As little girls, we dream about being a Disney princess getting married. Many of these dreams come to life as Disney themed weddings. In my 30 years teaching wedding dance, I have taught more than one Cinderella how to dance for the ball. Just this year I taught a kingdom dance from Tangled, and the Viennese Waltz from Maleficent to the song “Once Upon a Dream” by Lana Del Rey.
All brides look like enchanted princesses arriving at the ball, however most of the animated Disney princesses dance a Viennese Waltz. It is a classic dance, but just like glass slippers, it does not fit every girl, or groom for that matter. When it does fit, the Viennese Waltz is a match made in heaven. I had the pleasure of adapting the waltz from the live action Cinderella for the father of the bride this year. It was truly enchanting, and they did a lovely job.
Princess Dances
When the Viennese waltz does not fit, there are plenty of other dance moves to adapt to fit your favorite princess and their songs. For example, I love the movie Beauty and the Beast, as many of you do, but the song Belle and Beast dance to in the movie is not a waltz although the dance they perform is a waltz. One of my delightful couples let me adapt pieces from the movie into a lovely wedding dance. They delighted their guests with a dance as old as time.
When working on your perfect princess dance you can have something old, and something new. You could start with a historically accurate princess dance, then breakout into something contemporary. I did this for a bride who wanted to begin with “The Sleeping Beauty Waltz” by Tchaikovsky, then broke out into a contemporary dance to “Say Hey”.
For your wedding, you get to be a princess for a day and you can add a little magic with your first dance. Here are some tips for success:
- Pick your favorite princess song
- Learn to dance to your song
- Rock your reception!
Many thanks to Holly Collins from Adventures in Dance for this blog. For more information, please visit them here.