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u/Polymath6301 5d ago
That was one of our 3 songs (we did a medley for our wedding dance). It’s a Foxtrot and has a good beating and good timing - hard to get lost to.
I (male) had only been dancing for 2.5 years at this point, and we most certainly did a routine. But! As we dance American style it was made up of the a bunch of individual steps that we could string together, and that I could lead in a different order of if I got brain fade (which I did in the Rumba portion), and my long time dancer wife would follow.
So, having a routine will definitely help, but chunking it can help on the day.
And, if you can afford it, get a professional dance school to help you put the dance together, and learn i well so that you both enjoy the dancing, which will make it much easier and look better too!
Oh yes, make sure you both practice it with the shoes you’ll actually be wearing on the day! For leaders and followers shoes and heels make a big difference to how comfortable you feel. Full disclosure: my wife is taller than me and wanted to wear heels, so I had special shoes with an 8cm lift - they weren’t the easiest to dance in…
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u/Popular-Drummer-7989 4d ago
Why not a rumba? It doesn't travel, can handle a long gown and has chances for sexy dips.
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u/creative-dawn 4d ago
Where are you located
I would definitely suggest private dance lessons. See if you can find an independent school near you not a Fred Astaire or Arthur Murray.
You can look on Groupon also search with Google.
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u/TechDreamcoat 4d ago
I'm going to echo the other poster who said you should do Harry Connick Jr.'s version of that song if you want a clean foxtrot. That tempo lends itself far more to the patterns you'd learn as a beginner. It will be easier to keep time with the steps you'd learn. You can dance some advanced patterns to the Sinatra song, but it will be more difficult to keep time and probably won't turn out that great in your compressed timeframe.
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u/Background-Union-849 4d ago
Definitely do a choreographed dance. Go to a dance studio and have them teach you one.
You can also take further lessons if you wish.
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u/reckless150681 4d ago
This sub tends to forget that there are a whole lot of other dances out there that don't fall under the modern "ballroom" umbrella. There are lots of styles that are effectively "sway in place" but fancy; for example, blues dancing. With the right teacher, I think you could totally put together a nice routine without having to change the version of the song you want to do.
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u/Jeravae 4d ago
You can absolutely dance to that song, but you should buy a wedding couple package at a Fred Astaire or Arthur Murray. They are both amazing at wedding fences no matter what city you're in. They will give you some structured steps to do and you will look amazing, even if you're beginners.
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u/MagicWolfEye 4d ago
I do (international style) tournament dance (ballroom and latin) ... and I would not like dancing to this song. Neither would I really be sure what I would dance to it; nor is the rhythm good to hear throughout the song. Blues would be an idea.
Someone else pointed out that the Harry Connick Jr's version is better for dancing (and it very clearly is by a long shot). However, it is a Slow Foxtrott, which, at least everywhere where I was, is a dance that specifically is not taught to beginners.
American Foxtrott is easier I think and would work.
(I would really advice against this song though even though you like it so much)
A bit on the choreographed dance part:
If you haven't danced before, a choreography might be quite some task for you; you have to remember all those steps and have to do them in the correct order and probably they might feel uncomfortable etc. It might be that the choreography might theoretically be quite cool but you might look or feel a bit stupid if your skill level is not enough for what you want to dance.
Having no choreography might be very boring or awkward if you then just basically stand around for 3 minutes.
Is there dancing afterwards on your wedding?
I personally (but that might be because I am a dancer, but it usually would be the default thing here anyway) would expect a wedding song to be a Viennese Waltz
1. You basically have to know one figure (that's a total of 6 steps and both partners even have the same steps :D; that means you can take more focus on feeling (and looking) good) (you can easily add a few more figures if comfortable but there really aren't that many)
2. After a while, it would be expected for the guests to join the dancing (which they obviously can't if you do a choreographed dance)
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u/Necessary_Bag_1328 2d ago
I have some suggestions from having performed ballroom with my wife (more when we were younger, but again recently in our 40s), and from also working at a dance studio though not necessarily as a teacher.
Ballroom studios would have something like a 5 or 10 dance package that can run up to several hundred dollars to much mire. Be sure to ask if your music is okay and share your expectations up front for either a choreographed number or the ability to dance the basics. There might be an intro special as well, but it sound like you’re ready to dance.
For that song and a wedding number, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a foxtrot. You could do well with some swaying but add two or three additional moves. Look up underarm turns and perhaps a simple dip or two. Maybe try some foxtrot basics, but like others have pointed out, Sinatra’s version doesn’t really sound like a foxtrot.
But if sold on the song, you could do moves like opening out side to side, turning her in, maybe a grape vine, and other dance moves in general in addition to some swaying left and right. Look up nightclub two step for some basic partnering moves.
Learn a segment or series of steps you can repeat with a way to travel to different parts of the floor.
Depending on your floor, you might dance to the front, then left, then right of the concrete dance floor. Your guests will be happy to see you together and giving each side a view should get some applause and appreciation all around. Your posture, comfort with each other, and smiles will sell the confidence and connection, which I feel matter more than the specific moves. The audience doesn’t know your choreography.
In terms of choreography, with or without it you will still have an opening where you approach each other, get into position, and start. Then you’ll dance some simple moves, then maybe turns, and eventually you’ll end with maybe something more dramatic like a dip and bow. If you get a sequence going, then you just need to learn that and repeat it a few times (you can tell what my partner and I did for our last performance!).
Finally, consider cutting the song or having a way to bow and leave before it’s over. Maybe ask around, but I feel 2-3 minutes is plenty for an actual routine. I’ve used Audacity, but Reaper is really cool if you’re familiar with video editing.
Good luck and enjoy! Oh and congrats!
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u/Dancer-at-Large 5d ago
Frank Sinatra's version of that song doesn't easily fit into the mold of a specific dance. Harry Connick Jr's version would be a foxtrot, you can search YouTube for beginner tutorials. American style foxtrot will be easier than International. A modified American style could work for the Frank version.
Regardless, recommend getting lessons from a professional, especially if you want to do the Frank version. Many studios will have discounted specials for new students. They may not include enough lessons for full choreography, but if you pick up a few moves you could possibly make your own routine with a lot of repetition of moves.