The Ultimate Wedding Dance: STEP BY STEP GUIDE Everything You Need To Know About Your First Dance

By Daniel Buhala

The Ultimate Wedding Dance is the first book ever written about a Wedding Dance. This "How To" book will make you aware of the challenges and preparation needed for your First Dance and help you avoid the many mistakes made by thousands of wedding couples around the world.
Buy this book and get the answers to:
Everything you need to know before you start.
What is important to create an exceptional choreography.
The do's and don'ts within the process.
The 9 necessary steps you need to do if you are starting your Wedding Dance last-minute.
and much more.
Bonus: The one secret that nobody tells you that makes your Wedding Dance unique, and most of all, your own. Purchase your personal copy now, to experience the extraordinary journey towards the wedding dance of your dreams.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Daniel Buhala
• Release date: Nov 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781735900049

Book preview

Personal Copy of

Mr. & Mrs.

The Ultimate Wedding Dance Copyright © 2020 by Daniel Buhala

All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below or e-mail: [e-mail]

Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Paperback: ISBN 978-1-7359000-1-8 Hardcover: ISBN 978-1-7359000-2-5 E-book: ISBN 978-1-7359000-4-9

First Edition: October 2020

Cover art by Yevgenia Rogatina All Photographs by Amber Holley Book Design by Marko Markovic (fiverr.com/5mediadesign)

Printed and bound in the United States of America First printing October 2020

Dance Art Studios Inc/Dance Art Press PO Box 27879 Los Angeles, Ca 90027

www.theultimateweddingdance.com

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

History of the Wedding Dance

Awareness note

Everything You Need to Know Before You Start

Timeline

Performance Categories

1. The Classic Wedding Dance

2. The Surprise Wedding Dance

3. The Entertainer Wedding Dance

The Entertainer - Special Edition

The Themed Wedding Dance - Bonus Category

Additional Performances

Father/Daughter and Mother/Son Dance

Grandparents’ Dance

Bride’s and Groom’s Solo Dance

Bridesmaids and Groomsmen Solo Dance

The Cutest Members of the Family Solo

The Budget

Venue and the Dance Floor

The Layout of the Reception Area

Three Sides Audience

Four Sides Audience

One Side Audience

Two Sides Audience

The L Shape

The Mirrored Type

The Sweetheart Table and Entrance

Schedule of the Event

Thoughts

Your Wedding Attire

Bride’s Attire

Groom’s Attire

Attire Accessories

Wedding Music

Live Band versus DJ

Live Band

The DJ

Thoughts and Suggestions

The Wedding Song(s)

Summary

Our Checklist

The Preparation

Do We Need Help?

Inspiration and Ideas

Attire Check

Your Wedding Song(s)

Schedule Changes

Summary

The Last Minute Recommendations

Our Preparation Checklist

Choreography

The Beginning of your Choreography

The Beginning from the Grand Entrance

The Beginning from the Sweetheart Table

A Special Beginning

Music Structure

The Signature of the Song

The Melody of a Song

The Lyrics of the Song

Basic Positions and Dance Moves

The Basic Position

The Prom Dance Position

The Double Hand Hold Position

The Underarm Turn

The Walk-Around and Slow Underarm Turn

Dips and Lifts

Dips

Lifts

The Classic Lift

The Basic Face to Face Lift

The Extended Face to Face Lift

The Spinning Face to Face Lift

The Deer Jump Lift

The Walking Version of the Deer Jump Lift

The Turning Version of the Deer Jump Lift

Summary

What’s next

Our Choreography Checklist

Practice

Helpful Tools

Memorizing of your Choreography

Helpful Suggestions

Practice with your Shoes and Attire

Time Management

The Practice Timetable

Practice How to Perform

The Rehearsal

Summary

Our Practice Checklist

Other Details

The Props

The Lighting and Spotlights

The Photographer and Videographer Crew

Summary

The Big Day - Your Wedding Performance

The Big Day

The Evening Before

The Morning of the Wedding

Your Wedding Day and Ceremony

The Big Performance

Visual Examples of Dance Positions and Figures

The Song Examples

Wedding Dance Guest Book

Acknowledgements

To my grandma and grandpa for their love, goodness and care.

Babke a dedkovi, za ich lásku, dobrotu a sarostlivosť.

Preface

Dear Bride, Groom, parents, friends and every person invited to the wedding. I am inspired to write this book after years of dedication to my life’s passion, ballroom dancing. Over the years of dancing competitively and socially, performing on stage, teaching, coaching, creating choreographies for thousands of my students all over the world, directing shows and participating in numerous dance projects I have learned many important aspects of what it takes to create a performance that leaves the audience amazed, entertained and inspired.

Years ago, when a friend asked me to choreograph a Wedding Dance for him and his fiancé, I didn’t know that it would start a whole process of writing this book. It was my first experience of creating a dance that starts the journey of a couple towards a common future. After my friend’s wedding, I taught more Wedding Dances and almost every time a new couple came to learn how to dance their First Dance, they always told me a nearly identical story.

They organized their wedding with a wedding planner and all the important things that came with it, like: invitations, choosing the right venue, selecting the decorations, food menus, drinks, desserts, finding the wedding dress, guests seating chart, the budget, live music or DJ and choice of bridesmaids and groomsmen and the list goes on and on. Sounds familiar? After everything is set, about a week or two before the big day, the wedding coordinator will ask a simple question: What’s the song you’re dancing your First Dance to? Within a day or two, I will receive a call with an undertone of panic: Hello, my name is Anna. Do you teach Wedding Dance? My response is always the same: Yes I do, when is your wedding?

Over the years, the wedding couples whom I have taught and choreographed their First Dance have regularly reached out to me after their wedding and shared their appreciation for all that I prepared them for - on their special day. This includes the choreography of the dance, but more importantly, the information needed to create a one of a kind Wedding Dance, the details within the preparation and the plan for the day of the wedding that consist of all the logistics, tips and tricks that make the performance extraordinary for the wedding couple and their guests. I’d like to share these details with you, not only to create a Wedding Dance of your dreams, but also to have a joyful experience throughout the process and while performing.

My intention with this book is to help You and as many wedding couples in the world as possible. I wrote this book also for the dance teachers, instructors and choreographers, as well as the wedding planners, coordinators and even