I have other great ideas as well like hire me for the day of your wedding and I'll teach a dance to your bridal party that they can Flash Mob at some point during the reception. I actually did this at my friend's wedding a couple of months ago and it was so much fun. It grew to about 25 of us by the time the song finally came on. I was in the bridal party so it was super easy to teach it to a few people as we were all getting ready and then attend to the bride, then secretively teach it to another few people and then help out again. It can be a great fun surprise for your guests. I love how many opportunities there are to throw a surprise in to the ceremony or reception. I am a little obsessed with Flash Mobs right now. They just create so much joy! Lots of people doing the same synchronized dance, yeah, it's just a joyful thing! The super joy of your wedding combined with the joy of a Flash Mob equals EXPLOSIVE JOY!
I hope to hear from you soon! Yes, you, who's getting married in October 2012. No time like the present. Let's dance!!
]]>I've choreographed a dance incorporating the Texas two-step to "Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not". I worked with a brides entire immediate family to come up with an "Evolution of Dance" type of dance using songs from "Thriller" to "Baby Got Back" to "Ice Ice Baby". It was a perfect way to add fun and entertainment to your wedding in a stress free way that doesn't require lots of rehearsal time. Perfect if you want to do something last minute! I just made a dance for a couple to a song I've fallen in love with, Michael Buble's version of Nina Simone's "Feeling Good" . It was so fun to choreograph to. The sensual dynamics, the flirty drama, the beautiful lyrics, the dance almost made itself, in that the music gave me so much to work with. The couple has about two months to rehearse which if they're dedicated will be plenty of time. I always tell couples the quicker they can learn the dance, get the memory part out of the way, the sooner they will be able to just have fun dancing, relax in to it, without thinking about what comes next. Once you get the movement in your body, and this can take different amounts of time for everyone, it's in there and you don't have to think about it. The sooner you can do that before the wedding the less stress and more fun!
Dances to come: A bride recently contacted me about doing a First Dance where her family joins in at the end. So fun! And one of the reasons they like the idea is because they don't want the attention to be on them the entire time. I know a lot of people have a hard time being the center of attention. This is a great way for them to dance together, to share their connection but then take some of the attention off of them by ending it with fun dancing with their family. I love it!
Also in the works; a bride and her bridesmaid's dance! Of course it's just fun in general to dance with your girlfriends but this is an awesome thing to do if you want some extra special dancing at your wedding but your man or partner is not so much in to dancing. No one said you have to do a First Dance. Replace it with a fun dance with your girls! Or do both (like I would)! Groomsmen can get their own dance on as well. I haven't forgotten about you! Women love seeing men dance, am I right?!
See all the options available! Don't limit yourself! There are so many people to dance with that I guarantee any and all will make lasting memories that people won't stop talking about. So many possibilities! Who do you want to dance with?!
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How does a Flash Mob go down? Well, first you spend lots of time practicing and perfecting your moves, the more in synch we all are the more impact it has on the crowd. I have always been so intrigued with unison movement. A great example is The Rockettes. They have perfected the art of unison dance. Next you get everyone so excited about Flash Mobbing that they make a 100% commitment to be a part of it. A large group of committed dancers is important for pulling this off. Then you provide the dancers with gold sequened wristbands!! I think those wristbands had some magical properties. Leading up to Friday we practiced twice on a tennis court. It was helpful to get used to dancing on an asphalt like surface because it is much more challenging to turn on. Then Friday came! There were some nerves but mainly nerves of exuberant excitement. Many of the dancers had not ever performed before. This was a big deal for them! I have performed many a time but I have never Flash Mobbed. I had a few logistic nerves running through me. Would people move out of the way? Would all the dancers get in to their places on time? Would we all get our t-shirts on on time? Again, would people move out of the way?!! Guess what? It all came together beautifully! We all met up at 6:00 at Loretta Cafe's event space to warm up and run through the dance, and, uh, well, one of the dancers brought a bottle of tequila to share. The bottle was gone pretty quickly. We knew we would be going on about 6:45. We knew that the song coming on before would be Michael Jackson's PYT. We all had our t-shirts in hand, wristbands in the other hand. We walked down to the street at 6:30. Yes, there were a few people that knew about it. I didn't tell them. Well, maybe I told a few close friends but I certainly didn't tell WLOS, Channel 13! It's funny how quickly news spreads. I found out afterwards how many people were talking about it before it happened, The Mountain Express for example. Here's a link to the flash mob coverage by WLOS, Flash Mob.We hung out "casually", chatting with one another as if nothing was going on, nothing amazing was about to happen. And then. . . . Beyonce came on over the sound system! Loud, bold, exciting! And we danced our hearts out! Shook it in every direction possible. And then, in true Flash Mob form, ran away afterwards, as if it were all a magical creation of people's minds. It was so exciting, so fun, so exhilirating, and the crowd seemed to love it. Now the video posted on youtube already has over 2,800 hits! Would I do this again? Heck yeah!! I am so proud of everybody that was a part of it. I can't wait to do it again! Napoleon Dynamite here we come! Get in touch with me if you're interested in joining us for the next Flash Mob Extravaganza! Great pictures and video to come!
]]>You remember to plan for your dance three months ahead of time? Way to go! You remember to plan one month ahead of time? OK, you still have time! You remember a week before your wedding? Hey, you know what, not exactly the most ideal but absolutely doable. I've done it before and have been blown away by how much couples have been able to pick up in two lessons. Just last week I worked with two couples that were getting married within that same week that we met and they rocked it! They dipped, and turned, and foxtrotted and waltzed with ease I didn't realize was possible in just two lessons. So, if you're afraid you're too late, you're not! Unless you're already married; good reason to renew your vows if you ask me.
"I loved our First Dance! We still do it out at da club." Let this be you!
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Monday, April 11, 2011 at 09:40AM
Kathleen Hahn, of I Do Dances, creates personalized choreography for a couple’s first dance at the reception. On the day we photographed her for Asheville Indie Weddings, she was teaching Beyonce's All You Single Ladies to a bridal party for them to perform together at a reception, very fun. Instead of doing an interview, we sent Kathleen a series of unfinished sentances and asked her to complete them. A good sport, she was game...
Most interesting period in the history of dance is the 1920's. At least that's what I think now! I've recently been really interested in Lindy Hop swing dancing. It all started in the 1920's in Harlem with African American men performing solo, a technique that's now called Solo Vintage Jazz. Those solo moves eventually turned into partnered dance we now call Lindy Hop.
I began dancing when I was three years old. My mom has a picture of me when I was that young bending over touching the floor with my legs straight. Flexibility definitely helps.
Josephine Baker is an inspiration and Hot Stuff!
Dancing alone is actually my favorite. I can be as expressive as I want and really pay attention to how my body wants to move.
Dancing with someone can be extremely satisfying especially if there's that mysterious thing that between the two of you that creates a connection. If you're both really listening to each other (body language), no it's not just the follows job to listen to the lead, it's a two way street, then magic happens.
My favorite smell is probably magnolias.
When men dance with women it's best if they communicate and respect each other's part in the dance. Hmm, sounds like something that applies to any relationship. Dance is excellent relationship practice. That's why it's so great for couples to work together on their First Dance for their wedding. It's the best therapy!
The tango, specifically the Argentine Tango is also hot stuff. It's a very challenging dance to learn but I love the sensual nature of it. This dance, more then others, forces you to be extremely present with the person you're dancing with. That's why I like it.
Dancing shoes or bare feet! I majored in Modern dance in college so I'd say I'm most comfortable with nothing on my feets. Second best would probably be light weight sneakers with smooth bottoms for easy turning and moonwalking.
Best breakfast, hmmm, I just decided to start an extremely low carb diet (it makes my body feel better) so my answer now is probably very different from what it would have been! Bacon, apple, cheese, and sunchokes wrapped in marinated collard green leaves. . . or the brunch buffet at the Grove Park Inn :)
Choreographing wedding dances feels like an honor. I feel like I'm helping couples really own their wedding day, because it's not what their parents wanted or their other parents wanted it's what they chose to work on together. They put lots of time and effort in to creating something special and personal, just the two of them. And their friends and family recognize that and fall in love with them even more!
Best place to dance in Asheville is Bobo's on Friday night!!
Micheal Jackson rocks my world. I can't wait for them to figure out his death was a hoax like they did with Elvis.
I learned the most about movement from my teachers at UNC School of the Arts and my summers at American Dance Festival. It opened my eyes to how many different things there are to explore in the world of dance. It's so inspiring to see what people are doing with dance.
First part of the body that moves when someone begins to dance is. . . well, my friend told me he read somewhere that women are more attracted to men that move their upper body when they dance. I think that's funny but for the most part rings true! I think a good place to start is the hips, right Beyonce?!
How can someone get in touch with you? Through my website
"Asheville Indie Weddings is the first bridal blog to focus on unique local artists in our community, showcasing businesses brides might not come across otherwise. The blog will give you an insider's view of what you'd love about Asheville, if you're new to it's charms, and things you'd be disappointed to miss if you're a local. After all, doesn't everyone want a wedding in Asheville to be as unique and special as Asheville itself?
This blog will help you find offbeat and up and coming professionals and give you ideas about how to plan an artful and modern event in our progressive mountain town."
Go check it out! Yes, go!
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A few months ago I wrote about another list they created of fun First Dance songs to use (search for song and the entry will come up). So, this site has lots of goody goodies.
Here are a couple of other sites to check out for song ideas: http://www.ourweddingsongs.com/father-daughter-songs and http://www.partypros.com/lists/daddy.shtml.
Remember, you don't have to do something serious with your dad. How fun would it be to learn a funky dance with your dad. I mean that's a sure fire way to get a party started. Yeah, breaking down barriers! People love seeing their friends and family break out of their comfort zone, and enjoy it! So if you have time and any inclination I say do something special with your dad as well as your honey. Don't forget to save time to have fun!
]]>They chose Jack Johnson's Better Together for their First Dance song. Neither of them had prior dance experience. They were both a little nervous especially with the added stress of the time crunch. Man, I wish I had taken a picture of them the first day they rehearsed and another one on the last day. I was incredibly impressed with how much they were able to pick up in three lessons. People keep amazing me, that's why I stand strong in my belief that dance is innate, instinctual, we just have to remind our bodies of that. They learned 2 and a half minutes of choreography in 3 lessons! Two minutes may not seem like a lot but believe me, from dancing my whole life, it is, to not only teach your body to do the movement, in connection with your partner, but to also REMEMBER it. It is a feat! That's why their faces, their bodies, their mood were completely different the last day because they had overcome the hurdles of learning a dance and it felt good, really good! They were excited and confident. I was excited and proud and excited. It's really wonderful to see people succeed at something that is completely new and different and challenging to them. Congratulations to Laurie and Greg for taking the risk to try something new. Have you tapped in to your innate dance potential lately?
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