Take this class for better, for worse

Inept 'first dances' at weddings are becoming a thing of the past, as couples seek the help of dance schools to put their best foot forward, writes Fionola Meredith

The days when newly married couples could get away with a cheerfully inept shuffle around the dance floor are long gone. Swaying vaguely along to a Carpenters track is anathema to today's self-respecting bride and groom: for many, it's Fred and Ginger or bust. It's considered essential to roll out a dance routine that will wow friends and family with its show-stopping technical prowess.

Television competitions such as Strictly Come Dancing have fuelled this appetite for have-a-go amateur choreography. And when newly-weds Julia Boggio and James Derbyshire posted their own version of the finale from the movie Dirty Dancing on YouTube, it was an internet sensation, generating more than two million views to date. (The clip is noteworthy in particular for Derbyshire's masterful soaring leap from halfway up a flight of stairs: a moment of poignant beauty.)

Meanwhile, in the pink, glittery world of online wedding discussions - where members often use taglines such as "20 months and three weeks till I tame my wildboy" - the message boards are full of anticipation and anxiety about that all-important first turn on the dancefloor.

SINCE MOST COUPLES' previous dancing experience consists of a bit of drunken prancing in a half-lit nightclub, that's where the expert help comes in. Adam Gardner of First Dance Ireland, a company offering professionally choreographed routines, believes that the "first dance" is becoming as much of a treasured moment at weddings as the traditional cutting of the cake.

"We're not teaching people to dance; we're teaching them a routine to their chosen song. It's all about choreography, and we offer an eclectic mix of styles - Latin-American, jive, ballroom - whatever is appropriate to the song."

He recommends that couples begin lessons at least 10 weeks before their wedding. That way, they can comfortably fit in five one-hour sessions with their personal choreographer, and leave plenty of time for private practice. But the company fields plenty of last-minute queries from panicking couples.

"Yes, we get the 'Oh my God, we can't dance' calls," says Gardner. "People realise that they don't want to be stuck doing what I call the 'drill shuffle': turning round and round in circles as though they're drilling holes."

Owen Cosgrave, dance instructor with Dublin-based company Just Dance, agrees that the old-fashioned approach "bores the socks off the couple and everyone else".

But what kind of dance is best for the aspiring dancing queen (and king)? Flora Miller, dance teacher and consultant, urges her clients to keep it simple. When inexperienced couples come in keen to try a tango or a samba, she steers them gently towards a more manageable waltz or foxtrot.

"It doesn't need to be fancy," she says. "The thing is to look natural, as though the couple have never been near me for a lesson. When it comes to a first dance, less is definitely more."

Martin and Tara, a couple from Ennis in Co Clare, took lessons from Limerick-based teacher Bridget Harte before their marriage in April, and Tara wholeheartedly recommends the simple approach.

"We chose a straightforward foxtrot, and we practised so much that we both felt really natural and confident on the day, and we were able to enjoy it. My husband had a bit of a reputation for having two left feet, so we didn't want anything too complicated."

As for the accompanying song, well, anything goes. While Andy Williams' love-lorn Can't Take My Eyes Off You is the most popular choice, other couples prefer to take a more imaginative approach. Adam Gardner says that First Dance choreographers have devised special routines for Sex Bomb by Tom Jones, Murder on the Dancefloor by Sophie Ellis Bextor, and even, on one occasion, put together a dance to the Coronation Street theme, for a couple who met on the set of the programme.

"I've had two couples requesting Sinead O'Connor's Nothing Compares 2 U," adds Gardner, "but that's a song about breaking up, and I really had to talk them out of it."

Another equally perplexing but remarkably popular choice is The Police's Every Breath You Take, that well-known paean to obsessive stalker-love.

MOST COUPLES KEEP their private dance lessons a secret, in order to maximise the impact on their assembled guests when they finally glide elegantly on to the floor. Veronica, from Dublin, is getting married to Tony at the end of December, and she's determined to keep her planned performance under wraps.

"I'll say this much: we will have a five-piece band accompanying us, and it will be a big romantic show-stopper," she confides. "It's going to be classy, not some shuffly, cringeworthy thing. After all, you wouldn't have a floppy dress or cake. It's all about attention to detail, very much reflecting who and what we are. If you're going to stand out from the crowd, you should do it properly."

Veronica and Tony have already had two private lessons with Owen Cosgrave at Just Dance, and they have been practising their steps at home. "We do it on the driveway, because there isn't enough room inside," says Veronica. "The neighbours must think we're nuts."

Perhaps not surprisingly, most instructors admit that it's generally the female half of the partnership who is the prime instigator in setting up lessons. While the bride-to-be is brimming with enthusiasm at the fun and romance of it all, her intended (or H2B as he is fondly known in the business) can often be found skulking in the background, mortified at the thought of his impending moment in the spotlight. In fact, it's only the fear of seriously screwing up the first dance that gets some men along to classes in the first place.

"Plenty of chaps don't like the idea of dancing," says Gardner. "But when they do the lessons and get up on the dancefloor, and all their mates say, 'Blimey, look at him dance,' they love it."

COSGRAVE SAYS THAT while men can be initially rather apprehensive, "in almost 100 per cent of cases, they end up more into it than the lady." Tony, Veronica's fiance, admits that while the dance routine was Veronica's idea, he's keen to continue lessons beyond the wedding, and wants to learn to dance for real.

Since the modern penchant for micro-managing weddings to within a hair's breadth of perfection is itself a kind of choreography, it's hardly surprising that the "first dance" has taken centre stage in the big day.

What's more, the polished routines no longer have to be limited to the bride and groom. The latest trend - as seen in the Dirty Dancing extravaganza - is for other assorted members of the wedding party (such as bridesmaids, groom's men and ushers) to take to the dancefloor in squadron formation, and join the happy couple in a bout of shimmying synchronicity. Where will it all end?

Top 5 Most requested first dance songs

1Can't Take My Eyes Off You Andy Williams

2The Time of My Life (Dirty Dancing theme) Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes

3From This Moment on Shania Twain

4Love Is in the Air John Paul Young

5It Had To Be You Harry Connick jnr

(Source: First Dance Ireland)