Wedding Dance Classes Success with Sabrina and Steven
Island Hotel Wedding in Newport Beach, CA
On March 9th, 2015 I had the pleasure of meeting Sabrina and Steven, a happily engaged wedding couple eager to get some help on their wedding dance skills for their upcoming Newport Beach wedding. They had learned about our award winning Costa Mesa wedding dance studio through Google and described their dance level as as having two-left feet. They had about two and a half months before their big day and were interested in learning to dance for their first dance as well as a variety of different styles for their wedding reception at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach, CA. On Sabrina and Steven’s first visit, they hadn’t quite chosen their first dance song, but they had a few classics in mind including Elvis Presley’s “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You,” Frank Sinatra’s “The Way You Look Tonight,” and Etta Jame’s “At Last.” I told them not to worry and that we could still get started and I could help them narrow down their tops wedding dance picks to one perfect first dance song. I also assured them that we could cover the variety of dance styles they wanted outside of their first dance including club dancing, salsa dancing, Armenian dancing, and Arabic dancing. While the two month’s leading up to their wedding were already very full, we figured out a way to get them in to work on their wedding dance goals and dreams twelve times before the big day.
On the this wedding couple’s first few dance lessons, I started teaching them some fun wedding dance moves that were going to give the natural and classic look they wanted. They would have a wedding dance floor twenty feet by thirty feet so I was able to teach them moves that would have them traveling across the dance space as well as some dips and tricks that would feature some on-the-spot action. After they tried a few moves out to their different first dance song choices, it quickly became apparent that Etta Jame’s “At Last” would be the perfect first dance song choice for them. Now that they had their song choice figured out, we we’re able to better plan the finer details of their dance as Sabrina and Steven expanded their wedding dance move vocabulary.
As Sabrina and Steven continued their dance lessons, they felt more and more comfortable with their first dance waltz moves. We began to sprinkle in some Armenian dancing into their dance lessons. Sabrina and Steven were Armenian and would feature an eclectic selection of music at their wedding reception including Armenian music, House music, Arabic Pop music, and more. Sabrina and Steven were happy to learn that I’m a professional International Dance artist and my years of experience performing Armenian and Arabic dances would be a great asset in achieving their wedding dance goals.
As Sabrina and Steven learned more wedding dance moves, we pieced their first dance together. They decided that they would feel most comfortable on their wedding day with a planned dance. Their dance started with a beautiful entrance with Sabrina walking all the way around Steven. Steven then led Sabrina through a spin that would connect them into frame. Sabrina and Steven would be able to start moving together as Etta Jame’s began to sing her famous “At Last” lyrics. Sabrina and Steven’s dance included underarm turns, rotating waltz steps, sweetheart cuddles, transitions leading them in fun ways past each other, and so much more. We planned their moves to connect with the words of the song so that they could capture the essence of the song and how they wanted their first dance to feel. Sabrina and Steven were able to capture the feeling of their dance even more as they looked at each other throughout their dance, especially during their picturesque dance moves. They were definitely going to be prepared for their wedding photographer! We worked on finer details of their first dance including the timing of their wedding dance moves, Sabrina and Steven’s posture when dancing together, and how to dance with Sabrina’s wedding dress with a rather large circumference!
By the time Sabrina and Steven’s Newport Beach wedding was approaching, we had finished planning their first dance, prepared an Armenian wedding dance entrance, and nailed some party dance moves for the reception. We even snuck in a little salsa dancing into one of their dance lessons because it was something that they had always wanted to learn for fun. Sabrina and Steven were all set for some fun wedding dancing at their Orange County wedding at the Island Hotel at Fashion Island! DJ Hye FX would play their song on their big day and the rest was just up to them to just dance enjoy the moment!
After their Newport Beach wedding, Sabrina and Steven let us know that their first dance went perfectly! They shared that they really enjoyed their wedding and felt so comfortable on the dance floor. Huge congratulations to Sabrina and Steven on their acquired dancing skills and wedding!
Sabrina’s note to me after their wedding:
Our wedding went so well! We had to improvise on our first dance a bit because I had not considered how huge my dress actually was! However it went perfectly! Thank you so much for everything you taught us. We really enjoyed our wedding and felt so comfortable on the dance floor.
Article by Orange County wedding dance instructor, Ziva.
