Text size:

Dancing away first dance jitters

BY FARNOOSH TORABI | SPECIAL TO amNEWYORK

May 8, 2006

Gabriela Palmieri and Scott Harford have been preparing for their wedding step by step.

For the past four months, they have been sweating through weekly salsa lessons at NY Wedding Dance, a studio in Manhattan where instructors teach engaged couples everything they need to know for their first dance as husband and wife.

Palmieri and Harford have invested more than $1,200 on private lessons, all part of an effort to have the perfect wedding, they said.

They're not alone. NY Wedding Dance has 40 couples on its current roster -- about triple the clientele the niche business had when it opened last year.

It helps that ballroom dancing has been gaining in popularity recently, buoyed by the TV show "Dancing With the Stars" and the documentary "Mad Hot Ballroom." But NY Wedding Dance is built on tradition, not trendiness.

"The first dance has a lot of meaning," said Nathan Hescock, NY Wedding Dance's founder and master choreographer. "It epitomizes a couple's willingness to work together and celebrate together."

Hescock gives lessons in the studio, at couples' homes, and through custom-made DVDs.

"Coming here, it's sort of like you're on a date," he said. "Couples are so busy. This gives them a chance to spend some quality time together before the wedding."

Hescock wants to open another wedding dance studio in Manhattan, ideally a space similar to the 1,400-square-foot space he has in Herald Square. He's also putting the final touches on a workout DVD called Ballroom Burn, which he describes as a sort of Tae-Bo-meets-ballroom-dancing workout routine. He teaches the program to a class at the New York Sports and Racquet Club.

Meantime, on a recent Friday night at NY Wedding Dance, it is apparent the salsa comes less naturally to Harford than his bride-to-be.

But Harford is determined to impress his in-laws with his new moves. He'll get his chance this Saturday, when the couple steps on the dance floor in front of 200 people at their wedding party in Puerto Rico.

"There are a lot of wages being made," laughed Palmieri. "My parents get weekly updates. But the fact that he's out here means a lot."

Farnoosh Torabi is the business producer at NY1 News. If you know of an interesting small business, e-mail her at amSmallBusiness[at]gmail.com.