The #1 Most Recommended Wedding Dance Company in the Nation! " We turned our dance lessons into a dinner and dancing date!
It became a welcomed weekly escape from our hectic wedding planning." Cindy Rich, Newlywed and Assistant Editor of Washingtonian Magazine "
Our final dance lesson proved difficult at first… but mostly b/c i was so tired and had spent the day earlier at the Weddzilla Flash Mob and the day before preparing for it… But within minutes, Deborah’s contagiously fun personality infused a new sense of energy and I was ready to rock and roll… LOL
One of the most helpful things that FH and I did for our last and final Wedding Dance lesson was practicing the week before. In all honesty, the time we spent alone discussing our ideas about the dance lesson, figuring out the best way to communicate silently on the dance floor and when and where certain things are or are not effective – really got us on the same page for our last lesson. The extra time we put in gave us a familiarity that partners need when dancing to feel and sense each other’s movements without actually touching aside from the proper positioning of hands/arms/etc…
So this last lesson was our finalization… incorporating our final last touches and trying to smooth out any glitches. We ran through it and I even wore the crinoline to help us get the feeling of dancing with a big poof ball in the way… and YES we did get pics of this… check it out!
This is how we are to bow to our audience…
The Knot Spring/Summer 2010 DC Issue
Northern Virginia Magazine Online - March 2010
Proposal of the Month: March 2010
The Couple: Amanda Millward and Andrew Lander
Engagement Date: September 8, 2007
Wedding Date: August 30, 2008
The Proposal (According to Amanda): “Andrew and I were about to celebrate our 2.5-year anniversary in September 2007. He had just gotten home from his part-time job, and we were sitting on the couch pretending to watch a movie. I was wrapped in his arms and I was telling him about the book “Shopaholic and Baby” by Sophie Kinsella I had just finished. He asked me if I wanted a baby and I had said ‘Well, I want to get married first.’ Andrew was silent after I made this remark. I asked him what was wrong, and he told me that he wanted to propose to me for the longest time, but he didn’t because he said he couldn’t do it properly. I asked him what that meant, and he told me he wanted to buy me an engagement ring, but he couldn’t afford one. I looked at him and said that I didn’t need an engagement ring. All he had to do was ask me. Andrew pondered over this and then yelled out ‘Do you mean to tell me that if I asked you right now, on this couch, without an engagement ring or doing anything fancy that you would say yes?’ I told him to ask me. He became very sincere and said in a soft voice, ‘Amanda, will you marry me?’ Of course I had to tease him. I said ‘Oh, gee, this is quite sudden. I don’t know.’ Then I turned to him and said ‘yes.’
Vendor Recommendations:
Dance Lessons: The Wedding Dance Specialists
Make up: Robin Sailer of Vienna, VA, a Mary Kay Director
MIX 107.3 FM $50,000 Wedding Giveaway!
MIX 107.3 is giving away a complete wedding valued at over $50,000! Couples can enter below by submitting a photo and briefly telling us why they should win the MIX 107.3 Wedding in a Week contest. Enter by January 21, 2010 and be creative! On January 22nd, we’ll announce the top 5 couples, as chosen by our panel of judges. Our listeners will then be able to vote on line for their favorite couple. The winning couple will be announced on January 29th and their wedding will take place one week later!
The wedding party and select guests will stay at The Aloft Hotel and National Harbor and on the morning of February 5th, they’ll be married in The Sunset Room at National Harbor! A fabulous brunch reception for 100 will be catered by Avalon Catering. The lucky couple will receive amazing wedding bands from Charleston Alexander Diamond Importers. Their "First Dance" will be compliments of The Wedding Dance Specialists and they will spend their honeymoon at The Homestead, Virginia’s premiere mountain resort.
Gifts For Mom by Lesli Foster Friday, May 8, 2009
There's still time to get ready for Mom's special day. If you're wrestling with that just-right gift, we've got some ideas. For help, we turned to Shelby Tuck-Horton with Exquisite Expressions and Events. Give the Mom who has everything, something evergreen.
Plant a tree in Mom's name with help from the Arbor Day Foundation. You'll reduce your carbon footprint and spend just $10 for a gift that will last a lifetime. All Mom's could use a little pampering. But, the gift of an at home spa treatment could offer just he right touch. The Wright Touch Traveling Spa comes to you for $79 and up.
If your Mom likes to get her groove on, or could use a little help, pick up some dancing shoes and lessons. The Wedding Dance Specialists will help her bust a move at home or on the dance floor.
What Mom doesn't like to capture memories of her family. A digital camera will keep her ready for whatever happens. Check out Penn Camera for options that start at $130.
Every Mom could use a night off from dinner duty. But the chefs with Tailored Taste will take her order and do the shopping to boot! Prices start at $300 plus the cost of groceries.
And, if Mom loves to curl up with a good e-book, the Kindle 2 will give her plenty to choose from.
With these options, now you can think beyond the bouquet!
Article can be found online at: http://www.wusa9.com/money/story.aspx?storyid=85453&catid=37
Why Learn to Dance? By Deborah Joy, Founder of The Wedding Dance Specialists – serving MD, DC & VA
You’ve made a big investment in many aspects of the wedding day that will only last one day. Learning to dance is a small investment in your relationship creating lifetime memories -- an actual skill useful at future special occasions. Dance lessons are the most fun and romantic time a couple can have during the wedding planning process!
Many couples are realizing the importance of expressing their unity and growing closer through this unique learning experience. They are seizing the opportunity to shine on the dance floor while personalizing their celebration through their own creative expression. For these insightful couples, the First Dance is often the highlight of the reception, and the most vivid wedding memory guests take home with them since actions speak louder than words.
There are lots of aspects of the wedding that can be outsourced - - the bakery, the caterer, the florist, the event planner. There are two vital components that only the couple themselves can execute in order for a wedding to be valid and authentic - - their vows and their First Dance. The public and legally binding vows verbally profess the couple’s intentions to be supportive and loyal to each other. The First Dance is the first marital act that physically proves a couple’s ability to be supportive of one another. By exercising teamwork and patience during private rehearsals and ultimately for public display, the couple “moves as one” on the dance floor and a promise is sealed and delivered.
Featured on Martha Stewart Weddings Online
Big dreams vs. economy - Visitors to bridal expo react to tough times in different ways By Arin Gencer | Sun Reporter
reprinted in part
Tennille Stokes started planning more than a year ahead of her wedding so that she wouldn't have to draw from her savings. She's nixed a limo, planned the ceremony and reception in one location and reduced her guest list from 250 to 100 - and even contemplated a smaller ceremony with only a dozen people at one point.Some of the brides, like Stokes, remained firmly rooted in economic reality... They were already looking to life after the wedding - looming house payments and other necessities that would be placing demands on their bank accounts...
...But for others, tough times have done little to dim their radiant plans."Weddings are a vibrant industry whenever," said Marc McIntosh, the show's producer, who organized the event at the hotel. Weddings being planned now often have been budgeted for a year or two, unaffected by recent economic developments, he added. Still, McIntosh said, there might be some cost-cutting in light of the economy's current state: opting for a $20 entree instead of one for $22, or spending 90 percent of what one would normally have budgeted. He recalled one reception venue saying more people were booking on Fridays and Sundays, instead of the popular Saturday.
"(Some aspects of) wedding planning are economy-proof - brides are going to spend the money (for sentimental items or priceless memories)," said Deborah Joy Block, who runs Wedding Dance Specialists with her husband, Brian. "They want to remember their wedding as a great day."
..."We have to live after May 2," said Wilson, referring to her wedding date. So she and her entourage were scoping out ways to do certain things, such as favors, themselves - at a lower price.Yet as the Wilson sisters and friends Tonya Blue and Keshawn Golson studied the elaborate, multicolored rose arrangements from florist Ann's Garden, they seemed to agree that this would have to be an exception. "We'll have to splurge for this one," Crystal Wilson said...
...Nicki Gonzalez, a vocalist with Elan Artists, which provides live music, said she has noticed people are not "indulging in the extravagance" as much."Music ends up being one of those things where, if they can downsize to a DJ, they will," Gonzalez said. Downsizing has been a factor in the kitchen, too, with more orders of cakes for shorter guest lists, or bakers offering to make a smaller version of a multi-tiered showpiece, along with a less expensive sheet cake on the side, to accommodate larger weddings.
...Some people are simply planning much further in advance, so costs don't overwhelm them, said Christopher J. Sikora, general manager of Sweet, an Ellicott City-based bakery and cafe."Most of these brides planned their weddings even before they met the groom," said Sikora, as one prospective customer after another snatched samples of almond, chocolate-chip and vanilla cake at his booth. "They're not going to be willing to compromise on a lot." The price tag did not seem to be an immediate concern for Tara Lacidonia, 21, who is planning an April wedding. "My dad said there's no budget," she said - although, her mother added, that might change once he starts seeing the bills. Still, Lacidonia said, if she sees something she likes, she'll go for it. After all, it is her wedding day.
The Hill - " Girls' night out of the ordinary" by Andrea L. Alford, 02/06/08
Planning a bachelorette party can be a stressful event. Trying to please and entertain a group of people is always a difficult task, but don’t fret. Here are some fun and alternative ideas for the bride-to-be and her guests for the second most important day of her life.
Kelly Magyarics Wine Consulting caters to women looking to do something both fun and unique before their pending nuptials. Kelly Magyarics, a wine educator and writer, offers a variety of interactive reception-style wine tastings aimed at satisfying everyone from the casual wine drinker to the amateur expert...
...Chariots for Hire: “Your Party on Wheels” provides functionality to the bachelorette party experience. No longer do you have to worry about getting to and from party events because Chariots for Hire will pick you up, where ever, from start to finish...
The Wedding Dance Specialists. If the bride-to-be wants to dance, the Wedding Dance Specialists are the answer. The mini-group and customized in-studio dance lessons offered by the specialists are tailored around the music of your choice and or the theme of the bachelorette party. If you bring the people, they will provide the dance floor, music equipment and a dance teacher.
“We customize toward what their goals are, so we set the schedule to what is convenient for them,” said Deborah Joy, Manager of The Wedding Dance Specialists. “We create the length of the lesson according to how long they want the lesson to be and how much material they want to learn.” In addition, Joy says that the bridal party, at specific locations, can have a small reception to open gifts prior to or after the lesson.
The Wedding Dance Specialists have 13 locations in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, with a 14th location opening soon in the Capitol Hill area. Website: www.theweddingdancespecialists.com 703-626-7016
Virginia Lifestyles Magazine - "The Romance of Dance" by Kelly Starck, January 2007
WPGC 95.5FM Radio - Donnie Simpson's $125,000 Wedding Giveaway! - December 2006
It’s Donnie’s Morning Wish! During the holiday months, The Donnie Simpson Morning Show on WPGC 95.5 FM spread
holiday cheer by granting wishes to its listeners. On Friday, December 8, 2006 the show gave away the biggest gift in the history of the show, a wedding giveaway valued over $125,000!
Read the letter sent from Duane Harper to Donnie Simpson's Morning Wish.
Gotta dance, just gotta
By Abigail Tucker Sun Reporter
copied in part from August 6, 2006 in the Arts/Life Section
The left-footed crowd needs help for weddings, so businesses now exist to teach short-term dancing By Abigail Tucker Sun Reporter Originally published August 6, 2006 The trouble is the dip. Not the raspberry yogurt dip to complement the assorted melon slices; the wedding caterers have that under control. It's the dancing dip, where 25-year-old Michelle Rabovsky is slated to recline, resplendent, in her new husband's arms, as 100 guests wildly applaud.
And yet, at a fox trot lesson three weeks before the big day, the dip remains a low point for the couple, neither of whom has really danced before. The groom, Jonathan Keck, 24, is supposed to signal its approach by gently squeezing below her shoulder blade, or murmuring in her ear. Instead, he barks, "Diiiiiiiip!" as though calling in an airstrike. This alarms Michelle so much that she barely bends backward, her spine as stiff as a shower rod.
"The good news" - a calm, reasonable, Ukrainian-accented voice interrupts - "is that it's not a long song."
This is Valery, the couple's dance instructor. She works for the Wedding Dance Specialists, one of a new breed of businesses specializing in the growing market for prenuptial ballroom lessons, often for total beginners who just want to squeak through the first dance without shattering each other's toe bones. This is peak season for the classes, when the most organized couples rehearse for autumn ceremonies, and procrastinators cram for the glut of summer ones. All want to spare their grandmothers the sight of the nightclub-style grinding and bear-hug swaying that passes for dancing these days. A few, inspired by the recent run of television dance contests, even want to put on a show.
The Wedding Dance Specialists - which is based in Virginia but steadily expanding up the coast, renting space in dance studios - just opened a Baltimore location; there are others in Jessup and Columbia, and the one in Towson opened last year. That's where Valery, 26, is working this Wednesday night in July, teaching the rhumba, the cha-cha-cha, and all the rest.
This is Michelle and Jonathan's second and final private lesson, and they're wearing casual clothes with their wedding shoes: his lace-ups are patent leather, her heels are oyster-shell white. Both pairs are being broken in as they fox trot to the tune of their song, Natalie Cole's "Unforgettable." Gently, Valery guides them. "Jonathan, it has to at least look like you're leading," she says. "You're taking her into the dip. You're taking her out." She draws imaginary boxes on the floor. She shows them how to clasp hands."It's a lot to remember, I know."
"Unforgettable" plays again and again; the Columbia couple - he's a police officer, she does pricing for J.C. Penney - gaze into each other's eyes, and for a moment, the dance clicks. But a few too many traveling steps later and they are stuck in a corner, entangled with a fake tree, giggling helplessly.
Dance-deprived
Other parts of the cavernous, mirror-walled studio are being used by instructors from different companies, and women in their 50s and 60s take lessons to perfect their technique. They stomp through the tango, hair slashing through the air, moving fast enough to leave skid marks.Such women are the last generation for whom formal dance was a cultural must; rest assured, most did not need to take lessons before their weddings. And yet they are the mothers of today's brides, who are part of the most dance-deprived generation yet.A phone call to USA Dance, a national association of ballroom dancers, points to two causes: feminism and rock 'n' roll. "In the 1940s, there was swing music," says Ken Richards, a spokesman for the group, recalling the days when elegant couples minidragged and cuddle-dropped. But rock 'n' roll drove a wedge between partners (the twist is not danced cheek to cheek), and with the 1960s came "the whole freedom thing, and the feminist movement, and the music reflected that," he said. "So we tore ourselves away from pairs and danced freestyle."
Today's mothers of the bride came of age during this period; many learned the waltz and the jitterbug but abandoned them for Woodstock-style mass gyrations, and later the delights of disco. Then came the free-wheeling dances of the 1980s, the grunge era, and also - hit it, Billy Ray Cyrus! - the line dancing craze. It seemed as if ballroom had bowed out for good. Yet through it all, "the wedding was the one place where it hung on," Richards said. "That first dance, with Mr. and Mrs. Whatever, is just integral." Faced with this tradition, couples winged it as well as they could. But no longer. The American wedding is more extravagant than ever, and brides recoil at the slightest imperfection, let alone an amateurish dance in the spotlight. Also, a spate of televised contests - America's Got Talent, Dancing With the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance - has whetted bridal appetites for more polished performances, and couples are happy to pay $80 or so for a private lesson.
"The need was there, and it was not being met by traditional studios," said Deborah Joy, who started the Wedding Dance Specialists five years ago. "These are short-term clients with short-term goals, and we accept that reality." Couples with four left feet are stampeding for the service. They don't want to just sway from side to side. They want to look refined. First steps Refined is a lot to ask for. Some of the young couples - like Tom McCarthy, 25, and Mackenzie Bard, 24, together for nearly half a decade - have never slow danced together in their lives, or danced much at all, with anyone.
"Well," Tom says, "I guess I danced at my senior prom."
Mackenzie: "I didn't."
Valery purses her lips.
It's another lesson later Wednesday night. The Owings Mills couple haven't taken the advice of the Wedding Dance Specialists Web site, which - along with practical tips, like not scattering rice on the dance floor - suggests easy-to-dance-to classics: Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Etta James. Instead they've picked Dido's "Thank You," which has a quickened beat. Valery listens to a snippet. "Rhumba," she says warily. Good thing the wedding isn't until November and the couple have a six-lesson package. She starts teaching the slanting steps to Tom, a Wachovia bank teller. He imitates them, hands in his pockets. This looks less like dancing than divot-stomping. His betrothed, a YMCA swim instructor, suppresses a snort.
The lessons are almost always the bride's idea, and grooms are occasionally traumatized. An hour earlier, across the room, another exotic-accented Wedding Dance Specialist instructor, Theodore Zhukov, is teaching a pair from Bel Air the foxy, which is an abbreviated fox trot. The moves to Van Morrison's "Moondance" come naturally to Melissa Burruss, a 24-year-old graphic designer who wears a pretty dress and a sunny smile. Groom Sean Meadows, who does marketing for the Washington Redskins and has a football player's swagger himself, is having more trouble. The 26-year-old watches as the handsome, 6-foot-something Belarusian teacher demonstrates a move, spinning Melissa. Then suddenly Theodore is standing in front of Sean, an expectant look on his face.
"Can you let me?" Theodore asks.
"Um, OK," Sean says.
Theodore glides into his arms, and they twirl off, as Sean shoots panicked looks over his linebacker's shoulders.
No more dance lessons, he swears afterward. That is, if he has anything to say in the matter. Marriage practice In Deborah Joy's mind, dance lessons should be mandatory for soon-to-be weds, not only because a competent performance impresses guests, but because dancing is good practice for married life. And although her company specializes in pre-wedding lessons, she hopes that postnuptial students continue learning ballroom.
Dance "is a psychological and emotional and spiritual connection" for young couples, she said. "They're not groping and freaking and grinding. The man treats the woman as a princess. The man is behaving as a prince." Valery claims that a couple's essence becomes apparent on the dance floor, even if they're total beginners. "A lot of time the woman wants to lead and take control, which says a lot about the future," she says. "You have to do it together, as one." Who fights about timing? Who can laugh about mistakes? "It's almost like you can see who is going to make it."
That bodes well for Melissa and Sean, who, by the time they bid adieu to Theodore, have a firm grasp of the foxy. And ultimately, Michelle and Jonathan manage a perfectly respectable fox trot, although they elect to return for a refresher before the big day. They're partially inspired by the sight of another couple in the room - Pam Flemke, 38, and John Wilson, 45, of Parkville - who started with "no skills whatsoever" and by this evening are expertly turning through a waltz, well into their 19th lesson. Tom and Mackenzie agree afterward that their rhumba needs some work. But by the day after their first lesson the basics have come in handy. Mackenzie learned recently that her mother, who serves in the Air Force, might be overseas at the time of their wedding. She was feeling depressed that morning, and Tom knew it. So he took her in his arms in the kitchen for an impromptu run-through of "Thank You," which was bungled but from the heart. "And you know what?" Mackenzie said. "I felt a little better."
"Real Weddings by The Knot" TV show on Oprah Winfrey's Oxygen Channel, aired repeatedly since 2004 The Wedding Dance Specialists and our students were featured on national television!
WTNT 570AM "Life, Love & Marriage " - Radio show (January 2005) Listen to an Interview with Founders of The Wedding Dance Specialists
HOT 99.5 FM Radio
Win a FREE wedding worth $24,000! (Includes FREE wedding dance lessons with The Wedding Dance Specialists!)
Washingtonian Magazine , January 2003 The author of this article chose us as her wedding dance coordinators and was so inspired she wrote a full page article about our services!
Start on the Right Foot: Worried About That First Dance? Here Are Good Steps to Take.
by Cindy Rich
For many brides and grooms, a first dance isn't really a dance. They stand in place and sway, whisper, and kiss.
I'd always found it romantic. But when I got engaged, my fiancé saw it differently: Those couples, he said, didn't know how to dance.
Neither did we. So we took our four left feet and our first-dance song, a Billy Joel ballad to Alexandria . Our instructor, Deborah Joy, introduced us to the “Foxy,” a slower version of the foxtrot. Its “walk, walk, sway, sway” pattern seemed doable. We'd have five private sessions to choreograph our 2 ½ minute wedding song.
“The diaphragm is the center of dance,” Deborah said. If we used good posture and looked into each other's eyes, and “invisible current” would flow between us and keep us in sync. She was right: Whenever I looked at my feet, we stumbled.
Deborah suggested that we make it a date, so we turned lessons into dinner and dancing. It became a welcome weekly escape from seating charts and floral arrangements.
We learned enough steps to feel like dancers. We practiced at home. We took our last lesson a week before the wedding so we wouldn't forget anything.
Then came the wedding…We laughed and enjoyed the moment...We're glad we took lessons, even if we do our fanciest footwork in the living room.
WJFK 105.9FM The Wedding Show: (Radio) – February 2004
Click on the icon at the left to listen to an Interview with The Wedding Dance Specialists Founder, Deborah Joy on The Wedding Show
Reprinted in part from The Washington Post – Wednesday, January 29, 2003 , page C16
United States Department of
State: State Magazine – September 24, 2003
Performed in Washingtonian's Artists Hall of Fame Award winning program
called: State of the Arts
Dancer Deborah Joy and her entourage perform Tango, Ballroom and Latin dances in the
Exhibit Hall.
Featured again in the January 2004 Issue of State Magazine - reprinted in part
The Foreign Affairs Recreation Association and the State of the Arts Cultural Series recently hosted a colorful variety of entertainment for State Department employees. The series included, Latin dances, classical and ragtime piano, French art songs and a cellist.
The sereis began with ample serviings of tango and salsa by Deborah Joy and (her enterouge of professional dancers.)
James Madison University, Montepelier Magazine, Spring 2003 Dancing Queen Says 'Face The Music' , By Janelle DiOrio
FOR MOST PEOPLE, dancing is a way to let loose and have some fun. For Deborah Joy ('96), dancing is both a career and passion.
After graduating with a major in mass communications and a minor in business, Deborah Joy was an apprentice at a dance studio for three years. In February 2000, she founded a wedding dance company to share her passion. The studio is located in Alexandria and was at the time, the first and only wedding dance specialist business in the DC metro area. Washingtonian magazine recommended Deborah Joy 's company in its annual wedding issue. Deborah Joy also teaches social dancing to people from 4 to 94 and offers a youth etiquette program.
"People tend to take social dance lessons after college when they have more time and money and want to meet new people," says Deborah Joy . "A huge percentage of my students are in their 20s and 30s looking for hobbies or a way to meet someone special in a wholesome environment."
Deborah Joy teaches many dances, including the Viennese waltz, fox trot, mambo/ salsa, tango, disco/hustle, rumba, cha-cha, polka and merengue. "Once you learn how to dance, you find all sorts of ways to incorporate it into your life on a regular basis," she says.
The prospect of owning her own business "was daunting," Deborah Joy admits. "But, I learned that discipline, determination and delivering red carpet treatment to clients are the secrets to success."
As president, marketing and advertising director, accountant, dance instructor and choreographer, Deborah Joy considers owning a business "the best on-the-job experience anyone can have."
Deborah Joy teaches at the Alexandria studio and performs with a professional dance partner for special events and parties including D.C.'s 2002 Tango Festival, the 2002 Argentine Embassy's Argentina Festival and the McLean and Alexandria Chamber of Commerce galas.
Dancing is great for developing self-esteem and social skills, says Deborah Joy . "It's a guaranteed way to become the most popular person on the dance floor. To the skeptics and critics, the fearful and shy, I say, sooner or later everyone has to face the music and dance."
Learn more about Deborah Joy online at www.TheWeddingDanceSpecialists.com
Click below to see additional photo publicity in the following newspapers:
ay earlier at the Weddzilla Flash Mob and the day before preparing for it… But within minutes, Deborah’s contagiously fun personality infused a new sense of energy and I was ready to rock and roll… LOL
Tennille Stokes started planning more than a year ahead of her wedding so that she wouldn't have to draw from her savings. She's nixed a limo, planned the ceremony and reception in one location and reduced her guest list from 250 to 100 - and even contemplated a smaller ceremony with only a dozen people at one point.Some of the brides, like Stokes, remained firmly rooted in economic reality... They were already looking to life after the wedding - looming house payments and other necessities that would be placing demands on their bank accounts...
FOR MOST PEOPLE, dancing is a way to let loose and have some fun. For Deborah Joy ('96), dancing is both a career and passion.