Business Details
Your Wedding Dance Specialist in Cincinnati, OH
Your First Dance by Bud Walters has been transforming couples into confident dancers for over 35 years. Founded by Cincinnati native Bud Walters, a former national dance champion with 65 years of teaching experience, we specialize in personalized wedding dance instruction. Our one-on-one lessons eliminate the pressure of group settings, offering flexible scheduling with no contracts required. Bud's unique approach combines technical expertise with a relaxed atmosphere, ensuring students master styles like the foxtrot, tango, and waltz in just three sessions.As Cincinnati's premier wedding dance specialists, we've earned recognition from The Knot for 14 consecutive years and maintain a private home studio for optimal comfort. Our services extend to father-daughter, mother-son, and wedding party dances, with group rates available for special occasions.
Services
Wedding Dance Lessons
Couples Dance Instruction
Group Dance Classes
Gift Certificates
Father-Daughter Dances
Highlights and features
- We offer personalized one-hour lessons with no contracts required
- Our founder has 65 years of professional dance instruction experience
- Guaranteed to teach anyone to dance with confidence
- Specialize in wedding dance preparation for all couple types
- Private home studio provides comfortable, distraction-free learning environment
Associations and certifications
- The Knot Best of Weddings
- Cincinnati Magazine Best Dance Instructor
What people say
Joyous, Entertaining & Uplifting
Personable, funny and great teacher
Wish we would have had more time
Confidence-building instruction
Perfect addition to wedding plans
Services
Wedding Dance Lessons
Personalized wedding dance instruction tailored to couples' specific needs. Our expert instructors teach all styles including waltz, tango, and swing in a private studio setting. Lessons focus on building confidence and creating memorable performances for bride/groom, father-daughter, and mother-son dances.
Couples Dance Instruction
One-on-one dance lessons for couples preparing for weddings or special occasions. Instruction emphasizes proper technique, rhythm, and partner coordination. Sessions adapt to students' learning pace with no pressure or group distractions in our comfortable home studio environment.
Group Dance Lessons
Custom group instruction for wedding parties and multiple couples. Pricing scales with group size while maintaining personalized attention. Ideal for coordinating choreography for bridal parties, family dances, and special celebration performances.
Gift Certificates
Flexible gift certificates for dance instruction applicable to weddings, anniversaries, or personal development. Available for any lesson duration, these certificates make perfect gifts for couples or individuals seeking to improve their dance skills at their own pace.
Father-Daughter Dances
Custom choreography and instruction for father-daughter, mother-son, and other special occasion dances. Our instructors adapt to participants' experience levels and physical abilities, ensuring graceful, confidence-building performances for all age groups.
People
Bud Walters
Founder & Lead Instructor
Cincinnati native Bud Walters is a former national dance champion with 65 years of teaching experience. He represented the United States in 1960 and has specialized in wedding dance instruction for over 35 years. Bud guarantees personalized instruction with no contracts in a relaxed, pressure-free environment.
Questions
What dance styles do you teach?
We teach all major styles including waltz, tango, foxtrot, swing, cha-cha, and rumba. Our instruction adapts to your preferences and skill level.
How many lessons are needed for a wedding dance?
Most couples achieve excellent results in just three sessions. We offer flexible scheduling to ensure you're fully prepared for your special day.
Do you offer group lessons for wedding parties?
Yes, we provide customized group instruction for wedding parties with pricing options for two to four couples. Maximum three couples recommended per session.
Are weekend lessons available?
Yes, weekend lessons are available with a $20 surcharge per couple. Please call to schedule Saturday or Sunday appointments.
Do you offer gift certificates?
Yes, we offer flexible dance lesson gift certificates perfect for weddings, anniversaries, or special occasions. Certificates available for any lesson duration.
Reviews (7)
Zachary Dunn
Sep 28, 2021
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Positive:Communication,Professionalism,Quality,Value
Bud is the best!!! I was not a dancer nor was my fiance, but after three short visits we were able to complete a great dance. It took a lot of stress out of our big day and turn something that we would not have been comfortable doing before into something we truely enjoyed to do. Thank you Bud!!!
Bud is the best!!! I was not a dancer nor was my fiance, but after three short visits we were able to complete a great dance. It took a lot of stress out of our big day and turn something that we would not have been comfortable doing before into something we truely enjoyed to do. Thank you Bud!!!
Samantha Hedges
Sep 01, 2021
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My husband, parents, and I loved working with Bud. Buds teaching methods were informative and fun. After working with Bud, my husband and I felt comfortable, confident, and excited for our first dance. We looked forward to our Tuesday night dance lessons that were equal parts practice and laughter and we miss having Bud in our weekly routine!
Angela Maung
Jul 22, 2021
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I was reluctant to schedule dance lessons before my wedding because the idea of "choreographed" dancing makes me really anxious. I told my fiance, if he wanted to get dance lessons he would have to find someone and plan it. I am BEYOND happy that he found Bud, reached out, and that we took a few lessons for our first dance before the wedding!!! Bud is an incredible teacher! He made the lessons feel light, fun, and he shared honest, open critique that helped my fiance and I not look like complete amateurs during our dance. We were able to incorporate beautiful moves into our first dance that had
Mike Benkert
Jul 07, 2021
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As someone with zero dance experience prior to this past month when I took three lessons from Bud with my fianc and one with my mother to prepare for my upcoming wedding, I highly recommend the 'Your First Dance' program by Bud Walters for any couple in the Cincinnati area planning to get married. Bud's energy, enthusiasm, and expertise for dance instruction makes each session a fun and engaging challenge with plenty of laughs mixed in throughout. The amount of improvement I've noticed in my fianc and I as dance partners these past few weeks has been remarkable and I see us continuing to dance
Baze Conway
Jun 28, 2021
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I have never enjoyed dancing, let alone dancing in front of other people. Or so I thought!
Doing lessons with Bud was one of the best decisions that my wife and I made as far as wedding planning. We had so much fun spending time with Bud and learning how to dance that I was actually pretty disappointed when our lessons ended. Hes very genuine, kind, and so much fun to be around. Not to mention hilarious!
Bud is an excellent teacher, too. I have zero experience dancing, and he taught things in a way that was easy for me to understand. My wife and I received so many compliments on our first
Doing lessons with Bud was one of the best decisions that my wife and I made as far as wedding planning. We had so much fun spending time with Bud and learning how to dance that I was actually pretty disappointed when our lessons ended. Hes very genuine, kind, and so much fun to be around. Not to mention hilarious!
Bud is an excellent teacher, too. I have zero experience dancing, and he taught things in a way that was easy for me to understand. My wife and I received so many compliments on our first
Hannah Waltz
Jun 14, 2021
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Getting dance lessons from Bud Walters was the part of the wedding planning process I didn't know I needed until I'd done it! I was nervous going into it with no dance experience but he made it easy and effortless! My father and I learned how to swing dance and my (now) husband and I learned to slow dance. He was able to teach us both dances within the same lesson. Each lesson was tailored to us and Bud would give us time to ask questions and teach us in a way that was comfortable and fun! Plus, in the hustle of planning a wedding, it was nice to spend one on one time with my husband and get to
Cassie Howard
May 29, 2021
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Bud was the absolute BEST to work with. My mother in law found him at a bridal show and gifted us classes. We had so much fun with our first dance and learned a lot. We got so excited to go to class each week and visit with Bud. Both of us were clueless about dancing to start, but feel like weve come such a long way! Bud is very patient and always knows exactly what to say to help with whatever you are struggling with. This was one of the most fun things we did in the planning process and couldnt recommend his classes enough! Thank you, Bud!
