Welcome! If you’re here, I’m assuming you’re getting married or you would really like to learn how to do some nice slow dancing with your loved one that doesn’t include spinning them until they fall over…either way, congrats!! You’ve come to the right place.
Here’s the thing: You don’t need to know a ton of different footwork or be able to spin endlessly and do lifts and tricks to be a really good dancer. Those are very fun skills to learn eventually, but it’s the basics of being able to lead and follow and understand fundamental elements of movement that create the baseline of dancing. And if the basics don’t feel good, the rest isn’t going to be any better.
Folks seem to get caught up in the idea that they need quantity over quality and a showy-factor in order to qualify as dancing. Particularly for first dances where there’s wedding dresses and all sorts of wedding-specific logistics to take into account- you don’t need all that.
First Dances get over-complicated all the time and it doesn't do you any favors on your big day (or in making you want to dance together in the future).
Couples have enough to think about on their wedding day- unless it is important to you to have a fully-choreographed, show-stopper of a first dance, don’t get hung up on trying to do a ton of moves and intricate choreography.
You really just need some solid social slow dancing fundamentals, a few simple turn elements that suit you, and an easy to remember pattern with your song to tie it all together and learn to program it into your muscle memory so you don’t have to think about any of it when the day comes! And, maybe most importantly, you have to learn it in a way that is enjoyable, easy, and makes sense.
And that’s what I do. As an educator, I dedicated my career to distilling these basic elements of partner dance into a curriculum and teaching method that allows total beginners to easily gain access to understanding these tools and start using them right away. I’m here to teach people who want to be able to do some basic dancing that feels authentic and relaxed, and who are maybe freaked out by the idea of dancing or even just learning to dance. Maybe it feels intimidating or overwhelming, or maybe you’ve tried and just haven’t found a teacher or style of dance that felt right for you. I built my programs to help with all that.
I’ve taught thousands of couples over my career and of alllll the many, many couples I’ve worked with, SO much of the time wedding couples have really 1 major goal they share when they come in.
And it’s always: ‘We just don’t want to look like a-holes at our wedding.’
They don’t want anything super over-the-top or complicated that has them feeling nervous and clumsy AND they don’t want to be stuck in a super awkward 5 minute ‘high-school sway’ because they don’t know what else to do.
After working with hundreds of couples that just wanted a low-key, intimate, comfortable and connected first dance that they could feasibly do in their wedding outfits to their song and feel like adults who were dancing and actually enjoying themselves (and not counting in their head or panicking over remembering choreography or advanced spins), I found myself teaching this exact curriculum to meet their goals.
And all of them would send me happy post-wedding messages and pictures saying: “It went great!! Thank you SO much!!”.
My teaching philosophy is simple- quality over quantity. Things don’t need to be complicated or overly fancy to make a good dance. Simple movements done really well and with a focus on being able to enjoy dancing with each other will look and feel much better than attempting to do a whole choreographed dance that is better meant for folks who have been learning ballroom dance for 6 months or even a couple years.
I see some of y’all going on Youtube and trying to piece together some of the ‘wedding dance’ videos that are lovely but they’re being done by professional ballroom dancers with a bunch of nuance and background knowledge that makes the dancing look like it does. Without the nuance or knowledge, these things can quickly end up looking like folks performing at a medieval festival (no shade if that's your thing) and can feel awkward or worse, just be overwhelming.
So here’s the deal:
If you want your first dance to be worthy of a Broadway stage or viral video and if you’re looking for a fully-choreographed ballroom number with lots of wow-factor or maybe even want to do a medley of songs, you need to:
a) have a budget of $700-$2400 for private lessons (usually 8-24 depending on the dance) and at least 3 months available learn (more is better)
b) find a really well-rated instructor/choreographer in your area who will really listen to what you want and is as good a teacher as they are a choreographer/dancer
c) and invest that time and money in private lessons to create your perfect first dance with that pro.
If you want to learn to do a ton of fast spinning and fancy tricks, there’s other great online programs that will teach all that good stuff.
But, if you’re like most of my clients over the years who are looking for a first dance that is comfortable, low-key, simple, intimate, maybe with a few photo-worthy moments and just feels relaxed but elevated;
if you want to learn at your own pace in the comfort of your own space without a bunch of other dancers to share the floor with;
if you want to save a ton on your wedding budget and learn your first dance for less than the cost of a single private lesson;
if you want to learn with a pro with decades of experience that thousands of couples have loved working with…then this is the program for you.
I love seeing happy couples who are connecting over learning to dance together AND feel confident and joyful about dancing their first dance together. I am honored to help make this special moment feel right. My goal is for my students to head into their wedding feeling confident that they have the tools and knowledge to slow dance together without being in their heads the whole time, to look comfortable and relaxed dancing, and to be connected to each other throughout.
Welcome & Let's Dance!
Add your email to the mailing list to get helpful wedding tips, giveaways for Add Ons, and special sales.
“This was by far the best wedding decision we made! Our guests were VERY impressed with our dance and we had so much fun doing it! Besides the actual wedding, the best part were the dance lessons themselves. They were such a fun bonding activity for my partner and I.”
Marissa
“We did the lessons leading up to our wedding and it then turned into a date night as frequently as we were able to attend and our time spent with Cori was so much fun, we all laughed the entire lesson each time! She is soooo Charismatic and beyond educated in the dancing world... who knew there was so much technique that goes into dancing!! Cori knows, that's who!! Thanks to her, our first dance was a hit and even years later we still find ourselves dancing the routine in our kitchen, living room or even on vacation in the middle of nowhere. it's one of our go-to romantic gestures toward each other to start spinning and twirling and doing the dips and I'm smiling just thinking about it! Thank you Cori for the great memories and lifelong skills! We miss you”
Blake
“Cori was the BEST dance teacher we could ever ask for our wedding! I have danced since I was a little girl, but my husband on the other hand can't seem to keep rhythm so we were both nervous about our first wedding dance. After our first dance lesson with Cori, all our worries went away. She has a way of explaining movements and walking you through the motions that make it seem so easy. It has instilled so much confidence in my husband that he dances with me every chance he gets (literally, grocery stores, Target, kitchen haha) and is willing to learn other forms of dance through the Cori's studio. Thank you Cori for this incredible experience!”
Sheryl
“We are so happy we found Cori, as we ended up with a dance that we enjoyed, was within our confidence level, allowed us to improvise, and awed our guests all at the same time!”
Jeff
“Working with Cori was one of the best decisions of the wedding process. Not only because we were comfortable and confident with our first dance, with a lovely routine to boot. But, it gave us a fun almost "date night" escape from wedding prep to laugh and just be us. Cori is also wonderful in every way. She is patient and focused but also silly and understanding of what we needed. Our dance felt like it was perfect for our level of skill and time that we could dedicate to learning a new dance. She took into consideration things we didn't want to see, and elements that we "had to have." She would also show us several moves so that we could choose the best one to fit our vision. I couldn't imagine an easier or better process for learning our First Dance. If you're looking for a rad person to work with and feel comfortable learning something new and possibly foreign Cori is definitely the way to go. ”
Kitrina
“Cori is amazing, and because of her we absolutely shocked everyone at our wedding with an amazing first dance! For some people, dancing does not come naturally at all, and the thought of the "first dance" is literally one of the most stressful parts of their entire wedding. That was 100% me. My husband and I decided the best approach was to go all-in, and have a unique first dance song with some legit choreography. Cori is such a warm, happy, hilarious person, and with anyone else I am honestly not sure if we could have pulled this off. She is patient and understanding of different experience levels and personality types, and most importantly, she knows what she is doing, which translates to confidence in her students. It is beautiful to watch her when she puts on the music, walks onto the dance floor, and "feels" how she wants the next piece of choreography to go. Watching Cori come up with dance patterns reminded me of watching a pianist sit down to compose music. It is true artistry and you can see the passion. Cori is responsible for one of the highlights of our entire wedding, and for that we are so grateful.”
Kevin
“We cannot recommend Cori enough! As a couple who started out with a total of four left feet, we proudly NAILED our first dance at our wedding. This was all thanks to Cori. Our first session with her was a breath of fresh air coupled with an enormous sigh of relief! The thought, "oh thank God! We aren't going to embarrass ourselves at our wedding" came to mind. She is able to explain complex dance concepts and motions in a way that anyone can understand. Please do yourselves a huge favor and work with Cori for your first dance! I promise you'll be glad you did!”
Carrie
“If you're looking for someone to help you with your first dance for your wedding.. stop here and call Cori. She's amazing. We are NOT dancers- we also didn't want some sort of formal dance routine either because that didn't feel like us. Cori listened to us and coached us to a perfect first dance that had some flashy points, but was totally us- casual, intimate, etc. The one on one setting allowed us to use our own music, she even helped us edit our song so it was a little shorter but still had the good parts! We were just so impressed all around. ”
Elisa
“My now-husband and I went to see Cori for first dance lessons and all I can say is those ten weeks were some of the best we had during wedding planning. Cori is like unicorn, she's not only rare, but also magical. Allow me to explain... They say opposites attract and that is very much the case with my husband and me: I'm a visual learner, my husband learns through logic and reason; I tend to prefer the big picture first filling in details as I go, my husband likes to have information presented in sequential order. To find an instructor that would be able to accommodate these various styles of learning we thought would be nothing short of impossible. Enter unicorn Cori. She taught us in a way we were both able to not just grasp the concepts but retain them, which ultimately made for one heck of a first dance. I mean, we nailed it. Like really nailed it. And for two people who had not an ounce of rhythm between them (although we really liked to believe otherwise) this was quite the accomplishment. And that was all thanks to Cori. She's a phenomenal teacher - so much so that we're already planning on heading back for more classes - and beyond that she is an absolute gem of a human. She's patient (like very patient), she's funny (like belly aching funny), and she's got a personality that makes you feel like a better person for just having known her. Cori not only made us look good but also feel good. She gave us all the tools we needed to be confident on the dance floor and frankly we wouldn't have been the dancing king and queen we were come the Big Day if it weren't for her. So, to the bride on her hundrenth search: Stop. Go see Cori. It's well worth the investment. And to Cori: A simple thank you will never be enough but I hope it will do. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. A thousand times thank you.”
Charlotte
“Cori is one of a kind. Wedding planning and all the chaos that was involved with our big day melted away every time we stepped onto Cori's dance floor. We wish we could give her more stars on yelp. Cori is simply an A++ instructor and ultra dedicated to her clients and her dance practice. Cori got us to a place where we felt very fluid and confident on the dance floor. If you are looking for the best dance instructor, look no further, you just found the best in the business.”
Ramy
My most popular and beloved First Dance programs in super comprehensive DIY online courses.
Whether you're on a tight timeline of fewer than 4 weeks or have 5-8 or more weeks- and- whether you're looking for super simple dance or want something a bit fancier, I've got you covered!
My programs are built to help you learn in elements- it's like we're creating a recipe and first we start by growing the ingredients we need for the recipe. By learning this way, we program the elements into your muscle memory so in the second phase when I help you craft your version of your perfect first dance to your song, your brain and body are threading together bigger blocks of movement rather than struggling with the minutia of learning choreography in a traditional setting.
Last, I take you through the tried-and-true practice of getting you wedding-ready! You'll have your first dance embedded in your muscle memory so you won't be thinking much about it come your big day, you'll be looking polished and feeling comfortable and confident heading onto the floor.
And if you're worried about doing it all yourself, I've got some Done-For-You options available too!
I'll walk you through planning and scheduling your lessons based on your wedding timeline at the start of your program and go over tons of details like how long to dance for and how to work with your song.
You'll enjoy a weekly date night activity together learning your new skills and steps and then working on your first dance! So many of my couples say that this was the best part of wedding preparations!
My most popular curriculums for couples who just want a low-key, intimate, and enjoyable slow dance and those who want something with a bit more wow factor. We start with simple movements + really strong fundamentals so you can move elegantly and smoothly together in an elevated first dance. No complicated choreography and not stuck awkwardly in the high-school sway for 5 minutes.
Choose-your-own-adventure style learning so you can select the steps that suit you best and then learn how plug them in to build your first dance. Or learn them all just for fun!
After you learn your elements, you'll choose between 3 options for HOW to put your version of your perfect first dance all together! I'll guide you on how to create your dance using your choice of 3 methods: Organic (learning how to freestyle your first dance), Non-Musical Patterning (creating a little structure to help your muscle memory without worrying about things being perfectly paired to the music); or Musical Patterning (much more low-key than true choreography, you'll learn an easy system to intentionally fit your dance to your music so you enjoy the most important moments of your song!)
Built for both 'Big Picture' and 'Detailed' Learners. Includes super-detailed instructional videos so you can understand exactly what each part of your body is doing- virtually no guessing. Layered instructional methods build the steps up in your body until you have the whole step working fluidly.
Includes all my troubleshooting tips during instruction to help you avoid the most common mistakes so you can make quick and easy corrections.
Taught using tried-and-true methods that allow you to build your skill up in your body over time and into your muscle memory. Elemental teaching style allows you to only focus on remembering 5 things by the end instead of a 100 small movements.
Curriculum suits most popular slow dance songs used as first dances. I offer free support to tell you which rhythm to use for your song! And offer a money-back guarantee in case your song happens to be a rhythm that doesn't work with this course.
Designed with steps chosen for wedding-specific considerations...you've got special dresses, suits, shoes, dance floor, lights, photographer and more...these steps are chosen to not complicate your big day any further.
After nearly 20 years helping couples have a magical first dance, I've got ALL the Wedding-Day Tips. I include all my Wedding Specific Considerations to make your first dance as well-planned as possible and help you get the most out of your first dance memories.
Save big on your wedding budget! These same programs for my in-person private clients cost $600-1200. I've packed 20 years of professional wedding instruction into these super comprehensive courses so you can look like you took those private lessons too...but for less than the price of a single private lesson.
Create your own version of your perfect, custom first dance! Learn social slow dancing elements and how to thread them together to your song. An easy to learn-and-remember, this is our more intermediate course for couples who want a fancier dance.
$89
Learn social slow dancing elements, then be guided through how to thread them together to create your own version of your perfect, custom first dance. An easy to learn and remember, our simplest and comfortable first dance that feels great.
$59
Just realizing your wedding is around the corner and you don't know what to do about a first dance? If you have 4 weeks or less until the Big Day, this crash course will have you doing a low key first dance and looking wedding ready ASAP!
$49
Let me save you a ton of time and effort and create your custom first dance for you! Purchase this at the start of the program or as you approach Module 5 if you want to be able to have a Musical Pattern for your first dance and skip all that work.
$129
Add On any of my personalized services to your Program to work with me directly and get as close as you can get to actually taking private lessons!
Let me save you a ton of time and effort and create your custom first dance for you! Purchase this at the start of the program or as you approach Module 5 if you want to be able to have a Musical Pattern for your first dance and skip all that work.
$129
Get personalized and professional help once you hit Module 5 and are ready for the Cleaning Process! Skip all the work of doing it yourself and let us bring you through that process with trained eyes. We'll meet online to get you wedding-ready!
$149
Control the length of your song or just keep your favorite parts of your song without dancing forever (guests' attention spans are 2-3mins) by editing your music. Work directly with our studio editor to get your song professionally edited!
$60
Don't want to DIY putting together your first dance? Select from any of our premade dance patterns to a variety of popular wedding songs in our library and simply follow the pattern to learn your elements and prepare your first dance!
$29
The course lets you DIY your first dance from start to finish. But I know sometimes we all need some extra help. I have a variety of support options to help you learn in a way that feels best to you in case you prefer a little more Done-For-You approach to save you time, effort, and take a little more off your plate!
Your course includes a Free Song Support item so you can confirm your song will work with the rhythms offered in the course AND even confirm WHICH rhythm option you should use. The course works with most popular love songs but if yours doesn't work, no worries- my money-back guarantee will help you out, no problem.
Sometimes rhythm is actually the hardest part about learning to dance. Get personalized help + skip the whole Basic Rhythms lesson with this Add On. You'll receive a custom track of your song with an instructor counting the dance timing. Use this tool to train yourself to hear where the beat of your song is until you're able to find it yourself! It's like having an instructor in the room with you!
For couples who want a less DIY experience with a heavier dose of Done-For-You...Save yourselves the time and effort of putting the whole dance together with your music and bypass Part 1 of Module 5 (where I teach you how to create a musical pattern for your dance to your song) with my Done-For-You add on. You learn the moves, we'll create a custom pattern for you to follow and tell you exactly where to plug all your moves into your song for a polished and professional first dance.
As an added bonus- purchase this option at the start of your program and then you can even eliminate the need to decide which steps to learn! We will give you your custom pattern plan which includes the list of elements to learn so you can save time and get right into it!
It's your wedding day- dance as long as you want! But realistically, the sweet spot for a first dance is usually between 2-3 minutes whereas most songs are 4-5 minutes. If you'd like your song custom edited for length and flow, you can submit to work with a professional music producer who will edit your track to your requirements.
Select the next tier up to have myself or staff work as a Dance Pro to create the editing notes for what we know would make the best version of your song for a first dance and coordinate with the editor on your behalf.
$174.00
$189.00
$323.00
$423.00
Here's what you'll learn in my most popular wedding curriculum.
Lesson 1- The Fundamentals.
Connect + Communicate: how to lead + follow as a team, move in sync as a unit.
Frames: Different ways to hold each other + how to plug your connection in and move as a unit.
Music: Understanding Basic Rhythms of the most popular slow dance songs + how to find the rhythm of your song.
BONUS + ADD-ON-Sometimes rhythm is the hardest part. If you find rhythm overwhelming, we offer free support and can tell you which rhythm to follow for your song. Still need more help? You can purchase a Rhythm add-on and we will send you a sound or video file counting the timing for your whole song so you have a practice track until you can find it on your own!
Basic Movements: Learn how to move as a unit- smoothly and without stepping on each other (or fighting)- using the basic movements that make up social slow dancing. You're basically dancing in frame to the rhythm of your song now!
Lesson 2- Turn Steps
You'll choose from a variety of turns and styling to incorporate some basics + some showier moves if you like. Keep it as basic as you like or build in some of the simple moves that always get the guests saying 'ohhh'.
Please note- 'turning' is not the same as spinning. In this program, we are doing nice and slow walking turns that are very controllable but will look beautiful and feel good. We are never spinning until we're dizzy.
BONUS- I'm teaching you some key technical pieces that actually make a turn look beautifully fluid and so much easier to do. People will think you've been dancing much longer;)
Lesson 3- Dips/Endings
Your dance has got to end somehow! People hear 'dip' and they freak out- that's because most people are doing dips incorrectly and make them feel terrifying and uncomfortable. I'm teaching you how to safely and correctly do a simple dip or you can choose from some flashier options and stylings for a photo-worthy ending. I also include a non-dip option if a dip is just not right for you! Pick what makes you most comfortable!
BONUS- Learn 'The Tik Tok Bouquet Dip'
Lesson 4- Intros
No one wants to start their first dance by lining up on the floor and standing in frame and then yelling, 'Alright DJ! Hit Play!' Every first dance needs a way to begin and end that helps it feels organic. Choose from several intros to get on the floor and start dancing.
Lesson 5- Patterning (Create your First Dance!)
And finally, we are going to take all your elements you learned and teach you how to weave them into a first dance! We'll talk about the different types of structure you can use to do this and how to use your music.
ADD ON- If you'd prefer a Done-For-You Approach rather than a DIY one to build your first dance, you can purchase our Done-For-You option and we will create a custom pattern for your first dance to your song for you and provide you the materials to learn it to the music.
Pro Tip: Consider purchasing this Add-On at the start of your program if you want to just follow the steps used in the pattern and avoid decision fatigue on choosing steps to learn. OR you can tell us which steps you learned when you place your order if you've already learned and we will use those steps only in your pattern.
Your First Dance is Alive! From here we will go over Best Ways to Practice your finished first dance to really drive it into your Muscle Memory by the big day. Our goal is a smooth ride come the big day, as little thinking as possible, and definitely no counting. We want you to be confident heading onto that dance floor!
I have also included ALL THINGS WEDDINGS so you have all my Pro Tips and any special things I recommend considering as you work through your first dance. Tips on certain shoe styles, dress styles, suits, dealing with dance floor set ups, communicating with your photographer and videographer, maximizing your newly learned dance moves for the best photos on your day, and working with your DJ and music!
My commitment to my community is always to find ways to make the world better for us and my loved ones. The world of traditional ballroom dance is hella entrenched in traditional gender roles and language and that often makes for a learning experience that feels less than inclusive. Part of my goal when I began coaching was to shift these paradigms and to be sure that dance instruction and first dances served the particular needs of fellow LGBTQIA2S+ Couples and their weddings.
I teach with gender-neutral language and offer tips on how queer couples may want to feel their most represented within their dance partnership. Partner Dance is for everyone- traditional instruction can make it feel like its only built for cishet couples. I am mindful of this in my instructional approach.
I roped my partner into filming this program with me- we are a cishet-appearing couple. During the instruction when demonstrating something in partnership, I am usually performing the Follower's part and I use pronouns to refer to either of us, but not the roles being performed. I share this so any of the queer couples looking for instruction that feels inclusive and safe knows in full transparency what's up and that I am intentional in my programming.
If none of this matters to you, awesome- you're going to have a great time learning to dance anyways. If it does, extra awesome- please know my goal is to be of the upmost service to you as a teacher and service provider. Seeing my fellow queer couples perform their first dances together is one of the greatest joys of my life. I hope you'll enjoy as much as I do!
Hi! I'm Cori and I'm the creator of the First Dance at Home Program. I have been studying and teaching partner dance for nearly 2 decades (yeesh). I developed my teaching methodology as an alternative to the way I saw traditional ballroom studios teaching partner dance. I saw a lot of students feeling frustrated because things weren't clicking.
“I can’t feel what my partner is doing…. We keep stepping on each other... They’re not turning at the right time… We’re not moving together.”
And the reason things weren't clicking is because students were being taught all about what their feet do, and not a whole lot about how they were meant to work as a unit together- the connection was an afterthought. But the connection is the glue holding everything together!
That's the thing about partner dance- what separates it and makes it so magical is that it only feels good when it's rooted in connection. Being able to move as a unit, communicating to each other, focusing on working as a team and having fun- actually sits higher up on the priorities list than just what our feet are doing. Otherwise it’s just 2 people dancing at or in front of each other…but not really with each other.
My teaching approach goes back to basics: Connection-first and a down-to-earth, easy, fun holistic approach to learning simple, sociable, slow dancing that feels really good paired with the structure and special considerations that a wedding requires. Quality over quantity all day.
I’m here to teach people who want to be able to do some basic dancing that feels good who are maybe freaked out by the idea of dancing or maybe just have never taken a formal dance class in their lives.
I believe anyone should be able to do a slow dance with a loved one that just feels good- intimate, low-key, relaxed. And that’s what my most popular wedding lessons became built around.
I opened my own studio in 2016 which quickly became San Diego’s top-rated place for wedding couples looking to learn their first dances. My private lesson roster was completely sold out for years and I am so honored that I got to help thousands of couples over the years feel comfortable, confident, and connected heading into their big day. I wish I could teach everyone 1-1 to enjoy dancing together. I live with a chronic illness and when my health issues took a turn a couple years ago, I had to pivot (bad dance pun) to figuring out how to work without being able to be on my feet and moving all day long anymore. It was a difficult time and transition, but shifting into a course model allows me to bring my 21 year long career to so many more couples than I ever could just in the studio. Making my most popular curriculum that hundreds of couples have loved and available online has allowed me to help so many more people prepare for their weddings AND in a way more budget-friendly price than private lessons because let's be real, you whisper the word wedding and everything costs 500% more. And so, First Dance At Home was born!
I love seeing happy couples who are connecting over learning to dance together AND feel confident and joyful about dancing their first dance together. I am honored to help make this special moment feel right. My goal is for my students to head into their wedding feeling confident that they have the tools and knowledge to slow dance together without being in their heads the whole time, to look comfortable and relaxed dancing, and to be connected to each other throughout. Welcome- let's dance!
