How We Choreograph Your First Dance : Video

The following video is about how the instructors at Ballroom Dance Chicago put together and choreograph a wedding dance.

If you are taking dance lessons for your first dance, that doesn’t mean you’ll automatically be doing choreography, but if that’s something you’re interested in, you might be wondering how we approach the process.

At Ballroom Dance Chicago, we start by listening to your song. Depending on how the song feels and sounds and what it makes us think of, we can usually us a few different styles of dance or movement. And throughout the process, we’ll work to incorporate different kinds of things that fit the music.

When a couple comes in for the first time, we’ll usually show them a few options and make some suggestions based on what fits their vision and personality. Maybe they don’t want something super formal. Maybe they want something more casual or entertaining. We’ll give them a taste of what we can do. Once we get the couple moving pretty well together and they have a few movements they feel comfortable with, we begin to consider the larger structure of the dance. What parts of the music should we highlight? Should there be a lift here? How big is the dance floor? Where’s the audience? From there we build the dance into something larger and create an entire performance.

The best part of this entire process is that it’s collaborative. The entire time we’re devising the dance, we continue to check in with our students to make sure this is something they’d like to do. At Ballroom Dance Chicago, we’re all about helping you achieve your vision for your first dance. So if you have ideas, let us know! For more information and to schedule a complimentary first dance consultation, contact us. In the mean time, enjoy the video.

Learn more about First Dance Lessons.