Kathleen Hahn, of I Do Dances, creates personalized choreography for a couple’s first dance at the reception. On the day we photographed her for Asheville Indie Weddings, she was teaching Beyonce'sAll You Single Ladies to a bridal party for them to perform together at a reception, very fun. Instead of doing an interview, we sent Kathleen a series of unfinished sentances and asked her to complete them. A good sport, she was game...
Most interesting period in the history of dance is the 1920's. At least that's what I think now! I've recently been really interested in Lindy Hop swing dancing. It all started in the 1920's in Harlem with African American men performing solo, a technique that's now called Solo Vintage Jazz. Those solo moves eventually turned into partnered dance we now call Lindy Hop.
I began dancing when I was three years old. My mom has a picture of me when I was that young bending over touching the floor with my legs straight. Flexibility definitely helps.
Josephine Baker is an inspiration and Hot Stuff!
Dancing alone is actually my favorite. I can be as expressive as I want and really pay attention to how my body wants to move.
Dancing with someone can be extremely satisfying especially if there's that mysterious thing that between the two of you that creates a connection. If you're both really listening to each other (body language), no it's not just the follows job to listen to the lead, it's a two way street, then magic happens.
My favorite smell is probably magnolias.
When men dance with women it's best if they communicate and respect each other's part in the dance. Hmm, sounds like something that applies to any relationship. Dance is excellent relationship practice. That's why it's so great for couples to work together on their First Dance for their wedding. It's the best therapy!
The tango, specifically the Argentine Tango is also hot stuff. It's a very challenging dance to learn but I love the sensual nature of it. This dance, more then others, forces you to be extremely present with the person you're dancing with. That's why I like it.
Dancing shoes or bare feet! I majored in Modern dance in college so I'd say I'm most comfortable with nothing on my feets. Second best would probably be light weight sneakers with smooth bottoms for easy turning and moonwalking.
Best breakfast, hmmm, I just decided to start an extremely low carb diet (it makes my body feel better) so my answer now is probably very different from what it would have been! Bacon, apple, cheese, and sunchokes wrapped in marinated collard green leaves. . . or the brunch buffet at the Grove Park Inn :)
Choreographing wedding dances feels like an honor. I feel like I'm helping couples really own their wedding day, because it's not what their parents wanted or their other parents wanted it's what they chose to work on together. They put lots of time and effort in to creating something special and personal, just the two of them. And their friends and family recognize that and fall in love with them even more!
Best place to dance in Asheville is Bobo's on Friday night!!
Micheal Jackson rocks my world. I can't wait for them to figure out his death was a hoax like they did with Elvis.
I learned the most about movement from my teachers at UNC School of the Arts and my summers at American Dance Festival. It opened my eyes to how many different things there are to explore in the world of dance. It's so inspiring to see what people are doing with dance.
First part of the body that moves when someone begins to dance is. . . well, my friend told me he read somewhere that women are more attracted to men that move their upper body when they dance. I think that's funny but for the most part rings true! I think a good place to start is the hips, right Beyonce?!
How can someone get in touch with you? Through my website
