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Dance Away Your Big Day

From your grand entrance to Donna Summer’s “Last Dance,” there are endless opportunities to shake your groove thang on your wedding day. Here are five tips to help you and your groom trip the light fantastic:

• Allow Ample Time. Think it only takes two lessons to tango? Think again. “Couples should allow two to three months--usually eight to 12 lessons--to learn their first dance,” says Rebecca Grohowski of Dancing Together, which offers private dance lessons in all styles. “You have to remember it’s not like ordering another vendor. You’re the one who has to do it, to absorb it. It’s not just a social dance; it’s a performance piece.” www.dancingtogether.com.

• Get Your Group in Sync. The first dance may be all about you, but all those ladies in matching dresses will also be on display throughout the day. Help them--and their respective groomsmen--get in the groove at a two-hour wedding dance workshop at Dance Motion Studios, where you’ll learn two of the most popular wedding dances: foxtrot and swing. www.dancemotionstudios.com.

• Bring on the Funk. Grandma may love the waltz, but it’s a sure bet your deejay’s playlist will include some tunes that are a bit more modern--and require a contemporary dance repertoire. That’s where Culture Shock Dance Center comes in, to put the hip in your hop. Offering classes for all levels, as well as cardio classes that will help you fit into that dress you plan to dance in, this modern studio will ensure your social dancing skills are solid. www.cultureshockdancecenter.com. 

• Don’t Forget Dear Old Dad. The bride-groom dance may be first on your mind, but the father-daughter dance is the ultimate tearjerker. If you’re taking lessons, don’t leave Dad out in the cold. “Sometimes a father will come in separately to brush up on skills,” says Grohowski. “Often dads and daughters don’t live in the same city, so one will take lessons on one side of the country and the other on the other side, and then we’ll get them together right before the wedding to coordinate.”

• Dance Like a Champ. If you’re still wondering what all the fuss is about, let Mary Murphy of So You Think You Can Dance fame prove how much fun ballroom dance can be--for only $5. Murphy’s Champion Ballroom Academy, which recently celebrated 20 years in San Diego, offers an open ballroom dance party every Friday night. For just a $5 entry fee, you can practice all the popular ballroom dances, from foxtrot to tango, salsa to swing. www.championballroom.com.

 

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