraction of the actual dancing at a wedding. I'm not trying to belittle the first dance. It's really important, actually, to dance and take lessons with your future spouse (if you're wondering why, read this). It's just that the first dance doesn't represent all the dancing. Most weddings include at least a few hours of dancing at the end of the reception when everyone is expected to join in.

Yes, you read that right: everyone is expected to join in. 

So if you're someone who doesn't mind letting loose and lookin' a fool, this message isn't for you. But if you're someone who always finds an excuse to avoid the dance floor, make sure you give this some serious attention. 

The problem with not dancing when it's expected is that you're not adding to the party atmosphere. You're actually taking away from it. "But I'm just sitting in the corner with my Jack and Coke and Facebook," you might say. Great. Besides that being a horrible way to spend an evening, you're also acting as an energy suck. You can't be a neutral energy. It's not possible. That's just not how the universe works. You're either adding or subtracting from the overall energy of any situation (let that be a life lesson). When's the last time you saw someone at a party sitting in the corner by themselves playing video games and you thought, "so-and-so is just so neutral." Nope. You probably thought that they needed to stop acting like a baby and start participating. The same goes for dancing socially when you're an able-bodied person choosing not to celebrate. If you're not dancing, you're simply a drag.

So where do you start if you don't know a damn thing about dancing? The easiest place is with a basic step that has a simple rhythm so that you have a "go to" step no matter what type of music is play. And we have the beginnings of a solution for you.

Take a look at the below video for some initial ideas. While this step is neither fully representative of good dancing nor fitting for all dance music, it's at least a place to start. After you've learned that step, pat yourself on the back, congratulate yourself for being a upright friend and citizen and contact us for a complimentary dance consultation to learn a couple of more groovy moves.

Other resources that might be helpful to you:

One quick note: while we show this danced as a "couple," you can also do this "side step" by yourself and with really small steps, almost in place. Go ahead, try it out!

 If you have any questions or if we can be of more help, please don't hesitate to contact us.