Mt. Hood Organic Farms - Jackson & Yoshi's Jive

September 20, 2023

Mt. Hood Organic Farms - Jackson & Yoshi's Jive

Whew. It's been a looooong time since I've blogged and that's because well...I've been busy! This summer kicked my butt in the best way possible, packed to the max with so many incredible couples. Things are a bit calmer now and with a grateful heart I'm finally having some time to reflect and do some catch up from the busiest wedding season yet!

There are so many memorable dances and weddings from this summer and over the coming months I hope to feature many of them, but for now I want to share the story of Jackson & Yoshi. Jackson and Yoshi stand out because from the get go they wanted to do something different for their first dance. I'm gonna say approx. 60% of my couples choose to do a waltz, salsa and two step are the second favorites, making up probably another 30%, and that 10% left is when I get a couple who comes to me wanting a unique, original concept. While I love ALL styles of dance, it is really exciting for me as an artist when someone comes to me and says they want to do something away from the norm. Especially when it's connected to a personal narrative with heart & meaning.

Yoshi called me and explained how she wanted to do a tap dance for her first dance as a tribute to her grandma Ann. She had so many fond memories of watching old movies with her, such as "Singing in the Rain" and "Two Weeks with Love". She wanted to, in her words "dedicate her dance to her and give back to her in the way of live performance." I thought that was the sweetest idea and concept ever. She sent me a list of songs and as I started putting together all the pieces of their day I asked her to double check with her venue to make sure tap shoes were ok before we committed to that style. We quickly learned that their venue wouldn't allow a dance floor to be put down and that they didn't want tap shoes on their original floor either. So, we had to pivot. We kept with the 1950's feel and landed instead on a jive to "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" - a number that Yoshi thought her grandmother would be equally tickled to watch. Jackson and Yoshi dug in deep and worked hard. They took the time to really practice and fine tune their skills. They had dips, lifts and some fancy footwork and spins speckled in here and there so they could really let loose and show off their fun side.

When the time came for their wedding, Yoshi's grandmother unfortunately could not attend due to unforeseen circumstances, however Yoshi informed me that she and Jackson drove to California shortly after the wedding to visit her and they performed the dance for her in person. Yoshi said "her face lit up and she kept saying we should be professionals".

Yoshi & Jackson had no previous dance experience before we started lessons and they really exceed all expectations. What a lovely way to honor their beloved family matriarch. Please enjoy a few pictures below of their super fun, joyous dance and beautiful day.