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Wedding Choreography and First Dance Training - NYC
One of Jacquie Bird's absolute specialties is private wedding dance lessons, first dance training, and wedding choreography for couples. Because of the breadth and depth of her experience, Jacquie can custom create wedding choreography for you based on your preferences and needs, from a very traditional partner dance to something more idiosyncratic. No matter if you know exactly the kind of dance you want or if you have no idea where to start, she will apply her mountains of creativity and choreographing experience, working with you to create something you'll love.
What this means is you can be sure of several things when you come to Jacquie for help with your wedding dance:
Your choreography will be tailored to the type of wedding ceremony you are planning, your particular desires for what kind of dance you want to perform, and the expectations of you and your guests
It will be realistically targeted and adjusted to the ability level of you and your partner, regardless of how much dance training you have. If you have never danced an hour in your life, she can still create a worthwhile dance and give you the training you need to get up to speed for your wedding day
It will be unique and interesting, so that your wedding guests will be talking about it for months and years to come
Reach Out NOW for a Free Goal Setting Session!
That last part is not figurative: Jacquie's clients constantly report back to her that family and friends rave about their first dance long after the ceremony is over. There is a lot more to getting ready for your wedding dance or first dance than you might realize. Once you are happy with the choreography, you will need to learn it and practice it until you know it backwards and forwards. If you or your partner don't have much dance experience, Jacquie will work to get you comfortable with enough dance basics that you can ace your routine. Remember that she will never give you more than you can realistically prepare for in time for your wedding. But if you are brand new to dance there will be a learning curve to navigate and Jacquie is an expert at helping couples navigate it.
Not only will you both be unearthing your own dance abilities, but you will learning to move with each other as a pair. Even experienced dancers can be thrown off by partner dancing. If you are a dance beginner, you are really learning at least three things for your wedding:
how to dance
how to dance with your partner
how to do the choreography
(how to do it all with comfort and some panache)
While you are working on your choreography, you will also undoubtedly be working through every other aspect of wedding planning and preparation for your wedding day, with all the associated stresses and anxiety. These are all reasons you will want to place yourself in the hands of an expert like Jacquie. She has helped couple after couple navigate the physical and emotional challenges of this process with her patience, humor, competence, and teaching ability.
Traditionally, after the wedding party is introduced at the wedding reception, the bride and groom will perform the first dance. Next, there are a number of dances that might take place before the reception is opened up to the rest of the guests:
the bride dances with her father and the groom dances with the bride's mother
the bride's parents dance together and the groom dances with his mother
the groom's parents dance together
the groomsmen dance with the bride in turn, starting with the best man, and the groom dances with the bridesmaids in turn
You may have been to a wedding that adheres to at least parts of this traditional structure. And you may be planning a wedding that incorporates many of these elements. Obviously, the married couple's first dance is the part that gets the most attention, which is why couples often prepare for it ahead of time. It's hard to think of an event that is more heavily documented than a wedding, with photography and videography, both officially by your wedding photographer and by guests on their phones. The first dance is a big part of the spectacle, maybe the biggest apart from the ceremony itself. This is all the more reason to give your wedding dance plans the same attention and care you give the rest of your celebration.
You may want the first dance itself to be a very traditional partner dance, something that draws from the staples of ballroom and social dance. Ballroom dance incorporates styles like Foxtrot, Cha Cha, Rumba, Salsa, Waltz, Foxtrot, Swing, and more. Styles like the Waltz date back as far as 16th century Europe, whereas styles like Swing have their roots in American Jazz from the 1920's, 30's, and 40's. All of it is relatively traditional.
On the other hand, you may want to integrate something more contemporary into your first dance. One recent trend is for couples to start their dance with a traditional music and dance-style. Then the music stops or changes and they break out into something much less formal like hip-hop. Certain couples will even involve the entire wedding party in a performance that verges on a stage production. Occasionally, couples integrate non-traditional dance antics into the wedding ceremony itself.
Regardless of whether you want to keep the music and dance formal, or mix things up with contemporary music and hip-hop dance. Whether you want to keep the dance preparation to just you and your better half, or involve the entire wedding party and make it a big, sprawling performance. Jacquie has seen it all and can handle it all. She has choreographed large groups, small groups, and couples. She's taught couples of all kinds and dance abilities. She's helped couple after couple realize their wedding dance vision.
Jacquie will sit down with you first to get a sense of your timeline and find out what general direction you want for your dance. She can listen and help you refine your ideas if you already have a clear sense of what you want, or bounce ideas back and forth with you if you need help fleshing things out. Jacquie will then work on the choreography as she begins getting you each comfortable with yourself and with your partner on the dance floor. Then you'll begin breaking down each piece of the choreography, gradually blending it together and working up to the pace of the music. Jacquie can even adjust things on the fly based on your progress or changing preferences. Give Jacquie a call and get serious about the dance preparations for your wedding, knowing you will be in good hands.
Call Today 646-663-4495 (click to call from mobile device)