To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love.
— Jane Austen
Peak wedding season, I’ve read, is May through October. A couple’s “first dance” is one of my favorite types of private lessons, as I’m a sentimental sap and invariably moved to tears helping couples in love learn to dance. It can also be fraught with peril.
One outstanding couple I worked with wanted to perform a particular choreography to the song Epilogue from La La Land they’d found online. Had they danced before? No, they had not. I had my doubts, but dutifully broke down the choreo and came up with 44 sections — some encompassing multiple moves — and began working with them to learn from scratch. They were young and agile and took to it quickly, coming to each successive lesson having practiced the previous sections to perfection. I had to up my game just to keep pace with them! They were amazingly dedicated and of course I teared up when they sent me video, their dance exquisitely executed.
Another favorite memory was a gay couple who lived in Canada and insisted at the outset they’d rather not designate roles, and that they’d both lead and follow. I was perplexed but agreed to give it a try. Two bears wrestling is the best I can describe the ensuing scene. After ten minutes, somewhat disheveled and breathless from their exertions, they decided to divvy up the roles, which helped them progress much more smoothly. They, too, sent me video from their wedding and it was beautiful.
Thankfully, I’ve worked with only a few couples who turned dancing into a power struggle, dooming any hope of harmony. Like a terpsichorean Pollyanna, I’d gamely keep trying, but one couple were so incorrigible I ended up telling them both off. That was many years ago and I still feel bad about losing my temper. It’s hard to instill the sublime joy of dance in someone when you’re yelling at them.
I’ve had the privilege of working with a couple who then, years later, invited me to work with their child and her partner. And the best are when I get to be there in person to witness the couple in their first dance, to see firsthand the love and connection one hopes will grow and last a lifetime.
Raise a toast for a most excellent selection of dances, classes and special events that you’ll find online at the Dance Calendar.
See you on the dance floor —Sean Donovan