Couples find a variety of ways to bond and grow closer together. Some like to travel to exotic vacation spots. Some like to hike and kayak together. Some even enjoy the opportunity to work side by side in a career together. And while all couples that last must find a way to enjoy their time together, some couples learn a few extra steps, literally, that bring romance and enjoyment to their years of companionship. Ballroom dance lessons are one activity that can serve a couple for years through the many seasons of a relationship.
Wedding dances are a big part of many marriage celebrations across the company. And although couples may have danced together for years in college, not all of that dancing translates into a more formal setting like a wedding dance. As a result, many couples when they get engaged enroll in first wedding dance lessons. Whether it is to learn how to waltz with your future father-in-law or to look more comfortable in the Grand March tradition of a country wedding dance, couples who take the time to learn to dance often report that they loved the experience.
Some college age bridesmaids and groomsmen may be reluctant at first, but group lessons for a wedding party can be fun. They are a fun way for the wedding party to get to know each other through the formality of ballroom dance lessons or the hilarity of trying out some of the newest dance moves. Classic ballroom dancing can be an opportunity to master some tricky and well orchestrated steps, while other kinds of dance lessons can help couples learn to waltz, to polka, or to swing dance.
Ballroom Dance Lessons Provide an Exercise in Both Grace and Stamina
The recent popularity of some reality television dance competitions have done much to popularize couple dancing. And while the best dancers can make the activity seem effortless, these primetime shows also show the energy and stamina it takes to get good at an activity that some participating celebrities have never tried before. In fact, attending regular dance classes provide an exercise routine that increases flexibility, emphasizes posture, and helps individuals maintain a healthy weight.
In a country where many are overweight and do not get the recommended amounts of exercise, ballroom dance classes, or any form of dance for that matter, can introduce an activity that is not only healthy, but also a great social ice breaker as well. Furthermore, dancing is a little like riding a bicycle. Once couples learn to dance together, they are obtaining a skill that can carry them through many years of dancing at weddings, formal balls, and downtown street dances.
Multi-Generational Activities Promote Understanding and Connections
Three different high schools in the midwestern city of Omaha, Nebraska, now host Swing Nights in the spring of the school year. With music provided by high school orchestras, jazz bands, and talented soloists, these popular once a year nights include both dance lessons and parents. In a time when a high school parent would never want to be at most high school dances, these Swing Nights have turned into fun events for the whole family, sometimes including grandparents as well.
In the same city of Omaha, another dancing tradition is growing in popularity. High school youth groups in some congregations have planned and organized Proms for the older members of their church. Complete with table and ceiling decorations, cookies, punch, and music from several decades ago, these generational events give the high school youth in a congregation the chance to get to honor and know the older members in the church. Fun pictures of staff members wearing their high school prom dresses bring smiles to the faces of young and old alike.
Currently, the U.S. dance studio industry employs nearly 48,860 people. Perhaps popularized by the ballroom dance lessons that are a part of primetime television spots, the industry grew an estimated 2.3% a year between 2009 and 2014. Are you and your spouse part of this growing trend? Are you a recently engaged couple who is nervous about dancing in front of a crowd of family and friends? Learning to dance together is an activity that can be learned at any age, but enjoyed for a lifetime.
