First Dance Tips
Choosing a First Dance can be an easy task for some, but daunting for others. The First Dance kicks off the party. It's a song everyone will be listening to and a dance everyone will be watching...photographing...video recording. Naturally, you want to make the perfect choice. And if you're reading this blog, it means you're looking for guidance. I can't pick the song for you, but I can give some insight from the many years I have been performing them. Below are tips on how to choose a First Dance.
1- Most importantly, you must love the song. Sounds simple enough, but some people choose a song to fit the occasion, rather than one they have a strong connection to. It should be a song you will still enjoy twenty-five years later at your Silver Anniversary.
2- Choose the right tempo. The majority of First Dance songs are ballads. Slow, sentimental, love songs like: "At Last", "Unforgettable", "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You". The advantage to the ballad is that it's easy to dance to. Anyone can sway back and forth to a slow beat and look good on the dance floor. So, it's easy to see why the ballad is such a popular choice and might work for you. Unless you have an outgoing, effervescent personality and want to get the party started with a bang. Then an up-tempo, dance song like: "This Will Be (an everlasting love)", "The Power of Love", "Crazy In Love", would work better. Find the song that fits your personality.
3- Avoid Pressure. Like dance lessons. If you have dancing experience, and have no trouble with choreography, dance lessons could be fun. If you don't, it might still be fun, but negotiating your way through dance steps you learned two weeks ago may look awkward and goofy. Beware of what you're getting yourself into.
Another way to avoid pressure is to have the bandleader, or DJ, create a short arrangement of your song, in advance that you can practice to. Four minutes alone on the dance floor can be an eternity. Have them edit the song down to two minutes.
An alternative to editing the song is to have your guests join you on the dance floor. That is, you dance alone for two minutes, than have the MC invite your guests to join you. Instantly, the pressure is off and the party has begun. And, you can be sure; it's the one song everyone will dance to.
