If I hire a swing band, will people dance?

[cheeapet99]

My wedding is in October and my fiance and I are thinking of hiring a really fun local swing/jazz band to play at our reception (if the budget allows!). I'm just worried that people at our reception will be affraid to get out there and cut a rug if they don't know how to swing dance. Has anyone else done this or been to a wedding reception with a similar band? Was everyone out there dancing and having a good time, or was the dance floor empty, except for a couple really good dancers? Thanks for your help!! ~Lisa

[fructa]

Hey Lisa

If you know someone who is a good swing dancer, an easy way around the reluctance to dance is to have him/her give a quick lesson to your guests as part of the reception. My sister had a swing band, and it was a problem getting people to dance ... but (in years since) I've been part of fundraising events that were swing dances, and a quick (20 - 30 minute) lesson in the fundamentals really helps people get into it, feel secure, and have a great time! (This is particularly good, of course, if you have a friend or friends who can conduct this lesson for free...)

[epistle]

Fructa, your idea for swing lessons is a good one. :) There's an underground swing dance scene in most metropolitan areas; find yours and get in touch.You want dancers to give a lesson (east coast/aka jitterbug; lindy hop is too hard for novices to pick up in a few minutes). Arrange for 4-8 dancers to stay and dance with each other and your guests. You can negotiate a reasonable fee; assuming you feed them they might be happy with $50-$100 to be donated to their club for future equipment purchases. An empty dance floor is awfully intimidating for those who don't dance regularly.

Talk to your band about wanting people to dance; some tunes sound great but arent' danceable, and the band leader may be able to talk up getting on the dance floor.

Have the bridal party take East Cost/Jitterbug lessons prior to the wedding, take online tutorials or even lessons on youtube it's too hard to round people up. In some areas Carolina Shag might be the thing.

Best wishes!!