The benefits of dancing at home together

Its started with Salsa hips, we then discovered Salsa dips…and the rest as they say, is history!

In brief

I met my husband, Dean in Magaluf on a working holiday in 2009.

We were both hotel entertainers; he was a sports and quiz host, I was too, also singing and dancing in the evening shows.

In our down time, (which was mainly between 12am and 9am), we would enjoy nights out dancing and socialising. 

Basically you WORKED hard, you PLAYED hard!

I remember teaching him Salsa in one of the clubs and was pleasantly surprised how flexible his hips were. I knew then there was something pretty special about this guy.  

Our First dance-

Skip to 7 years later, it was pretty obvious (and perhaps expected) that we needed to work on a showstopping first dance. Myself being a first dance teacher and Dean having good rhythm, we put together a whopping 6 minute medley, and hoped we wouldn’t bore the tits off of our guests!

We started off with a generic sway to Imogen Heaps ‘Hide and Seek’ and slowly worked our way to a Waltz. Then POW, the tune changes, the tempo ramps up and we come out of hold, into cheeky Charleston.

The surprise didn’t end there, my family bursted in and flash-mobbed us, just as the beat dropped to Will.I.Am’s ‘Bang Bang’.

We were pretty strict with ourselves and rehearsed every week together, which was our ‘us’ time. Also spending that time with my family made great memories and was one of the only videos I actually have of my late dad.

Us and my family. Photo credit; James White Photography

Lockdown life-

Since having our 1st child in 2017 we’ve spent a lot of our time at home. The pandemic then hit us in 2020,  so no nights out for a while quite suited us. We adapted to life in, raising a small child and finding ways to have fun without leaving the house.

We got into the habit of watching Strictly on Saturday nights, where Dean would chose his favourite couples’ routine. And then on the Sunday after the results show, I would teach him something similar, live on Facebook.

It would have been (and was for many) so much easier to just sit and play on our phones and not talk to one another, but we made the effort. It was our 30-60 minutes of quality time together each week, learning something new. I was continuing to exercise my teaching skills and Dean started exercising – with a craft beer in hand. It was FUN.

Spending quality time at home, there was no surprise when baby number 2 arrived in Spring 2021, (along with a national baby boom). My rainbow baby and passion for continuing to teach dance, were the best things to come out of those difficult years.

Life today-

Life has very much gone back to normal, but we as a nation generally seem even more busier than before. Almost like we are making up for lost time, therefore spending less and less of that quality time together.

We tried to make the best of being at home and dancing was definitely one of the highlights. So much so, that it inspired my online wedding first dance lessons where Dean modeled for me. I would grab him during the Zoom lessons, when I felt I needed his help to explain moves on screen. A lovely couple from Scotland had seen us on social media and booked 5 hours with us.

We went on to have our third baby and create short videos of our routines to upload to the ever evolving world of Instagram reels. However since then, we haven’t quite found the time with bedtime routines and work commitments. This makes me feel sad, but I know our time will come.

Dean has been amazingly supportive over the past 4 years I couldn’t have achieved my goals without him. He follows my instructions really well, trusts me and his face of concentration really engages our audience. Dean explains how difficult it is to learn to dance, remember the steps AND SMILE!

Time flies and here we are; Autumn 2023, watching Strictly again and still only talking about creating dance time together. Like most people, all we need is more time.

How I can help you-

Saving the pennies with date nights in, can strengthen your connection and relight the spark. stick on a good tune, grab your favourite tipple and giggle together, whilst blitzing through some of the ballroom basics.

A few tips to get the guys on their feet, as I know how hard that can be…

1. Move the coffee table,

2. pour him a beer,

3. Grab a disco light or change the lighting

4. Find his type of music

5. And tell him he’s gonna PASO LIKE A PRO!

We are now in a world where we can invite people back into our homes.

Perhaps you aren’t getting married, but would like to brush up on some dance skills with your partner, ready for those festive celebrations?

Learning the basics of Salsa or Waltz, in the privacy and comfort of your own home could be  the romance your relationship needs.

Tracey and Steve had 2 lessons in preparation of a wedding, they were attending as guests. Here’s what they said about their sessions;

“When we had a large weekend family wedding in May, we asked Sarah if she could help us with some dance moves so we were confident enough to get up onto the dance floor. Now considering my husband has no musicality or coordination lol she worked wonders, so much so that after the wedding we were told that they were amazed when we got up first then everyone else followed us to dance! Fabulous fun teacher, highly recommended Thank you Sarah ”

This way for more reviews  

Blog – The physical and emotional benefits to first dance lessons

Video – Beginners couple dance tutorial