One of the characteristics Andrew and I share is our unique style of dancing—or as some would say, our lack of style. We’re what you might call rhythmically challenged, and while we enjoy going out and dancing at the local bar, we won’t be winning any dance competitions in the near future. So as we were discussing the wedding-day rituals and what our feelings were on each, we were hung up on what to do about our first dance.
While I know many people are comfortable with the “sixth-grade sway” for their first dance, my personal feeling is that for this one occasion, it’s appropriate to incorporate a bit more choreography. Thankfully, Andrew and I had someone to turn to in our time of need: my former colleague Kathy Carroll. She’s a professional dance teacher who can make anyone look graceful on the dance floor. As soon as I told her of our engagement, she penciled us in for lessons, and Andrew and I prepared for our performance debut.
After playing the song intended for our first dance, Kathy informed us that it fit perfectly with a slow waltz. Andrew and I grinned at each other: Slow must mean easy! But as we quickly discovered, our four left feet wouldn’t make any style simple for us. We practiced the basic box step over and over and graduated to doing the step in each other’s arms. Despite my insecurity on the dance floor, I consistently tried to lead Andrew, but eventually we got the hang of it and I was able to follow his lead.
Kathy was feeling ambitious during our first lesson, so she incorporated a spin into the routine, because doing the basic steps for four minutes was just as monotonous as the sixth-grade sway. Surprisingly, we picked it up quickly. Andrew and I were on top of the world; it was our first lesson and we were already doing turns. Maybe we weren’t as challenged as we thought!
We have three more lessons before the wedding, and while we don’t think our performance will make the cut on TV dance shows, it’s something really special that Andrew and I are learning together. Thanks to our amazing teacher, it doesn’t matter if we forget our moves or step on each other’s feet. We’ll have experienced it together, and we definitely have had fun in the process.
Lisa Marie, a local bride-to-be, writes every Friday about planning her wedding. To follow her adventures from the beginning, click here.
