A bride and groom enter the Arthur Murray Dance Studio of Waco, and they feel as though they are out of their league. They don’t have any dance experience, but they want a great first dance for their wedding. Very quickly, the couple realizes that with the help of owners, Bryan and Stephanie Tate, they will be able to wow their friends and family with their newfound skills.
“We always love getting photos and videos of couples who really surprised everyone with how much they learned,” Stephanie Tate said.
The Tates first got to know the world of partner and ballroom dancing as single people in the mid 2000s, working their way up from teachers to managers at an Arthur Murray dance studio in Fort Worth.
“We competed professionally and became a part of the big organization. We knew that we wanted to open our own studio someday,” Stephanie said. “When the time came to start thinking about where we wanted to open, we tested out a lot of different cities. We sort of fell upon Waco one day, and the minute we got here, we both felt like this was the place we should have our studio.”
While Arthur Murray studios are synonymous with ballroom dancing, the Tates say that they can choreograph just about any style of music and create a one-of-a-kind first dance, mother/son, father/daughter, or even bridal party dance.
“We teach Latin, we teach swing, and I’m a born and raised Texan, so I like to represent on the dance floor with two-stepping and country western dancing,” Bryan Tate said.
The expert dancers want to help each couple not only practice and perform their ideal wedding dance, but they also want to give them tools for their upcoming marriage.
“Dancing is a great way to develop good habits right away and be intentional about making time for each other,” Stephanie said. “We try to make the dance lesson experience super special.”
To get started with lessons and planning out your big dance number, the Tates suggest calling the studio and making an appointment for an introductory class.
“We want couples to come in the studio and experience it,” Stephanie said. “Then we can look at their timeline and budget and help them come up with a game plan.”
For more information about classes and personalized choreography, contact the Arthur Murray Dance Studio of Waco at (254) 301-7125 or visit www.dancewaco.com or come by 1411 N. Valley Mills Dr., Suite 13 in Waco, TX 76710.
