Question: How many couples you teach are actually wedding couples?
Elizabeth: I have a lot of clients who are preparing for weddings. I would say that approximately 50% of my clients are actually serious about learning how to dance and the other 50% are couples preparing for their weddings.
Question: What dance would look good on wedding video and photos?
Elizabeth: Motion video and wedding photography are tricky; I find them to be not a very forgiving media. Practice your dancing, so you will look graceful in which ever dance style you choose that fits your (as a couple) personalities.
For wedding photographs especially, you may wish to arrange a consultation ahead of time with your wedding photographer. If you have access to the wedding hall, go with the photographer. Show him/her exactly where you’re going to be dancing. It is a very difficult process to make dance pictures look just right. Draw from my personal experience, I believe wedding photographer should take still photos of the couple posing as if they are dancing, if possible. I would say the dance portion of a wedding presents the most challenge to both the couple and the photographer.
Question: What should a person preparing for a wedding expect from classes?
Elizabeth: Well, before we start the classes, I consult with my clients. I need to have a sense of what kind of wedding they have in mind. Is it a very formal wedding? Is it a casual wedding? What kind of band are they going to have for the evening? A lot of times people may not realize what types of dancing, music, and atmosphere they have already created. These decisions are going to make a difference.
Question: By the time they come in you have a pretty good idea of what kind of wedding it is, what wedding dance song if any they have in mind?
Elizabeth: After I find out what type of wedding, band, and atmosphere they are planning, I ask if there is a song they have their heart set on. However, just about as often they’ll say that they haven’t got the slightest idea what song they want. I suggest some songs, and some of the more popular partner dances. I try to orient them to Foxtrot or Rumba which is a little bit more Latin, and slow dance which can be very romantic.
If they need any additional assistance, I can burn a CD for them to take home and then decide. In that case we can start the first lesson with some basic steps to the music they might like.
Question: Does it matter what kind of body type you have? Does your personality matter?
Elizabeth: I have to say yes and no. Everyone has a body type and a movement profile, so for every person out there, there are certain movements that feel more natural. It depends on who you are and your movement profile; some dances are going to be easier for you to learn.
Question: Does it depend more on what students already know and are comfortable with, rather than their body or personality type?
Elizabeth: I think those are linked. Take me for an example. I am an extroverted person; I tend to have a lot of energy. I like Swing, I like Lindy Hop, and I like other types of Ballroom dancing. These dances tend to fit my personality and my body type as well.
Let me dispel a myth at this point: A lot of people believe that they have no rhythm, and they are not able to walk on beat and perhaps for some it’s true at the outset. If students practice walking on the beat enough, they will learn.
Question: How many dance lessons do you need to prepare for the wedding day?
Elizabeth: The average person coming in will usually start with 3 lessons and then they will usually realize that they want 5 lessons. Of course if a student wants a more complicated dance, such as the Tango, it might take a bit longer. Usually it is 3 to 5 lessons. However, we will work with whatever time you decide to allocate.
There are a couple of things that will decrease the amount of lessons, and one is practice. You need remarkably little practice to reduce the number of classes. The average that will really help people do well in their next lesson is 10 minutes 3 times a week, and it doesn’t really have to be together.
Question: What’s the class structure? One class a week?
Elizabeth: Yes, usually it is, but sometimes you’ll get people calling and telling you that they are getting married next Saturday and they want to do 3 classes that one week. Some couples have more time. They have elaborate dance ideas. Maybe they want to do a lift or throw a couple of different dances into the same song. We have to work a lot more on that kind of thing. The average time that I get called is 3 months in advance. People usually look to learn how to social dance, and that’s about 3 to 5 lessons, depending on what they feel they need to do.
Question: Do you recommend group lessons for wedding couples?
Elizabeth: I highly recommend wedding couples enroll in private lessons. In a group class, students will be learning a different song every week. Private lessons allow wedding couples to save an enormous amount of time and money, because they are maximizing what they need to learn.
Question: What are some realistic goals people should set for themselves, what should you be able to do after you’re done with your classes?
Elizabeth: You should be able to socially dance the type of dance that you have chosen for yourself and maybe even another dance without stopping and feeling self conscious. You’ll be able to have a lot of fun. That’s a huge deal for a lot of people. Now they actually have something to do at a party, and they won’t be glued to the table.
Question: Do you think it would be smart for people to plan to change shoes at their wedding for their dance?
Elizabeth: I suggest wedding couples invest in a pair of ballroom shoes. They are very beautiful. You can purchase a pair in white, and you can wear these shoes the entire wedding. A lot of times people even wear a different dress for the dance, but it’s really up to the couple.
Question: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Elizabeth: Try not to be afraid. Dancing makes a lot of people extremely scared. People are not expected to be good dancers at their first class. I’m going to expect my teacher to assess my ability and know what to do. This is especially true for private classes.
About Elizabeth Miller
When I was eight years old in the 3rd grade, I was watching a dance competition on television. A couple was performing a Rumba. I never forgot watching that dance. While growing up, I watched Dance Fever a lot. You could say that television first sparked my interest in dancing.
In my early twenties I started doing Swing dancing, which was a really good foundation. Not Ballroom Swing, but Lindy Hop which is a very athletic, very physical type of dance. A few years ago I started to study Ballroom, Latin dance, Foxtrot, Cha Cha, Samba and other types of Swing. I trained in ballet dancing and of course in social dance.
I currently teach Ballroom classes at the Tony Williams Dance Center in Jamaica Plain, MA. You may also visit my personal dance web site and say hello!
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