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Do I need a first dance at my Wedding?

Maisie

YES, end of conversation, done. HA! Only joking, I am very biased obviously but let me tell you why I think you should include a first wedding dance on your big day.

Just the two of us

The biggest reason to do a first dance is to escape the ‘wedmin’. Learning a dance together gives you something to do towards the wedding that doesn’t involve choosing colours, seating plans or deciding whether to invite that distant family member you haven’t seen in years. It’s a time for you and your loved one to spend quality time together. It helps you to bond, be close and to laugh (especially if you choose to do your wedding dance with MRC DANCE- cheeky plug!).
I also make sure my wedding couples know that yes, the guests are an audience but this dance is for them. It’s their moment, just the two of them, capturing a couple of minutes together in a (usually) quite hectic day.

“We loved our dance classes as they felt intimate, special and so romantic as we were dreaming about our upcoming special day.”
-Dani & Tom 2022
Photograph by Nick Church Photography


On the other hand, it doesn’t HAVE to be traditional. If anything, less traditional weddings are a lot more popular nowadays so why not try a Dad and Daughter dance or surprise your guests with a bridal party routine? I LOVE the idea of having a special and fun moment with your closest people, the spotlight doesn’t have to be on just the newly-weds if it’s not wanted!

“But we can’t dance”

Wrrroooonnggg. More than likely, you just haven’t been taught before or even danced together. Find yourself a dance teacher who will acknowledge that you haven’t had much experience before. The reason I say this is because, if you find the right teacher, they will be patient with you. They will provide you with moves that are right for your ability and not stress you out with a routine you’ll struggle to grasp! Again, the whole point of doing a First Dance is to let your hair down with each other and enjoy a moment for you. It’s not supposed to be stressful!

Capturing a highlight of your wedding day

Imagine the photo opportunity or what the videographer could capture. Whether you’re doing a romantic number or busting into a bit of Beyonce, the camera would catch that brilliant moment. Whatever the vibe of the dance, it’s a great highlight to capture, a candid dance moment rather than a pose. If you need to see some inspo, check out my Instagram- I’ve put a couple of posts up recently with some wedding couples when they’re in practise and on their big day-

Get in touch if you just need some inspiration for your big day or if you want to discuss any options, I’m open to chatting and working out ways to make your big day the BEST!

Chat here!


I’ll also be exhibiting at The Ultimate Wedding Show in Bournemouth from 25th-26th February 2022, come and see me there!
https://www.theweddingscene.co.uk/wedding-shows/view/the-ultimate-wedding-show-bournemouth

Thank you for reading this post lovely newly-engaged people!
Good luck with planning your wedding <3

Speak soon,
Maisie, MRC DANCE


Dancing for Mental Health

Maisie

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week. Personally, I am so grateful for a whole week of chat about Mental Health, it is SO important and we need to break the stigma surrounding well-being for the mind. But hang on, how is dance related?

I had a sudden lightbulb moment when creating a new Instagram reel the other day. I compared how dancing with music feels to simply just walking through moves without the accompany of cracking tunes. Dance without music is like life without looking after our Mental Health. Music is crucial to dance . Mental Health awareness is crucial to life.

Imagine having toothache and not calling the dentist, getting pains and not booking an appointment with the doctor. It’s a lot less likely things are ignored if they are physical pains, so why do we tend to ignore Mental Health aches and pains more? The bad stigma often stops us from speaking about hard times, from reaching out to a friend or family member and I’m sure you agree, this has to STOP!

I gave even more incentive to my MRC DANCE clients this week, 10% off any class to raise further awareness of how good dancing is for the brain and body. I never realised how amazing moving my body to music was until I started my career in dance- I’ve always had a passion for dancing but only discovered why 5 years ago. It’s all about the way it makes me feel. I’m a balloon, reaching the point of being too full and needing to burst and then I dance. The feeling of being an ever expanding balloon ready to blow and then I’m able to just let go for half an hour, express emotions through movement and relieve any pressures on my mental health.

What I’m trying to say is BOOGIE. Boogie to be kind to your mind. It deserves it, you deserve it.

#mentalhealthawarenessweek

Mental Health Help in Dorset | Dorset Mind

Samaritans | Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy | Here to listen

Joes Buddy Line

Mood after Various Brief Exercise and Sport Modes: Aerobics, Hip-Hop Dancing, ICE Skating, and Body Conditioning – Sungwoon Kim, Jingu Kim, 2007 (sagepub.com)

The Strengths Of A Small Business

Maisie

Picture this.

The all-too-familiar feeling of being sat in lockdown #1, biscuits on your right, cup of tea on your left and the 8th series of the week playing in the background whilst your mind whirs away with all possible thoughts. One of those thoughts that kept popping up for me was “What have I learnt in lockdown?”. I hadn’t learnt a new language or started yoga like others I’d seen all over social media. I had, however, learnt more about self care, self worth and about myself than ever before. Having this time to reflect and see more from the outside looking in, I was able to think about the changes I would want to make with my life. A little while after, my small business MRC DANCE was born.

“So, why not just pay a fiver a month for those unlimited online pre-recorded classes?”

Dance is a competitive field, with so many classes and styles available, I wondered how mine would be different? For me, it’s not just a job, it’s something I genuinely enjoy and want others to as well. I want to make each and every individual feel happy. I want to bring out confidence in others and build their skills so they feel accomplished. MRC DANCE is more than just a business to me, as cheesy as it sounds. It allows me to make other people feel worthy, strong, carefree. (Not to mention all the other great feelings everyone should experience, even if for just half an hour).

My classes are live, so, when appropriate, I can help those who aren’t clicking with a step or those who aren’t feeling as confident in themselves and I can do it genuinely- live! It’s also so great as I get to have a chat with my clients and learn more about them too! “You got a new job? Amazing” “How’s your dog after it’s op??”. When a class is pre-recorded (and we’ve all been a victim to this), it is so easy to skip the class or ‘just leave it until tomorrow’. Tomorrow never comes and we’ve lost out on another class.

A happy dance teacher waiting for her class to begin!
Waiting for a class to begin!

This blog post was not really meant for plugging my small business, but to remind those other small business owners to remind themselves- we might be called a ‘small businesses’ but we are mighty! We’ve earnt it and we’re rocking it.

As always, stay safe and keeeep dancing!

Maisie, MRC DANCE 🙂

How to boost confidence through dancing!

Maisie

Hi everyone! I saw a post on ‘memories’ pop up on one of my social media accounts about young girls I used to teach who were struggling with confidence and decided to write a little post on it, hopefully it helps at least one other person!

Confidence is a funny thing. I never used to have any self-confidence, especially through my school years and just after, when transitioning into my early young-adult stage. People very often don’t believe me when I tell them that as now- I can stand up in-front of a crowd and teach! But my lack of self-confidence was crippling, I struggled through so many basic things that I now just blissfully stroll through and that’s the reason why I’m passionate about teaching and helping others discover and build their confidence.

I like to remind people that confidence doesn’t just appear overnight. Like anything, it needs to be worked at and needs to grow but my goodness when it grows, it is bloomin’ beautiful and perseverance is absolutely the key.

5 things I try to instil into people when teaching:

1) Every body is a dance body

2) You’re never too old to start dancing

3) Try and travel outside of your comfort zone even if it’s just once

4) Be different, not better

5) Just have fun!

I believe praise is what helps people grow the most confidence, whether it comes from an outsider or the individual themselves. I absolutely love giving praise as often as possible, I love to encourage individuals to give themselves praise too, a little bit of self-love goes a long way. You’ve aced that move you couldn’t do last week?? Amazing!

And this is where dancing has so far helped me through more than just confidence with dancing, but with life. It has helped me express myself and has helped me become the small-business owner, independent woman and positive person that I am today. So if you’re reading this now, YOU ARE ENOUGH! Go and attend that Street dance class, dance like nobody’s watching, cheer on your friend that also doesn’t believe they’re enough and figure out who you are by doing all these great things and then love the person that blooms from it all.

Remember to give my Instagram page a visit- I’m always posting reels and stories to try to spread the love, positivity and confidence! Also, if you want to start building up your own self-confidence- I’ll also leave a little link to my classes below!

3 reasons to Dance!

Maisie

In the modern day you constantly get told that movement, dance, yoga, running etc are all good for you and the majority of people think “Yeah, yeah, heard it all before, it’s good for you” and then leave it there, putting it down to the fact it’s exercise and exercise is healthy for the body. Now, that is true and that is one of the main reasons to move but it does not stop there.

1st reason to dance, in my opinion, would be because it makes you feel good. Forget for a second about the effect dancing has on your body, but think of what it does to your brain. It stimulates. It helps to release those yummy endorphins which bring you positive energy and good vibes- one of my favourite dance quotes comes to mind here… “Why be moody when you can shake your booty”. Silly, I know, but very true! It’s also scientifically proven to help with memory, in many studies it has shown to reduce the risks of Dementia.

2nd reason to dance. It’s a fun workout?? Never thought I’d catch myself saying that but it’s fantastic for getting your body moving by not having to go to the gym and see all those people lifting weights, result! I get sweaty with every Fit-fun Dance class I do and the amount of steps afterwards always amazes me! And it’s currently all done from the comfort of my own home!

3rd reason to dance. There is SO much variety! I alone teach Ballroom, Latin, Street Dance, Fitness Dance, dances for weddings, Freestyle and there are still so many more styles! This in turn means so many different genres of music, what a bonus!

With all this being said- remember not to just join a dance class because of the benefits it’ll do for you physically, think of the positive impact it will have on your mental health too. I have had many messages about how my classes have impacted someone’s mood in a positive way and there is genuinely no better feeling than knowing you’ve helped towards making someone feel happy.

Speak soon!
Maisie, MRC DANCE <3

Dancing through lockdown

Maisie

MRC DANCE may be slightly biased but believe that dancing through this tough time is a much needed mood-boosting activity. Movement is so important for both mental and physical health and most people don’t realise the movement they’re missing out on by not going about their ‘normal’ weekly routines. From walking around the office, to bouncing around in a bar at the weekend, we’re all missing certain aspects of our active lives.

Fitness-Fun dance class over zoom
Zoom Fitness-Fun class

Here’s 4 things you can do to improve your well-being through these strange times:

  • Join a class with MRC DANCE. Not only will you get the movement you need but you gain the social interaction with a very fun and friendly group and get listen to some great tunes!
  • A walk-a-day will keep the blues away. SAD syndrome is even more present in the winter so make sure you get out for a walk whilst it’s still light for an extra boost.
  • Count your steps! I’ll often check my Fitbit and see I’ve been doing my morning admin for a little too long and it just gives the little push you need to move around a little!
  • Keep up as much of a routine as possible! Wake up at your usual time, get excited for your weekly release of your favourite series, include your daily walk as part of your norm, stay in touch with your friends.

Maisie ❤️

So, with all that being said, make sure you stay safe, keep active, get in touch about dance classes and look after yourselves.