Wedding dance ?

[mjnemeth]

For those who are married or at least been to a wedding, what dance
did you do or seen done?

Also I know a very large couple that are getting married in a year.
Actual the groom is a dead ring for John Lindo (WCS dancer) in height 6'6' and weight and looks , she is short and heavier .
What dance should they do? Neither has done any dancing.

[bia]

DH and I did a foxtrot to Van Morrison's 'I Will Be There.' I've seen a lot of foxtrot and waltz, and some swing and rumba. Friends of mine learned one of the dance routines from Saturday Night Fever and did that. (That was before I knew them; wish I could have seen it!) I'd say that it should depend mostly on what song the couple wants. If they have a song that they like, that has appropriate lyrics and mood, and is danceable, then they can be taught the basics of whichever dance is the best fit to that song. If they don't have any danceable songs in mind, a dance teacher can suggest a few, and they can pick which they prefer. I'd tend to feel that if they're not already dancers, they'll probably care more about the song than about whether they're dancing waltz vs. swing, for example. And in this situation, anything that increases their enjoyment of the dance should outweigh things that will just improve the "quality" of the dancing as it would be judged, e.g., in a competition.

ETA: A couple threads with some specific song suggestions:
Wedding dance suggestions--"Best Friends" theme (http://danceforums.com/showthread.php?t=39384)
First Dance Song - Maybe Clayderman? Clapton? (http://danceforums.com/showthread.php?t=37277)

[GGinrhinestones]

I heard Sugarland's "Shine the Light" for the first time yesterday, and thought it would make a great wedding song. No idea what you would dance to it (it's very slow, so maybe Nightclub Two Step or bolero?), but the lyrics are awesome.

[suburbaknght]

They should find the song they like then choose an appropriate dance for the music.

[Sagitta]

One couple knew salsa and swing and so did a dance that had both in it. Another decided they liked the tango and so learnt enough with someone for a wedding dance. Another couple did bachata. What does the couple want? Is there a particular dance style that they have seen that they like? Is there a particular song or type of song they want? I would go with what the couple has thought about and use that as a starting point. What do you mean by a "large" couple mjnemeth? Size shouldn't matter in what they do.

[wonderwoman]

They should find the song they like then choose an appropriate dance for the music.

Yes!

And hug and sway. My two cents. :P

[j_alexandra]

They should find the song they like then choose an appropriate dance for the music.

An engaged couple (the groom is in a wheelchair) came to my teacher for help with their wedding dance. Teach prepared for them quite a bit; some traditional wedding dance stuff, waltz, foxtrot, the wheelchair dance equivalent of grip and sway, quite a bit of choreography. On the first day of their wedding dance lessons, they brought the music they wanted to use. Here's how it all shook down (pun very much intended).

http://ww w.youtube.com/watch?v=D4Enov3l3w0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4Enov3l3w0)

So yes, definitely pick music you like. If you're lucky, you'll have as much fun as Elaine and Matt.

[pygmalion]

That is the best wedding dance I've ever seen. They get what it's all about -- love and joy.

[Terpsichorean Clod]

http://ww w.youtube.com/watch?v=D4Enov3l3w0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4Enov3l3w0)

So yes, definitely pick music you like. If you're lucky, you'll have as much fun as Elaine and Matt.
Like!

[mjnemeth]

He likes euro-techno. No Idea what she like I supect nothing, which might be an advantage. He'ld rather not dance and she mostly concerned with have a "proper"
wedding. She the one thinking of the dance lesson I quote her "we does look like fools".
They are in there early 30s neither ever even date before and really never went to "dance" clubs.
I guess the best ideas I found here and find songs they like and feel good dancing too.
Been trying to get them to go to the dance society dances I go to so they can see
different dances . Its a great society 5 dance a monthy. California mix, ballroom, swing salsa and AT dances.

[pygmalion]

In that case I would vote that they pick a song they like that has sentimental meaning to them, and then hold each other and sway. A tried and true wedding tradition. :-D

[Sagitta]

So she is the instigator? Rather than trying to make them go to a live dance perhaps you can get together with them and look at youtube videos. They could look at wedding dances and see if there is anything they like.

My first instinct is to say hug and sway, but given they have a year and she really wants a "proper" wedding, I'm sure they can do something simple beyond hug and sway keeping it low key enough for the guy and making the gal happy.

[Sagitta]

An engaged couple (the groom is in a wheelchair) came to my teacher for help with their wedding dance. Teach prepared for them quite a bit; some traditional wedding dance stuff, waltz, foxtrot, the wheelchair dance equivalent of grip and sway, quite a bit of choreography. On the first day of their wedding dance lessons, they brought the music they wanted to use. Here's how it all shook down (pun very much intended).

http://ww w.youtube.com/watch?v=D4Enov3l3w0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4Enov3l3w0)

So yes, definitely pick music you like. If you're lucky, you'll have as much fun as Elaine and Matt.
Me, like! :D

[rbazsz]

Night Club Two Step or Waltz.

[Sagitta]

Right! Night club two step is fairly simple.

[pygmalion]

hmm. I guess my perpsective is different. I'm not a big fan of the idea of coercing someone to take dance lessons, even for their wedding. Getting married is stressful enough for both parties, even without an unnecessary conflict over a reluctant groom being forced to learn a dance. People have proper weddings all the time without ever taking a dance lesson. My $0.02. :cool:

[mjnemeth]

Would not say he was being coerced or reluctant, more lazy, thought thought maybe
that too strong a word more "I didn't think think about that". The good news is that they
have over a year to decide and get ready.
With all that time I'm hoping they find some that they ENJOY doing.

[Ron AKA]

There are lots of classic waltz tunes used for the first dance. One is Could I Have this Dance - Anne Murray. If you want to be a little different check out The First Step is the Two Step - Tracy Byrd. In 4-5 lessons you should get to a decent level (4 different turns or so) for the two step.

[nucat78]

I'd suggest anything by Gwar. Really sets the mood...

[musicbrain]

DH and I did a V.Waltz to Marianas Trench's "Good To You". It's a bit slow for v.waltz, so we ended up adapting a few slow waltz figures into it (oversway, hesitation, that sort of thing) which I ended up having to sort of backlead - he's not nearly as obsessive about dance as I am. Oh well, it turned out fantastic anyway, according to dancing friends who were there.

[Tänzer]

So it would seem the foxtrot and the waltz are the two most common dances for weddings? This seems to be the case from the YouTube clips I have looked at. I'm preparing go from couch to dance-ready in 6 months and want to know what type of dancing to focus on. As the groom I will have to dance many styles with many different people, so practicing with my bride-to-be might not be enough!

[Aura]

I've seen most wedding couples do a Foxtrot or Rumba. I've seen a Waltz and some Nightclub Two-Step. Personally, I think a Foxtrot would be easiest. There's a lot of nice, romantic songs to Foxtrot to.

[mjnemeth]

So it would seem the foxtrot and the waltz are the two most common dances for weddings? This seems to be the case from the YouTube clips I have looked at. I'm preparing go from couch to dance-ready in 6 months and want to know what type of dancing to focus on. As the groom I will have to dance many styles with many different people, so practicing with my bride-to-be might not be enough!

Else where (in this threat?) I think the best Idea is find a song you like and find out what can be danced to it! If you're concerned dancing with others , well you should know what kind of music is going to be played!
I son in law wedding is over a year away and they discussed the music already. If you are getting married in germany I might suggest discofox;
seem popular with germans that visit clubs my area. But if its like most social events here, including wedding most people don't know formal dances, like foxtrot, waltz or even swing.