Wedding Coordinator

Biography

Nicholas has been involved in many facets of the dance industry for over 15 years. He brings to Fred Astaire a passion for planning from the creative side, with a talent for musical and conceptual design. Having impeccable taste and style that is of the latest trends, Nicholas still maintains the sophistication and class upheld by Fred Astaire himself. Nicholas is a natural in this field, as clients are drawn to his relatable demeanor and his attention to detail, which makes him a true asset to the team.

Concept

From the moment you walk through our door, your wedding becomes top priority at our studio, starting with a personalized consultation. During which, you'll be given the opportunity to get to know our Fred Astaire family as we begin arranging the journey to your first dance!

We'll begin by either choosing a dance or finding a style that is harmonious to a specific song you may have in mind. If you haven’t chosen a song yet, that's ok. Our Wedding Coordinator can help you pick the perfect song.

After listening to your vision for that special moment, you'll be given a qualified instructor that will help take you step-by-step in preparation for your wedding day. Along the way, Nicholas will be actively involved in your learning process to make sure we bring what you envision to full fruition.

Wedding Day Timeline

This timeline is a guideline for optimal effectiveness, and is of course only a suggestion. We can work with any schedule and any time constraint.

All of our students benefit from complimentary wedding consulting on the wedding dance timeline. The timeline maps out the most effective way to maximize energy flow while minimizing interruptions and lulls.

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Custom Wedding Music

Most popular wedding songs are about 5 minutes long; however, we recommend that your dance be about 2 to 3 minutes long. Our Wedding Coordinator will custom edit any piece of music you provide. Maybe you like the beginning and the end of a particular song, just tell us what you want and we will edit it accordingly.

Don't want to do the traditional first dance? If your tastes are more avant-garde, then our Wedding Coordinator can custom mix any songs of your choosing. He will provide you with a seamless copy of your wedding mix. The only limit is your imagination.

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Choosing your Dance

Coming Soon

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First Dance Tips

Select a romantic song with a good, easy to hear dance beat.
Pick a song that keeps a consistent beat throughout the song.
Start your dance lessons at least 3 months before your wedding! This will give you enough time to plan, practice, and perfect you dance. It will also allow for unforeseen missed lessons and practice, and will reduce stress.
Make your First Dance photographically interesting so that you will end your wedding day with Video and Still photos you will be proud to show off to friends, family, and your children in years to come.
Ask your dance teacher for some stylish moves, dips, turns, and spins to get memorable and exciting photos!
Have a good idea of the size and shape your wedding reception dance floor will be so that you can practice and get used to dancing in that amount of space.
Plan how and where you are going to start (enter), and end your dance.
Advise you Band leader or DJ how and when you plan to start and end your First Dance. Also let your Photographers know.
Plan what will happen when you end your dance. Will you invite everyone onto the dance floor or just your parents and/or grandparents?
If you are taking dance lessons you should plan to practice at least twice a week, a half hour or more each time. Practice is very important (especially for the groom) between dance lessons in order to really feel comfortable and be able to look and feel relaxed on your wedding night.
Practice sometimes without the music, especially at the beginning stages, it will help you concentrate on perfecting your steps, and leading or following.
Keeping time to the beat of the music is very important-feel the beat!
Remember HE leads...SHE follows. (At least when you’re on the dance floor).
He keeps time and dances to the music...she keeps in time with him.

TIPS FOR THE GROOM

Men, you are going to discover, that once you get over the initial fear and trauma of taking dance lessons, it can be a lot of fun! The best part is you will learn to lead, take control)...and your girl will not only enjoy it, she will actually let you lead! Remember if you don't lead she will! Also if you don't lead she can't follow. Remember you are the captain of the ship while you are on the dance floor.
Lead her firmly but gently.
Your arms are her guide on the dance floor, keep them firm. 80% of lead comes from your right hand.
Look straight ahead (not at your feet), when dancing. Remember you are steering. Believe it or not your feet will work without your looking at them!
Listen and keep time to the music. Try to pick a song that has an easy beat to hear. Listen to the song on your own, and if you are doing a dance routing try to visualize what step you are dancing at each part of the song.
If you have trouble hearing the beat of the music ask your dance teacher or your partner to help you.
Try to practice at least twice a week with your partner. The more you practice the more comfortable you will look and feel on your wedding night.
Don't dance on your toes, unless you are doing swing or Latin dances. Take each forward step like a comfortable walking step, with your heel hitting the floor first.
Always try to move counter-clockwise around the dance floor.
Become comfortable dancing the steps first, then smoothly combining all the steps and keeping time to the music. Your confidence and lead will improve the most after you are comfortable with the steps. * Remember this is a team effort, the cooperation and teamwork you developed on the dance floor while learning and practicing will serve as a foundation for cooperation and teamwork off the dance floor.
Have Fun!

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Wedding Song Selector

Coming Soon

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Bridal Party Dances

Bridal party dances are the latest in wedding fun. Imagine your entire wedding party dancing to a special song, dressed in their wedding outfits. A professionally choreographed formation group dance has visual impact and sets the tone for a reception filled with enjoyment.

A bridal party dance can put the guests at ease – even if they are strangers or are of different ages. The group dance can be a memorable performance or even a "starter" dance to encourage guests to get out of their seats and join in the fun. It's often a highlight of the reception and is one of the most entertaining moments for your wedding video.

Bridal party dances are also a great way to say "thank you" to your bridal party. Each person will enjoy special dance instruction and will always remember how much fun they had both learning the dance and performing it.

Bridal party dance ideas

Your bridal party group dance can portray something meaningful to you, or you can just have a great time with some terrific music. We can help you with bridal party dance ideas. Some bridal party dances in the Milwaukee area have taken advantage of more traditional music while others are based on a particular dance style. Whether you want to perform salsa, Hip Hop, or disco, the choice is yours. We can choreograph any type of dance to any type of music. There is an unlimited range of choices in bridal party dance songs. We can even combine songs to create a medley.

We are experienced at instructing people with any level of dance experience or capability. Don't worry if a member of your wedding party is sight impaired or has a physical disability – we welcome anyone who wants to dance. It doesn't matter if some members of your wedding party are experienced dancers while others are dancing for the very first time.

All group bridal party dance lessons are private and can be choreographed just for you. We have many years of experience developing the ideal bridal party dance in the Milwaukee area and specialize in group and individual wedding dances. In fact, our instructors have over 100 years of combined experience, and are all wedding dance specialists.

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Success Stories

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Wedding Dance FAQ's

What should we bring to our Introductory Wedding Lesson?

Wear comfortable shoes that you can't step out of. Leather soled shoes are best. Ballroom dance shoes aren't required. Also, please bring the song you'd like to dance to. If you haven't decided yet that's ok, feel free to bring a selection of different songs or visit our wedding song selector. Some couples actually pick the song based on which dance applies (and how easy that dance is to learn).

What happens on the Introductory Wedding Lesson?

Please allow 40 to 50 minutes of time. Our Wedding Coordinator will listen to the song that you have chosen and make recommendations to your instructor based on a number of factors, including how much time you have before the big day, previous dance experience, and the difficulty of the dance. Your instructor will then spend 35 to 40 minutes instructing you on the basics necessary for your wedding day. Once completed, we will spend some time at the end of the session scheduling future lessons, if you decide to continue.

Do I have to purchase lessons if I try the Introductory Wedding Lesson?

No, the Introductory Wedding Lesson is simply a way for you to see how easy and quick it is to learn to dance with a private instructor. There is never any pressure to purchase private lessons.

How early should we start taking dance lessons before our wedding?

The earlier the better but most couples start somewhere between 6 months before to 2 week before their wedding date. We recommend starting 3 to 6 months before your wedding day. Starting earlier relieves some of the stress of learning a new dance, as well as adding some fun moves to your dance so your wedding guest will enjoy your special dance.

Is the wedding dance a choreographed routine?

It can be but this might take most couples several months of dance lessons and somewhere in the range of 30 private dance lessons to learn a choreographed routine. Many couples opt for a partially choreographed routine, which doesn't require as much time or lessons.

Do we have to have a song picked out for our wedding dance?

No, but it is a good to have an idea of what you want your dance to look or feel like. Sometimes couples choose their song based on the dance they like the best. We can definitely assist wedding couples in choosing their wedding song from lists of songs we already have in our database of music. Also, there are websites with lists of songs that are commonly used for wedding first dances.

How long should our wedding first dance last?

Generally, the wedding dance song should not be between two to three minutes. If the song is longer, our Wedding Coordinator can custom edit your song to fit your needs. Some couples choose to let the song continue and invite their family and guests on to the floor to join in.

What type of dance styles are best for our wedding dance?

Most wedding couples select a slower, romantic style of music for their wedding dance. We recommend the slower dances like waltz, rumba and foxtrot. If a couple enjoys a certain type of dance like Latin dance including salsa or merengue those work well for weddings too.

Do we bring our music to our lesson?

Yes, if you have already chosen your music bring it to your lesson on a CD, flash drive, IPod or MP3 player so your wedding dance professional can listen and choreograph parts of your wedding dance to the music you have chosen.

What if one of us already knows how to dance and the other one doesn't dance?

The most important thing during a wedding dance lesson is that you enjoy the lesson together. Let the dance teacher do the teaching, don't teach each other. Also, remember to encourage each other since learning to dance can be stressful. The wedding dance lessons can be the start to a lifelong enjoyable activity that you can enjoy together. This is a good time to learn how to enjoy each other, be patient and compassionate with each other so that every aspect of your wedding dance is enjoyable and romantic.