I’m currently working on a novel where the 2 main characters dance at a wedding reception and I need some inspiration from novels with a dancing scene. I’m having trouble finding ones for research and I hope you all can give me some ideas. Thanks for the suggestions!
There is a whole lot of context missing for wedding dances here. I have been to African, Latin American, Anglo, and Hindu weddings and all of them involved some kind of dancing and there was a massive difference in the styles that they danced. Are you looking for descriptions for the typical Anglo-American slow dance to the rather creepy Every Breath You Take by The Police or something else?
For inspiration I’m good with reading about any style. It’s mainly to see how the author describes dancing. I can picture what I want it to look like in my head but the words escape me.
My guess is if you checked Youtube you'll find all the information you need on every kind of dance ever invented.
These are your characters! They can do whatever you want them to. Who are they? What is their relationship? And what do you hope to get out of the dance?
I've never written a dance scene, but my guess is that it would be very similar to writing a fight scene in that you probably want to focus more on the thoughts and feelings of the participants than on detailed descriptions of the action. Who are your characters, and how do they feel about dancing together? Are they bold and confident, looking forward to showing off their moves to the crowd? Are they nervous and unsure of the steps? Is one a better dancer than the other? Do they not care how well they dance and just want to shake their booties? Get the reader into your dancers' heads and they'll imagine what they're doing with their feet better than you could ever describe it.
