Slow Dancing

Yes you really can dance to those ultra slow ballads like "At Last" by Etta James or "A Kiss to Build a Dream on" by Louis Armstrong. You can still do spins and dips! Sadly many people assume that they can only do the "Bear Hug Sway" to really slow music. The type of Slow Dance we teach at First Dance Impressions is based on Foxtrot which is a Smooth dance. All the Smooth dances move you around the floor in a counter-clockwise direction (otherwise known as the "Line Of Dance"). For Wedding Couples we find this dance to be extremely popular, given the number of slow ballads we are being presented with as First Dance Songs. The footwork in this dance is very easy to pick up. The weight changes are simple and the rhythm is stepped on the downbeat or "Booms" of the music. Slow Dance exists in many forms. Each studio has it's own variety. Often times couples come to me saying they were told their song was too slow to dance to. Not all studio dancer instructors are trained in the slow dances because they are not used in competition. Do not let anyone tell you your song is too slow, because it is simply not possible. It is true however that it's easier to dance to a more up tempo beat.

While the basic timing is easy: Slow Slow Slow Slow. The most important thing for the leader to remember is to take the walking steps large and decisively straight forward and straight to the sides on the sways. This is true even on a smaller dance floor. Better to make multiple laps around a small floor than to hang out in the same spot. The slowness of the movements tend to make men want to take small steps, but when we get them to stride confidently while dancing, Slow Dance can have the beautiful smooth flow around the room that Foxtrot and Waltz do. It is also very useful to learn as a married couple because they will not stop playing slow ballads any time soon. Because it is based on Foxtrot it can be used to dance that kind of music as well. You could dance Slow Dance to almost any Slow Dance or Foxtrot song listed on our Song Suggestion List.