The Best First Dances all Have This One Thing in Common

Whether you’re getting married with 200 people watching, or 2 people watching, You’ll want your first dance to be a beautiful moment that you cherish forever. While every couple dreams of having an authentic and emotional wedding dance, let’s face it…not all of them are. By working with hundreds of wonderful wedding couples, we’ve been able to see first hand exactly what makes some first dances look like they are right out of a movie and others look awkward and uncomfortable. The most memorable first dances have one thing in common: an emotional connection between the couple. Which might seem simple at a celebration of marriage, but the truth is, emotional connection off the dance floor doesn’t always translate to connection on the dance floor. It is common to see dances that are lacking originality but lean more heavily on emotion, or dances that are full of detail but lose the element of connection. In this blog post, we’ll share the key elements of displaying emotional connection on the dance floor so you can ensure your dancing looks as good as it feels.

Song Choice: Start by picking a song with lyrics that mean something to you, think less about rhythm, style, mood, etc and choose a song that reflects who you are as a couple. This will not only make the learning process enjoyable, but it will reflect in your dancing. Pure enjoyment can always be felt, and this authenticity will also be picked up in your photos and videos.  

Confidence:  A visible lack of confidence will overshadow your connection. Things like poor posture, looking down, and rushing are really byproducts of being underprepared. First dances can miss the mark when couples underestimate the amount of preparation needed to feel calm in the moment. For most couples, their first dance is also the first time they have a room of people intently watching them dance. This can be nerve wracking when you simultaneously feel unprepared. Throughout your wedding dance preparation, we will coach you through how to dance under pressure and not get thrown off. Confidence is a byproduct of action, once you take the action and prepare effectively, the nerves will feel more like excitement and less like panic. By taking the proper steps now in the studio, you’ll feel relaxed, present, and truly confident during your first dance. 

Interaction: Yes! You can engage with each other throughout the dance, smile at each other, make authentic eye contact, laugh if you feel like it, sing the lyrics to your song, etc. All of this enhances the emotional connection between the two of you, and makes it visible to your guests. The key is to be able to inject authentic emotion without messing up your steps, or getting lost, and this is only possible with enough repetition. But remember, the purpose of the first dance is not to put on a show, it is to celebrate the love you have, and the story you are about to embark on, in the best way possible…dancing! 

The best first dances are authentic, filled with emotion, and not rushed. At The Ballroom Dance House, our job is to provide you with personalized choreography that suits you best as a couple, so that your only job as a couple is to enjoy the process of learning together. By preparing a dance together, you’ll be able to say you began your marriage with a huge accomplishment together within just