Orange County Wedding Dance Couple: Gary and Ai Linh
Wedding Location: Cayman Islands
Wedding Date: May 7th, 2016
Orange County Wedding Dance Couple: Ai Lihn and Gary
When Orange County wedding dance couple Ai Linh and Gary called our dance studio they had less than a week before they would fly out for their destination wedding. They knew they needed help with their first dance, but they weren’t sure if we would be able to help them in such a short amount of time. They had never done any dancing before and described themselves as having two left feet. Regardless, they really hoped to look good performing their first dance together in front of their wedding guests, friends, and family. While we would normally recommend that wedding couples start their first dance lessons much sooner, we let Ai Linh and Gary know that we could still definitely help them. Ai Linh and Gary were able to schedule five lessons for the upcoming week before they would leave Orange County on May 1st to get married on May 7th!
When I first met Ah Linh and Gary, I asked them questions to discover exactly what they wanted for their first dance. They wanted to feel natural and comfortable while executing some memorable wedding dance moves. They knew they wanted to end their dance with a slow dip and kiss. They wanted their dance to be romantic, but also fun and maybe even a little sassy.
Ah Linh and Gary’s wedding destination and first dance song went hand-in-hand. I imagine that the fact that they were going to get married in the Cayman Islands influenced their song choice. Their song would be UB40’s cover of “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You.” The reggae spin on this classis song would be a perfect fit for Ah Linh and Gary’s first dance. It was also a very danceable song.
I showed Ah Linh and Gary a few dance style options for their dance, but also suggested it might be fun for them to use Bachata as the base for their dance. Since they would be in the Caribbean I knew they would have other opportunities to dance this style of dance that was born in the Caribbean in the Dominican Republic, a neighboring island to the Cayman Islands. Ah Linh and Gary really liked the idea of being able to use their new dance skills beyond their wedding dance so they were on board. On their first dance lesson, I taught Ai Linh and Gary how to do the foundational step in Bachata and how to make the basic step travel. Gary learned how to lead Ai Linh through three step turns in both directions. He also learned how to turn too! I also taught them some fun memorable dance moves including a dip and cute cuddle.
As Ah Linh and Gary’s wedding dance lessons continued, I was able to expand their knowledge of Bachata and wedding dance moves as well as fine tune their technique so they could be in sync on their big day! Once Ai Linh and Gary were feeling comfortable with their dancing steps, we started to put them together with their first dance song! Their first dance would be performed on compacted sand on the beach, and Ah Linh would be wearing wedges so we made sure to create choreography that wasn’t too fast. Gary and Ai Linh also knew they would have a few days in the Caymen islands before their wedding so they would be able to practice their dance on sand together before their big day.
Ah Linh and Gary started the dance separate from each other. As their song started they walked towards each other, connected hands and walked slowly around each other. The song’s introduction started slow so Gary and Ah Linh swayed romantically with a simple step-tap side to side until a big accent in the music invited them to do a big and surprising dip! From there Gary led Ah Linh through a series of turns including an outside turn, a belt loop turn and multiple inside turns before pulling her into frame. They started dancing Bachata right as the song got going and the beat kicked in. Gary led Ah Linh through of series of traveling turns through the first verse and during the first chorus the couple showcased a fun spin out move that sent Ah Linh twirling. During the second verse, Gary and Ah Linh rotated their Bachtata completely around so their guests would get a great view of both of them. At the next chorus Gary and Ah Linh had saved a fun turn with crossed arms ending in a kiss! They danced a bit more through and showed off a move called the hammerlock and ended their dance with a big and exciting lift! Gary carried Ah Linh up high before letting her down gently and turning her one last time to finalize their dance.
Gary and Ah Linh were ready to take their fun and romantic Bachata wedding dance to the Caymen islands to share with all of their guests. Congratulations to this amazing couple on their wedding and their first dance!
Article by Ziva
