Haven’t got time to get involved in lengthy courses?Over the years, we have helped many couples prepare for their First dance. Whether you want a basic slow dance, something energetic or something in-between, we will work one-on-one with you and you partner to make your opening dance a reflection of your personalities and song choice. We can also recommend suitable songs and dance styles and choreograph to special requests.
If you are undecided as to a song choice and/or dance style, we will go through some popular ideas with you and make recommendations.
We know how important your wedding day is and how much planning goes into it, so we will take time to listen to your individual needs and concerns in helping you prepare your ideal first dance – adding that something special to your big day!
Lessons are available by appointment from our venue in Rondebosch.
Stuck for song ideas? Try this selection:
‘Can’t take my eyes off of you’ by Andy Williams
‘Lets stay together’ by Al Green
‘Everything’ by Michael Bublé
‘Fly me to the moon’ by Frank Sinatra
‘Come fly with me’ by Frank Sinatra
‘Strangers in the Night’ by Frank Sinatra
‘The way you look tonight’ by Frank Sinatra
‘You are the sunshine of my life’ by Frank Sinatra…the Steve Wonder version is also good
‘Something Stupid by Frank and Nancy Sinatra
‘Crazy little thing called love’ by Queen (Michael Buble version also good)
‘L.O.V.E’ by Nat King Cole
‘It had to be you’ by Harry Connick Jr (from When Harry Met Sally)
‘(I’ve had) the time of my life’ by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (from Dirty Dancing)
‘Por Una Cabeza’ by Carlos Gardel (made famous by Scent of A Woman)
‘Better together’ by Jack Johnson
‘Chasing cars’ by Snow Patrol
‘Amazed’ by Lonestar
‘My first, my last, my everything’ by Barry White
‘Moondance’ by Van Morrison
‘My Baby just cares for Me’ by Nina Simone
‘Fallen’ by Lauren Wood (from Pretty Woman)
‘I’ve finally found someone’ by Bryan Adams and Barbra Streisand
‘Turn me on’ by Norah Jones
‘Come away with me’ by Norah Jones
‘One and Only’ by Adele
‘Make you feel my love’ by Adele
‘I’ll be there’ by the Parlotones
‘My Baby’ by Plush
‘Thinking out loud’ by Ed Sheeran
Another popular option amongst wedding couples is to do one of my Beginner Group courses first. This course introduces you to a few of the most popular social dance styles and may spark a particular interest for your wedding dance. I find that couples who do a beginner group course first have a better idea of what they want for their wedding dance and are able to pick up any choreography a lot quicker.
Contact us to set up your first session!
CALL +27 72 203 6581
EMAIL info@johnhammanballroom.com
Download our brochure with more information on learning to dance for your wedding including our lesson packages.
Hello John
Daniele and I want to thank you for the dance lessons you gave us for our first dance on our wedding day. Our entire experience with you has been superb and the dance you choreographed for us went down so well with our guests that they are still talking about it as the highlight of our wedding! We felt fantastic, we looked fantastic and best of all….we had FUN! Thank you for teaching us so well. Your talent in selecting dance moves that were right for us, and your ability to switch teaching so quickly
from my steps to Daniele’s steps, was impressive and we felt extremely comfortable with you. You always made time for us with our hectic schedules leading up to the wedding and because of you, we want to learn to dance on an on-going basis.
You have the perfect balance of creativity, flair, professionalism
and fun. We would highly recommend you to any couple who wants to learn dance.
Thank you for playing a part in our wedding preparation and for giving us such a wonderful memory of our day.
Kind Regards,
– Wendy and Daniele
(opening dance: Mambo to Dirty Dancing Soundtrack,” I’ve had the time of my life”)
WE BLEW THEM ALL AWAY!!!!! It was awesome! Everybody was amazed with the routine! According to them we were better than the “Die Nutsman” No one knew we were going for lessons, so it was a great surprise for everyone and they truly enjoyed it. I can’t thank you enough John!
– Jack and Marida Strauss
“John spent a lot of time with us helping us to choose a song that suited our level of experience (none!) and our personalities. He then choreographed a dance for us and it ended up looking really good on the night! I would really recommend the lessons – not only does it give you confidence for the dance, but it was a really great experience for the two of us which we enjoyed immensely!”
– Bern and Michelle
Dear John,
Everyone LOVED our dance! Even the DJ said afterwards it was the best dance he has ever seen at a wedding. Just after we finished the dance he said on his mic, “James and Sarah will definitely NOT be voted off tonight!”
Thanks again! – James and Sarah
http://www.nunns.co.za/wedding/suppliers/ – link to testimonial from Dale and Claire Nunns.
Hey John,
Prior to the lessons and considering my 32 left feet, I must admit I was a little apprehensive about this dancing thing, but knew it was important to Claire so I went along with it. After the first lesson I already felt more confident about the dance, you really broke down the steps very well and made it simple to do. We also had a good laugh through it all. Thanks, we may even come back and do your Survival Dance Course after things clam down…that’s if I can convince Claire!
Cheers,
Mark and Claire
Hello John,
Brandon and I would like to thank you once again for everything you did to help us make our wedding dance as memorable as it was. It was amazing and added a special touch to our day which will long be remembered. Being a surprise, the guests were blown away by our dance moves. We thoroughly enjoyed our lessons and really appreciated your patience and professionalism. We would definitely like to continue dancing and will be in touch as soon as we are ready to do so.
Attached are a few pictures of our special day.
Wishing you all the best for the future.
Kind regards,
Celeste and Brandon Grove