Poll: Private Lessons or DVD for First Dance

olydia30

My fiance and I want to do something different (not just the usual sway left to right) for our first dance, but we don't know how to dance.
We cannot decide: should we get private instructors or get a DVD to learn the dance?
What would you do?
Any ideas or experiences?

Thank you!

ashleyrr

I highly highly recommend taking private lessons.  My fiance and I are taking them and absolutely love them.  Not only will we actually be able to dance through our first dance, but it has had a lot of other positive effects as well.  First, by taking a lesson together you have at least that time each week that you are spending together.  We have found that this can be a great stress reliever as you are forced to forget about whatever else went on during the day and just focus on the steps.  Further, if you practice enough dancing can be a great workout!

I would recommend private lessons over a DVD as they enable you to get feedback on how you and your partner look dancing together (i.e. when we started lessons we tended to look at the floor a lot (which doesn't look good).  If we had been learning from a tape, we never would have known we were doing it!).

For anyone in the Baltimore, MD area, Beginning Ballroom (just google beginning ballroom and baltimore md on google) is where we are taking and we love it.  They are really great about breaking down the steps and we've been learning something new every week!

kls114

If you are not dancers I would suggest taking lessons. You could always give the DVD a run, but I think taking the lessons would be best!

GL!

sarah0725

I always recommend taking dance lessons for anybody, whether you're getting ready for a wedding or not. I've done a fair amount of ballroom dancing myself, even was on my gad school's team for a semester, and I loved learning every second of it. It's so nice to actually know what's going on when you see people dancing - you might find yourself addicted to Dancing with the Stars!

Anyway, it is a great experience.

cambion69

We thought about the same thing, briefly, but, if you're not already an experienced dancer, you won't get anything out of a DVD.  There's no frame of reference to pull from.  No way to know that what you are doing is correct.

Plus, dance lessons are a lot of fun.  They are a great way to spend time with each other and blow off steam.  We found an affordable studio, with great instructors, and a very flexible schedule and we've made it a hobby, at least for now.  But, even if you are just doing it to survive your first dance, there's bound to be something like that in your area. 

trix1223

I'm of a different opinion here.  Your guests don't care if you can dance or not.  They really don't.  And non-dancers who try to do a "routine" that is beyond them come off looking worse than those who just, in your words "stand and sway".

If you want to take dance lessons because you want to take dance lessons, great.  Take the dance lessons.  If you're spending money on the lessons for a 2 minute dance at your wedding, then don't.  Because you can spend the money much better elsewhere.

I'd rather see a couple dance naturally, looking at each other, perhaps sharing some conversation that makes then both giggle, and enjoying this first dance as a married couple than someone trying to dance and looking uncomfortable doing it.  One is personal and romantic.  The other can be cringe-worthy.

[Deleted User]

I agree w/ trix...
Lessons sounds like a good idea.. but unless you are really rehersed it could look very awkward...  I've been to a few weddings where it looks very staged and as if they are more concentrating on remembering their steps and less on the meaning of the dance...