Arthur Murray York

ot engaged, we knew that we wanted a choreographed routine for our wedding. My husband chose "Fall on Me" from Andrea and Matteo Bocelli. The song does not fit into one category and offered us freedom in using a selection of different genres of ballroom dance to make it amazing. Having been to the studio already, we had some advantages over other newcomer couples wanting to learn a wedding dance. 1) We knew the instructors and they knew how we best learned and worked together. My husband and I together requested the instructors we wanted for our lessons. We also knew that different instructors had different strengths so we had lessons with a few of them to work on different technique and personality pieces. 2) We had the basic steps, understood musicality of basic ballroom, and understood basic ballroom terms. 3) We knew that learning a routine takes time, so we practiced and learned our routine for almost a year before our wedding day. We made it a point to practice at least two days each week on top of our lessons. 4) Arthur Murray has visiting coaches who specialize in different styles of ballroom and can help to create choreography. We utilized two coaching lessons with professional ballroom dancer, Agnes Kazmierczak. She was a true asset in developing a foundation for our end product. In the end, we had a beautiful dance that surprised and brought tears to the eyes of our friends and family members. While it was special for our guests, it was more special for us, as it became a labor of love we created and did together! For those thinking about doing a choreographed routine: 1) Start early. Don't wait until a month before your wedding. Consider taking general lessons first, so you become comfortable with the basic steps and movement. 2) Make sure that you love the song you are going to us. You will be hearing it a lot! 3) Decide with your partner how much of the song you feel comfortable dancing. Do you want to do the full song or only a minute. 4) Practice in the shoes you will be using on your wedding day. Different heel heights and sole paddings create the ability to glide across the floor differently and change how you practice moving. 5) Don't be afraid to use different instructors or pay extra for a coaching lesson. Everyone teaches differently. 6) This is not a cheap endeavor. Go in with an open mind to how many lessons you want and how much you are willing to spend. Have an honest conversation with the staff. 7) Dance often and dance a lot! Practice helps and will bond you more! Here is a link to our dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbek1yG0gvA You don't need to be a professional to pull this off... just some time and love for each other and dance!

ructors were amazing. They were awesome at making helpful suggestions and keeping it fun. Our first dance was awesome and we will probably go back for more lessons because it was so much fun!

d have the best learning plan. We still go a few times a month because we enjoy it now!