To Box or Not To Box…
A lot of my wedding couples tell me that they just recently went to a wedding and the bride and groom looked so stiff and robotic doing their choreographed dance that they dreaded ever stepping foot in a dance studio!
“I think they were trying to do the box step.”
“She had this forced smile on her face .”
“He was counting the whole time.”
So what’s the deal with the box and why do so many couples try to learn it for their wedding?
Well, for one thing the box is a very universal dance step and the building block for many other steps. For another, the box is quite versatile. You can time it different ways for different dances and give it different looks.
Examples:
1) Waltz: 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 where the beats all get equal time with your steps; most often a 3/4 timing
2) Foxtrot: Slow Quick Quick, Slow Quick Quick where a Slow is equal to two counts and a Quick to one count; hence your 4/4 timing
3) Rumba: Same timing as Foxtrot but with a compressed frame and movement and some sexy Latin hips for the ladies
With one simple step you could conceivably dance to three different types of music at your reception – “Come Away With Me” (waltz), “Feelin Good” (foxtrot) and “The Girl From Ipanema” (rumba)!
So what can you do if you want to try the box?
Well, first off wear the proper shoes to dance in. By that I mean leave the tennis shoes on the basketball court and the flip flops at the beach. Try learning the box in leather soled shoes that will flow smoothly over the dance floor.
Second, give yourself some time to learn, make mistakes and even look kind of silly as you sort this whole left foot, right foot thing out. Trying to learn to dance in a few hours only works on TV and even there I’ll let you in on a big secret – they’re practicing 24/7 with every bigwig in the business before their stunning debuts!
Third, practice thinking about walking not dancing. We all know how to walk, right? So use those knees and ankles and swing your legs from your hip joints – just like when you walk down the street.
With a little time, patience and practice your box step can look like second nature and everyone will think you’ve been doing it all your life when they see you dancing your first dance. 
