Sandra and Mike were just such a couple.

Read on to find out about their dream first dance.

They loved the song You’re Timeless to Me from the musical Hairspray and decided to adapt the lyrics of it to their relationship and the year 2010, record themselves singing it and come to me to choreograph and block moves and dancing to this almost five minute ditty.

Click here to see this fabulously funny rendition of it on YouTube from the movie with Christoper Walken and John Travolta.

Well, needless to say, after about ten or so rehearsals and a heap of practicing they were absolutely show-stopping!

They mimed movement to the lyrics of their song and in the middle of it danced a full foxtrot, tango AND waltz with zesty abandon.  I can’t wait for a video of their dance from their wedding so I can post it for you here.

They said they nailed it and I believe it from all the fun and hard work we put into the practicing.

Here’s their testimonial and a lovely picture of them on their happiest day ever.

***

Jillian!

We had to get back to you to tell you how our dances [they also did a regular first dance to At Last - can you believe it?] went on Saturday!

WE NAILED IT!

We did not mess up at all!  They were beautiful!  What a surprise the second dance was to our guests!  They were in awe!  We can’t wait to see it on video!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

It was all because of you we did so well to entertain our guests.  I wish you could have been there!  Rose was great getting that chair on the dance floor for Mike and then removing it.

People were in shock that the CD was us singing!  Once we find out how to send you some pics our friends took of us dancing we will send them!  The nun surprise was fantastic!

It was the perfect wedding!

It was a dream wedding.

Thank you so very much!  Hope to see you soon!

Sandra and Mike

Sandra & Mike

***

Happy Almost June!

Call Jillian at 949.400.7347 for 1st Dance Lessons

Visit Our Wedding Dance for more information.

And all the little buds are getting ready to burst into bloom on the trees and flowers.

Kerchew! 

And it’s that time of year for those lovely high school debutantes to come out in their Presents!

What a beautiful tradition…

The debutantes in their gorgeous white long dresses  and their dads and escorts dressed to the nines in their pressed tails and white gloves.

The hotel ballroom busting with elegant flower centerpieces and a stage all set up for the girls to be presented for all to applaud.

These well planned and  elaborate evenings often include slide shows of the girl’s years from childhood all the way through high school spotlighting their accomplishments and adventures as well as an elaborate sit down dinner for family and friends and, you guessed it… lots of dancing!

An important part of the evening, and dear to my heart, is the father daughter group dance.

A spectacle that brings tears to everyone’s eyes as they watch the flurry of white satin and tulle and the looks on the dads faces as they waltz their lovely daughters around the floor.

This year I’ve been fortunate to teach dancing steps and choreography to two groups of debutantes and their dads.

What fun!

We’ve got some great songs and the dads are super positive about learning the steps and dancing their daughters confidently through their dance together.

I overheard one debutante say laughingly, “Dad, come on – remember the turn and make me look like I know what I’m doing!”

Her dad nodded obediently and they danced through the Ladies Under Arm Turn one more time with a flourish.  Of course just a few eyelash battings and daughters have their dads right where they want them!

Wikipedia Definition

The word debutante comes from the French word meaning “female beginner” and traditionally was a young lady from an aristocratic or upper class family who had reached the age of maturity.  As a new adult she was then allowed to be introduced to society in a formal manner known as her “debut”.

Originally this meant the young woman was now eligible to marry!  And part of the debut’s purpose was to “display” her to eligible bachelors and their families with a view to marriage within her “class” circle.

***

Well, we’ve come a long way since those days but the quaint old custom is still a lovely one.

Of course these days debutantes also give back to their communities through extensive volunteerism and supporting philanthropies with hands on activities on a local level.

If you’d like to learn more about the Debutante Father Daughter dance visit my web page here:

http://ourweddingdance.com/debutantefatherdaughterdance.htm

Happy Spring!

Jillian

Smile and say "Debutante"!

What’s up with that…

Well, just in case you’re wondering the Father/Daughter dance is a hot topic these days.

Should it be short?

Should it be done after the Bride and Groom’s 1st Dance?

Should it be choreographed?

Should Dad be allowed to wing it or will he look silly and do that flapping chicken move he loves so well?

Well I don’t know about the chicken thing but I do know that I’ve noticed a few commonalities emerging  with the Father/Daughter dance.

Dads are choosing their own songs.  Songs that were popular the year their lovely daughter was born.  Songs that they used to love to dance to in their youth and songs that just make them want to get up and dance!

Just recently I had a fantastic Father/Daughter song, “Isn’t She Lovely” and my bride floated along in Dad’s arms looking just that.

Her Dad had some disco moves but he hadn’t really done the foxtrot in years so we set about getting him up to speed.

He learned some fun underarm turns from the box step and the promenade to show off his daughter and her amazing gown.

We put a cuddle on the end and a twirl with him doing a quick sleight of hand switching trick that ended with him pointing out a la John Travolta.

“That’s so Dad”, my bride exclaimed and I think Dad got a hundred brownie points right there on the spot!

He said now that was a dance when he could incorporate some of his moves from his days of “doin the hustle”.

Of course after the wedding Dad now has some fancy footwork for Mom and can wow her on their night out on the town.

Ah, two gals happy with one dance lesson… too bad everything can’t be this easy. 

Call me at 949.400.7347 and I’ll see that you’re not only the “founder of the feast” but also can turn in a Father/Daughter dance to be proud of!

In the meantime look up some of those favorite songs of yours and visit my Father/Daughter dance page at:

http://ourweddingdance.com/fatherdaughterdance.htm and let’s get started today. 

It’s going to blue, blue and blue!

Any shade of blue… from the lightest, palest blue to the hottest tourquoise blue to the deepest azure ocean blue.

Brides are choosing blues for their colors.

You’ll see it on the bridesmaids, on the bride’s feet, on the table decorations, on the cake, on the mother of the bride, on the bridal bouquet and… on the groom!

With that in mind how can you keep your color in your first dance?

Here are a few song choices to get you thinking.  (Click on the links to see lyrics and hear YouTubes.)

“Blue Suede Shoes” by Elvis Presley (YouTube)

“Blue Moon” by The Marcels (YouTube)

“Blue Hawaii” by Elvis Presley/Frank Sinatra (YouTube – Elvis)

“Blue (Da Ba Dee)” by Eiffel 65

The Blue Danube Waltz by Johann Strauss Jr.

Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin

True Blue by Madonna

Blue Eyes by Cary Brothers (YouTube)

Crystal Blue Persuasion by Tommy James and The Shondells (YouTube)

Mr. Blue Sky by E.L.O. (YouTube)

and for you retro eccentrics out there…

“Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire for the Roses” by Joni Mitchell

**

And don’t forget you can always shine a beautiful blue gobo on the floor with your initials intertwined in it to dance on or how about giving the groom a pocketful of blue confetti he can throw up in the air to start your magical first dance?

Whatever your choices I know that you’ll have good luck with blue since we all know the charming old Victorian saying…

Something old, Something new, Something borrowed, Something blue…

Happy Wedding and let me know if I can help you with your “blue-tiful” first dance. 

OurWeddingDance.com

949.400.7347

The internet is a great way to find what you want, need or have to have… in a hurry!

Today I thought I’d pass along some interesting stats to let you know just how big this thing called the web has become.  These figures certainly took my breath away and I bet they will yours too. 

**

234 million – the number of web sites as of December 2009 (from Netcraft)

90 trillion – the number of emails sent on the internet in 2009 (from Radicati Group)

47 million – added web sites in 2009 (from Netcraft)

252,908,000 – internet users in North America (from Internet World Stats)

126 million – blogs on the internet (as tracked by BlogPulse)

350 million – people on FaceBook (as tracked by FaceBook)

62.7% – use Internet Explorer (from Net Applications)

2.6 million – amount of malicious code threats at the start of 2009; viruses, trojans, etc. (from Symantec & McAfee)

**

So next time you turn on that favorite piece of electronics that connects you to the web remember you’re not alone. When you send an email remember there is a real person on the other end who is excited to hear from you.

Happy Surfing and don’t forget to surf on over and inquire about a few dance lessons for that big day!

Email Jillian at Our Wedding Dance

Hmm, what special event?

Guess not – we bought our tickets and found a seat in the nostalgic black light fish festival mural theater on the pennisula.

The preview came up and then suddenly shut down.

Another employee said they were experiencing technical difficulties… not unusual.

Then another “preview” came up and I noticed that the two people in it bore a huge resemblence to a man and woman who had entered the theater and sat four rows down in front of us.  The longer it played the more I thought “wedding video” as it showed the blond gal doing lots of fun things with her handsome man all over the world. 

Minutes later the film screen went to black and four wonderful words popped up on it, “Will You Marry Me”?

The lights came up in the theater and about fifty people in the balcony (yes, this theater is one of the last I know of with a balcony!) started shouting and whistling and throwing streamers.  The bride-to-be was totally surprised and her fiance got down on his knee and proposed right then and there.

What did she say? – came the shouts from above.

Yes, Yes, Yes the bride responded, tears running down her face. 

And then, Oh you poor people who just came to see the movie!, she added. 

We didn’t mind and after the movie a couple of people announced with a laugh, Anyone else want to get married?, as they left the theater.

So… how cool is that?

**

Remember after you say “I do” say – “Let’s dance”!

Call Jillian at 949.400.7347

Just last Friday evening I was out on the dance floor, as the sun made its way into the Pacific ocean, working with my brand new couple and their wonderful wedding dance.

She’s a beautiful Irish lass with red/blond hair and he’s a joy to work with, with an incredibly great dance attitude; and they both brought leather soled shoes on their first lesson!  Neither have ever danced before and that night they were ready to jump in with both feet and get going.

We were learning some beautiful fluid figures to move across the floor, some sweeping boxes and some fun figures in place and all of a sudden he came up with the best one liner I’ve heard in a long time!

After “cuddling” up his bride he zinged her out in a whip and I looked over to see this handsome groom “flick” his imaginary tux shirt collar.   I think I’m going to do this every time, he said with a smile.

I’m going to pimp my bride with this fancy move and then flick my collar like Wow, look what I just did.

I couldn’t stop laughing.  It was great!  So guys – why not, “Pimp Your Bride” and do a little fancy footwork in that first dance?  Take some dance lessons together and we’ll come up with the moves that will make your crowd cheer.

She’ll look hot and you’ll feel like the coolest guy around…

So… on a whim I decided to see if I could find The Nutcracker  playing nearby at the last minute!  Yes, there it was – at The Irvine Barclay, opening night (opening night tickets were only $20/person, regular tickets will be $38/person) and offered by The Festival Ballet Theatre.  We hopped in the car and got to the box office when it opened and wonder of wonders they did have two seats that had been turned in!

I had been a dancer in Ballet Pacifica’s The Nutcracker  for years as a young woman and this was going to be a real trip down memory lane!  My roles had included a principal snowflake and flower, an angel, a big rat (our rat king was very heavy by the way when we had to carry him out!) and a soldier.  And in school I’d danced the parts of the Arabian and the Spanish dancers! 

This opening night featured two guest principal dancers from American Ballet Theatre, Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Beloserkovsky.  A husband and wife team who had received their initial training from the Kiev Ballet School, this Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier were extraordinary to say the least.  Technically perfect, lyrically complementing in their Pas de Deux and just an all around  fine treat; such lift, such turnout, such extention!

As I sat there enjoying the also excellent youngsters in The Festival Ballet ensemble (Megan Yamashita as Clara was endearing and technically spot-on) my thoughts also turned to many of my “ballerina brides”. 

Who hasn’t had a few ballet lessons (some of us much more than a few!) in our youth?  Our moms and dads excited to see us up on stage in cute outfits doing the prerequisite jumps and spins??

So many of my brides say to me:

“Oh I’ve had ballet training but I’m not sure it will help a ballroom dance.”

“I took ballet when I was in high school years ago when I had more time.”

“In college I did ballet class several times a week just for fun.”

Although an old instructor of mine years ago said that ballet was not helpful in the least to ballroom, I do believe that ballet can add good things to a bride’s first dance.

First, ballerina brides are familiar with listening to music and hearing a beat. 

Second, they have graceful arms and use their necks and heads well.

Third, they like to dance and can be patient with their grooms so they can enjoy something that they already know can be very fulfilling!

Of course ballerina brides also have to be very careful to avoid some pitfalls…

1)  Since they do understand beat and music they need to realize that their groom will be leading and they will be following and they will have to be just a “hair” behind in the music.

2)  Ballet uses a “center” that is high (especially if you were en pointe) often up in the neck and chest region while ballroom prefers a lower center in the abdomen.

3)  Since ballerina brides already can technically “dance” they need to be super patient with their grooms so their gentlemen learn in a relaxed fashion and want to dance often with their lovely ballerinas! 

Sometimes grooms will worry that they can’t ever be good enough to dance with their ballerina brides.

My response is certainly you will since a) you’re leading and she has to do what you lead and b) you’re going to practice lots and learn all my little technique points to make you confident and handsome on the floor!

So if you’re a bride who has had a little ballet and are ready for first dance lessons know that I’ve been there too.  I had to adapt and learn and it has been worth it!

Below is a lovely picture of one of my ballerina brides from years ago.  Marisol and her handsome groom, Gabriel, had their reception at the Richard Nixon Library and did an outstanding rumba for their first dance. 

And yes Marisol lowered her center and Gabriel learned to lead and dance with musicality and good form!  I saw them the other day and they are still dancing together, this time learning the Argentine Tango.

Marisol and Gabriel's Romantic Rumba Kiss!

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Dancing. 

The very word can bring fear into a perfectly normal groom’s life. 

Guys know that girls like to dance and, let’s face it, most guys learn to dance to attract a girl.  So what’s the point in learning to dance once you’ve got the girl?  Answer: The First Dance at your wedding reception. 

Probably, given a choice, most grooms would opt out of the first dance and move right on through the reception.  But the first dance can be a great opportunity for grooms to get those extra “love bank” points that they can use as collateral later on!

Grooms come through the door of a dance studio with two very real fears: 1) They will not be able to do a partnered dance and 2) They will look very silly trying. 

But, the whole experience can be a very “liberating” one for them since they will be in-charge of the dance.  Because the man leads and the lady follows, grooms find out they can dance with a partner and they don’t look silly because the couple then moves as one across the floor.

During private classes, instruction should be kept in every-day language with work on the dance frame, the couple’s posture, simple walking steps to their song and basic dance patterns.  This way a three-way “creation process” can start that will eventually produce choreography that the groom can remember and the bride can look beautiful dancing.

Brides and grooms need to start their first dance as soon as they can spare the time. 

Couples can master simple routines in foxtrot, waltz, rumba, tango, and night club two-step in about five to fifteen lessons.  

More elaborate first dances with props and costume changes and first dances that combine two or more dance types may take a little longer to feel second nature. 

Personalization is the underlying theme with today’s weddings and the first dance can be as personal as the bride and groom want it to be.

No matter what you think you might like to do or even if you have no ideas whatsoever and just want some help “not looking stupid”, a professional dance instructor who specializes in bride and groom first dances can work with you to create your dream first dance. 

With time and patience you can have a dance to remember and even keep dancing for other special occasions all your married life.

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Happy Holiday Shopping and don’t forget to include a few dance lessons on your New Year’s Resolutions list!

Make a beautiful foxtrot and make it doable on a runway of a dance floor; long and skinny and right up against a gorgeous panoramic window view of the beach.

Regina and Thomas - Romantic!

They emailed me just recently to tell me what happened:

Regina and I wanted to thank you for your instruction these past few weeks.  The first dance went very well, similar to what you said there was a lot of improvisation… we couldn’t have done it without your guidance.  Here are some pics from the reception; our photographer was Raymond Ip from By Design Bridal.  Thanks again.

With some gorgeous promenades down that strip of floor and Regina turning on a dime and Thomas leading her with an eye to utilizing every available inch of dance floor they wowed their guests.

So it just goes to show – you can do your dance on just about any size of floor.

With a little knowlege of what we call “floor craft”, some handy stationary and moving figures you can improvise with, and lead and follow signals firmly in your muscle memory – you can float like Cinderella and lead like Prince Charming!

Thomas leads Regina onto the dance floor!

Regina & Thomas Dip!