First Dance Choreography « OUR WEDDING DANCE BLOG

June 30, 2010

Support, Guidance and… FUN!

Lisa & Ryan Dancing!

Hot off the press!

Lisa and Ryan – just married Saturday June 26th – sent me an email to let me know how their big day went and included this adorable picture.

Lisa looks oh-so-sexy in her gorgeous gown with the perfect flower in her long flowing curls and Ryan is the quintessential adoring husband in his dashing white suit.

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Hi Jillian!

We wanted to send you a quick pic of us dancing as a sneak peak before we get the video back.

Our wedding was simply magical.

And SO many people complimented us on our first dance.

It went beautifully and we greatly appreciate your support and guidance with our fun, fun lessons. We will send you a video clip as soon as we receive it.

Cheers, Lisa & Ryan

***

Lisa and Ryan danced on their big day to “L-O-V-E” and also learned dance routines of five to eight figures in merengue, cha cha, swing and more foxtrot to their second fav song “Feeling Good” to wow their guests all through their reception with their fun and kicky couple dancing.

I can’t wait to see their video and hear more about their fabulous wedding and reception. They were such a wonderful couple to work with and I shall think of them often, especially when I’m teaching dance in the early morning!

***

Here’s their sweet thank you note and a picture of their gifts to me. I got a bottle of Old Moon zin that they served their guests and a large plant of what they did smaller for guest favors.

Jillian,

Thank you for being the most patient, persistent, OUTRAGEOUS dance teacher ever!

Your guidance the past few months has meant more to us than you know. We feel so much more prepared for our big day.

We’re going to blow them away!!

Many thanks, Lisa & Ryan

Lovey Gifts

Happy honeymooning in St. Lucia Lisa and Ryan!

And may you dance up a storm with your merengue and cha cha in the romantic tropical evenings…

***

Visit the Our Wedding Dance Testimonials page at http://ourweddingdance.com/testimonials.htm for more sparkling testimonials from my couples.

Happy Summer, Jillian

Tel: 949.400.7347 or Email: Jillian@OurWeddingDance.com

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June 16, 2010

“The Best Thing To Hold Onto In Life Is Each Other” – Audrey Hepburn

Well, I got my daughter graduated from UCLA – go Bruins! and I thought I’d share with you a little shop talk about the frame of the dancing couple since I get a lot of questions about that during my lessons.

When your guests watch your first dance do you think they’re looking at your feet?

Probably not.

The bride’s feet are most likely hidden by her dress and the groom’s feet may possibly be as well.

Your guests’ gazes are on your radiant faces and your dancing frame, that is your arms connected to each other hand to hand on one side and the groom’s right hand upon the back of the bride on the other.

The frame can make or break a dancing couple.

A “noodle” frame can make the dancing couple look soft and squishy and make the lead and follow very difficult to give and take.

A “rigid” frame can make the bride and groom look stiff and awkward and may even actually hurt the bride to take the lead, especially if her dashing groom is a strong armed one!

So what’s the best frame for dancing?

The leader should always frame up or down to the height of the follower.

I like to start my couples off by having the bride put her arms out to her sides, horizontally from her waist so the groom can see what looks good with her shoulders.

Especially if the groom is six feet three and bride is four feet five I want to make sure that their dancing frame is angled to her height not his. After all she would look rather silly dancing her arms way up to him for their first dance!

Having established her correct frame height, then we move on to the bride’s three connection points and I focus on impressing upon them the necessity for an “energy transference” toward each other at all times. No one person should pull away or just plain “not be available” to the other in the frame.

Once we have the frame we move side to side and forward and back in it.

We walk in it.

We sway in it.

We get used to it.

People don’t really dance like this anymore so it can take a little getting used to the frame once you’re in it.

My grooms sometimes say it is hard to keep holding up their arms. This might mean the bride is being “heavy” and using her groom’s arms as an arm “easy chair”.

My brides sometimes say that they feel like they’re “in the harness” of the frame and can’t move easily within it. This might mean that the groom is holding her too stiffly and not letting the lead be communicated easily through his arms and his connection points.

During our first lesson we work hard to alleviate any stress in the dancing couple’s frame and make it a positive part of the dancing. Since the frame connection is the pretty part and, I think, the romantic part it is vitally important that it work for us in the first dance.

Be it a foxtrot frame, a rumba frame or a swing frame – the couple’s dancing frame is an integral part of the mechanics and beauty of their wedding dance.

And as Audrey said, “The best thing to hold onto in life is each other” – we may as well do it right for the dance!

***

It’s wedding season so email to Jillian@OurWeddingDance.com or call Jillian at 949.400.7347 today and reserve your favorite day and time for lessons now!

Happy almost Summer!

Dance With Jillian

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June 4, 2010

WE’RE MARRIED!!!

Filed under: Dancing,How Cool Is That?,Testimonials,Types of Wedding Dances — Tags: Ballroom Dance Lessons in Orange County, Bride And Groom Dance, First Dance, First Dance Choreography, Jillian Forbath, Orange County Dance Instruction, Orange County Dance Instructor, Our Wedding Dance, Wedding Dance, Wedding Dance Blog, Wedding Dance Lessons in Orange County, Wedding Dance Testimonial, Wedding Dancing — admin @ 3:32 pm

Testimonials are sooo exciting and it’s that time of year when I’m getting a bunch!

This first one just in from a fantastic couple that worked sooo hard over several months to make their dance beautiful and meaningful to each other and their guests. They even included a piece of their dance on video which you can see if you click on the link below!

Adam and Denise’s Dance Video

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Hi Jillian!!!

WE’RE MARRIED!!!

Thank you so much for everything that you taught us, it made such a difference and we were so comfortable out there, even though we were a little disoriented and didn’t move around the dance floor as much.

It was still a huge hit, especially the patty cake move – you’ll hear the screams [on the video].

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!!

THANKS,

Mr. and Mrs. Leonhardt

Married May 16, 2010 at the Old Ranch in Seal Beach

Song: “At Last”

***

And this second one in from a wonderful couple who did two dances – one a fun and beautiful first dance but the second a great surprise.

The bride donned a red skirt with gold coins over her white dress and did a… you guessed it… a belly dance for her adoring groom whom we had seated in a chair for her sexy undulations! At the end he got up and went down on one knee and took her in a swan-like dip!

***

Jillian -

Thank you so much for attempting to teach us to dance! Both our dances were a hit – especially the belly dance! We’ll send the video.

Thank you!

Keith & Janet

Married May 1st 2010 at the Los Angeles Athletic Club

Songs: “My Life” by The Beatles and a beautiful Arabic song

Keith & Janet's Adorable Postcard!

Remember…

if your wedding is coming up it’s time to begin thinking about your lovely first dance!

Call Jillian at: 949 400 7347

Or visit the website at:

OurWeddingDance.com

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April 22, 2010

First Dance A Last Thought?

Ok, so you’ve been totally swamped and now it’s just weeks or days away from your wedding and oh-my-gosh that’s right you have to do a first dance!

Never fear… you can do something simple and pretty even if you just plain have no time left.

In fact, I probably get at least five phone calls a week from brides or grooms getting married in under two weeks.

Of course, it would be preferable to have a month or two before the big day to get the first dance in your muscle memory, but what if you just want to have a bit of help with some turns and simply keep off of each others feet while dancing!

I’ve worked with students right before the big day very successfully and given them something quick and easy to work with for their big moment all alone on the dance floor.

One of my recent couples said they certainly felt better after their time with me than before and although they wished they’d had more time to work on their dance they felt a glow of confidence that would take them through it with flair and fun.

So if you’re debating about whether to go ahead and do just one lesson for your first dance even though you’re in the eleventh hour of preparations why not go for it?

I think you’ll be glad you did and who knows maybe you’ll take a few lessons after the honeymoon to wow your friends at their weddings with your lead and follow and fancy footwork.

Remember dancing lasts your whole life long… burns calories… and let’s face it guys, is a real pleaser for most of the gals out there!

Call Jillian at 949.400.7347 or email her at Jillian@OurWeddingDance.com and squeeze a first dance lesson into that to-do list today!

Jillian of Our Wedding Dance!

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February 20, 2010

Calling all Dads…

Filed under: Dancing,Father Daughter Dance,Songs — Tags: Ballroom Dance Lessons in Orange County, Ballroom Dance With Jillian, Ballroom Dancing, Bride and Groom 1st Dance, Bride And Groom Dance, Dance Teacher in Orange County, Dancing, Father/Daughter Dance, Father/Daughter Dance Teacher, First Dance, First Dance Choreography, Isn't She Beautiful, Orange County Father/Daughter Dance Lessons, Wedding Dance Lessons — admin @ 9:28 pm

So Dads not only have to “help” with the wedding but they have to perform at it too??

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.

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November 21, 2009

Dare to Dance

I think we’ve all experienced the feeling at one time or know someone who has the feeling a lot of the time of being afraid to dance. Sure, we laugh it off and say that it was just that particular circumstance or there weren’t enough people on the floor or the music didn’t move us etc. etc.

But the fact is a lot of times dancing doesn’t seem like that great an idea.

I’ve got students who take lessons every week to learn whole foxtrot, swing, Argentine tango, salsa, samba and hustle syllabi and still if there aren’t a few people on the floor or if they’re tired or if the music isn’t just right it is hard for them to get out there and just do it.

I’ve had students tell me that they feel like they’re “performing” for others when they get on a less crowded dance floor and that feels like pressure and heaven knows we’ve all got enough of that in our lives!

I’ve had students tell me that they’ll get out there when they “get better”.

I’ve had students tell me that there’s no place to go dancing anyway so they’ll just dance at their lesson and call it a day.

All perfectly acceptable excuses… but do they work in the long run??

Ultimately I believe that the more you dance, the more you start to understand it and feel comfortable within your body doing it.

In this technological day and age we’re up in our heads a lot of the time. Getting into your body and doing something that uses your body is not exactly second nature for us.

Sure, it is scary getting out there with just a few steps and techniques under your belt and you need to accept that you will have a few scary feelings and work through them or the next time it will be even harder!

Give yourself permission to feel a bit awkward during your dance lesson… on when you go out social dancing… or even practicing on your own.

It’s not going to feel “perfect” right away and that’s ok!

Dare to Dance and see what happens… you never know… you might be the a secret swinger or a fabulous foxtrotter in the making, but you won’t know until you at least give it some time.

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October 26, 2009

The Dress & The Dance

So you have the dress of your dreams!

It’s sooo perfect and sooo you!

Now you’re starting to learn a first dance and what about that dress of your dreams?

Does it dance?

I have had brides wear everything from the $5, 000+ designer dress to the white matching aloha muu muu and shirt.

Brides have come in telling me that they’re going to wear a “mermaid” dress, an “A-line” dress, a “Scarlet O’Hara” type ballgown and hoop, a heavy beaded dress (one was over 35 pounds!) or a gown with a skirt that is cathedral length with no bustle only a loop to go over the hand.

Gowns cut straight across the bust are a challenge since one does not want to “pop” out. Gowns with small sleeves are usually not made for the brides to lift their arms in them. And gowns with lots of embellishment need extra care when coming into close contact with the groom for a dip or leg work or cuddle.

Plus I’ve had brides wearing dresses culturally particular to various countries, some with pieces of material over five yards long that will need to loop over one arm, scarves that the couple entwine into and figure fitting tight knee length dresses with little above the arm reach.

It is challenging to dance certain dances in certain dresses but compromises can be made with dance steps to keep you looking like a princess in that dress of your dreams!

I always talk with my bride in advance about her dress (after all many of the fellas are still convinced that the dress is polka dotted with stripes so we need to keep the secret!) and we work through whether it will be bustled and also what kind of “reach” the bride will have when she steps forward and back and side to side.

If you’re totally in love with an Argentine tango for your first dance and yet the dress of your dreams is a Gone With The Wind ballgown we may have to rethink some steps!

Likewise if you’re special song is a waltz and your dress is totally form fitting with about a four inch walking step we will have to get creative about the dancing and do lots of beautiful arms.

Different dances do just “look better” in certain dresses but I always tell my brides that if they love their dress and they love their song and the two wouldn’t normally “go together” – we will make it work!

After all, years from now you want to look back on your wonderful day, dress of your dreams and first dance and song and say “This was totally how we wanted everything to be”!

Below is a wonderful testimonial from one of my very recent brides. She mentions her dress was challenging but they did it and loved their dance!

Email me at jillian@ourweddingdance.com if you have dress and dance questions and I’m sure we can come up with a wonderful dance to make you look gorgeous in your dream dress!

Hi Jill,

It’s been a crazy week but we had to share with you how our guests loved our first dance… It was so nerve wracking that Rey and I didn’t know how to pull it off… but with all the steps you’ve taught us we were able to improvise.

We had a hard time with my dress but we made it through our grand finale. We don’t have the official photos and videos yet but we would like to share with you a link from our photographer.

http://unveilus.blogspot.com

Hope you enjoy the link and we’ll keep you posted when we receive the official photos and videos.

Take care, Rey and Shella

(Married: October 10, 2009, Reception: Anaheim Hilton, Song: “When You Say Nothing At All”)

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September 18, 2009

Steppin’ for First Dance!

Filed under: Testimonials,Types of Wedding Dances — Tags: Chicago Steppin', Dance Instruction for First Dance, Dancing in Orange County, First Dance, First Dance Choreography, First Dance is Chicago Steppin, Orange County Dancing Choreography and Instruction, Our Wedding Dance, Romantic Steppin for First Dance, Steppin for our first dance, Wedding Dancing — admin @ 2:22 pm

This just in!

Two gorgeous photos… of Roni and Vince’s first dance and wedding held on July 18th 2009. They were loads of fun to work with and they wanted something a little different for their special song… Chicago Steppin’!

Chicago Steppin’, in case you’re wondering, is a super fun dance that you can see all over YouTube and check out on the internet from coast to coast. You may remember the hit song, “Step In The Name Of Love” by R&B singer R. Kelly.

It is a synchronized dance done with two or more dancers and usually to a 6 or 8 count beat. Music chosen most often to “step” to includes: Jazz, Soul, Funk, R&B, Neo Soul or Rapp Music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMz-6Qg9nGI&feature=fvw

To me it feels like a bit of Lindy, Jitterbug and West Coast Swing all rolled up into one easy going and sexy dancing style that has you out on the dance floor for every song the DJ can dish out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju8-53NPECc&feature=related

Romantic Twirl!

Roni and Vince chose the song “This Is Us” by Keyshia Cole and proceeded to visit me for five lessons to learn basic linear and circular Steppin’ steps and also some cute spins, flip flops and dips.

We kept it simple, fun and easy going and relaxed right into it with cool looking footwork just like the big guys back East!

Here are some pictures and a wonderful message from Roni.

She also sent me one of her favors which was an adorable “Garden Greeting” wildflower seed paper in the shape of a flower with a heart cutout to plant and watch bloom!

Jillian,

Thank you for making our first dance a dream. Yes, the kid’s did have a hand in helping us on the dance floor. Everything was so wonderful and we are so happy.

Thank you again for teaching us to “step” together. Love, Roni & Vince

So if you’re looking for a first dance that’s a little different from the usual foxtrot or waltz, Chicago Steppin’ might be just the dance for you and your prince or princess charming.

Email me some song ideas and we can come up with something fun for your dream first dance!

Married!

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September 17, 2009

To Box or Not To Box…

Filed under: Dancing,Types of Wedding Dances — Tags: Ballroom Dance Box, Ballroom Dancing for your Wedding, Box Step, Dancing, First Dance Choreography, First Dance Instruction, foxtrot, Orange County dancing lessons, Our Wedding Dance, rumba, Two left feet, Waltz, Wedding First Dance — admin @ 12:26 pm

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.

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