Booking
In order to schedule a private lesson, please call Mary at (323) 828-2420. Time and location will depend on your availability and location as well as studio and instructor availability. Most private lessons are booked a week or more in advance, however same day appointments are sometimes available.
Payments can be made by cash or check.
How Many Lessons Will We Need?
Private lessons may be purchased on a lesson per lesson basis or in packages of five or ten lessons. Most couples who are preparing for their first dance purchase a package of ten lessons. If you want choreography for your first dance and to learn the basics to some other dances. I recommend purchasing two sets of ten lessons.
Cancellations
If you should need to cancel your lesson, at least 24 hour voice notification by phone is required or you will be charged for your lesson. You must speak to Mary or leave a voicemail at (323) 828 - 2420. Neither text messages, faxes, nor e-mails count as notification.
Additional Services
• Fun and easy group dance lessons at
the reception to get guests on their feet.
• Choreographed Performances.
• Professional dancers to dance with guests during the reception.
Out of town wedding? Dancers are also available to fly in for your big day.
Gift Certificates are available and make great Gifts!
Picking Your Music
Look for a song with a medium tempo. Often people make the mistake of picking an extremely slow song. Really slow songs are sometimes even harder to dance to than really fast songs. If it makes you want to move, it's probably a great song to dance to. If it makes you want to grocery shop or take a ride in an elevator, it may be too slow.
Don't be afraid to pick a song that isn't a waltz or foxtrot. The song should represent your personality as a couple. I have choreographed great first dances that were to R&B, rumba, salsa, tango, pop, cha-cha, hustle and musical theatre songs. What matters most is that you love the song. If you love the song, it will show when you are dancing. If you are having fun while dancing then your guests will love the song too, no matter what the style.
Some Song
Ideas
For The Happy Couple
"Fly Me To The Moon" - Frank Sinatra
"At Last" - Etta James
"This
Will Be" - Natalie Cole
"All My Life" - K-Ci &
JoJo
"I Could Write A Book" - Harry Connick, Jr.
"The Look of Love" - Diana Kroll
"Unforgettable"
- Nat & Natalie Cole
"The Best Is Yet To Come" -
Nancy Wilson
"Till There Was You" - Peggy Lee
"Come Away With Me" - Norah Jones
"That's
Amore" - Dean Martin
"I Will Be Here" - Steven Curtis Chapman
"Truly, Madly, Deeply" - Savage
Garden
"It had to be You" - Harry Connick Jr.
"The Way You Look Tonight" - Frank Sinatra
"Give Me Forever" - (I Do) John Tesh & James Ingram
"Cheek To Cheek" - Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald
"I Wanna Grow Old With You"
- Adam Sandler
"I Could Spend My Lifetime Loving You" - Mark Anthony & Tina Arena
"An Affair To Remember" - ("Our Love Affair")- Nat
King Cole
"From This Moment On" - Shania Twain &
Bryan White
Father/Daughter Dance
"My Girl" -
The Temptations
"Isn’t She Lovely" - Stevie Wonder
"Winter"
- Tori Amos
"Daddy" - Beyoncé
"I’ll
Remember" - Madonna
"Butterfly Kisses" - Bob Carlisle
"I Loved Her First" - Heartland
"Wind Beneath My Wings" -
Bette Midler
"Because You Loved Me" - Celine Dion
"You are the Sunshine of My Life" - Stevie Wonder
Mother/Son
Dance
"I Hope You Dance" - Lee Ann Womack
"A Song For Mama" - Boys II Men
"When a Boy Falls
in Love" - Sam Cooke
"Wind Beneath My Wings" -
Bette Midler
"Because You Loved Me" - Celine Dion
Wedding Party
"Love Shack" - B-52's
"Lean on Me" - Bill Withers
"You've Got A Friend In Me" - Randy Newman
"I've Got Friends in Low Places" - Garth Brooks
"That's What Friends are For" - Dione Warwick, etc.
Featured Dances
Often family members and friends of the engaged couple also want to take dance lessons in preparation for the big day. It is very common for parents and members of the wedding party to take dance lessons prior to the wedding. Usually anyone with a featured dance (Father-Daughter, Mother-Son, Parents of the Brides or Grooms) will want to take some private lessons together or get special choreography prior to the wedding day. A fun way for members of the wedding party to prepare for the celebration is to take semi-private dance lessons (three or more people) together.
Editing Your Music
For your first dance remember to "KISS" (Keep It Short and Sweet). I tell all of my clients to edit their music down to 1.5 to 2 minutes- at most.
You will be surprised at how long that seems when all eyes are on you. When you watch professional ballroom dancers competing on
television, do you notice how they fade their music out after about a minute and a half? Five minutes of the same song gets boring to watch even when you are watching professional dancers. The last thing you want is for everyone watching to be grinning politely through their teeth thinking, “Is this song ever going to end?"
Coaching Your Partner
Never correct your dance partner. Your partner will take direction much better from the professional who has been hired to teach the two of you. Most of the time your partner knows they made a mistake and just needs some practice to get it right. If you are repeatedly having the same problem in rehearsals, privately ask your dance instructor to work on it during your next lesson. Have fun and do your best to make your partner look good.
When
to have the "First Dance"
Your first dance should be done as soon as you arrive at your reception. Have the DJ introduce you and go straight for the dance floor. An exciting first dance can set a festive tone to the night and serve as a conversation starter for guests who don't know each other. It is tradition that no one is allowed on the dance floor until the happy couple have had their first dance together. Having the first dance at beginning of the night opens up the floor for cute flower girls and adorable ring bearers to freely twirl around while their parents are finishing their meals. Also, it's always best to have the first dance done before the champagne kicks in.
Wardrobe
Tips For Brides
I recommend you remove your veil before doing your "First
Dance". If it is long it may get caught under the Groom's hand
on your back.
When is comes to hem lines err on the side of being too short. No
one looks good tripping on their gown. At your fitting try doing your
choreography in your dress. Are you able to walk backward without
stepping on the dress? How big of a step can you take in it? Let your
choreographer know about any potential problems you may have dancing
in the dress. The choreography can always be altered to accommodate
the gown. Depending on the cut of your gown, you may need to hold
the skirt during parts of the dance like Cinderella at the ball with
Prince Charming. Practice in a skirt with a similar cut to your wedding
gown and in comfortable shoes with the same heel height as your reception
shoes.
Ideally, you will purchase dance
shoes for your first dance. Most women's dance shoes come in white
satin and can be easily dyed any color.