5 Sure-Fire Ways to Surprise Her With Dance Lessons

Learning how to dance won’t kill you. On the other hand, not learning how to dance just might.

So, whether you want to spice things up, or if your relationship account is in the negative, surprising her with dance lessons can, quite possibly, be a life saver.

You can thank us on the dance floor.

1. Give Better Flowers

Mixing a little of the expected with the unexpected

Flowers are nice. Flowers plus an experience? That’s memorable.

1. Schedule your complimentary lesson at Arthur Murray
2. Buy a great bouquet of flowers
3. On the personalized message, use something like, “Happy Valentine’s Day, our dance lesson is tonight at 7pm”
4. Arrange delivery to her office

BONUS POINTS:

• Pick her up at work with a brand new pair of dance shoes
• Add a pre-purchased gift card to let her know you mean “dance business”
• Arrange a private jet to take you to your second lesson at the Arthur Murray in Florence, Italy (okay, maybe save this one for a major anniversary)

In fact, the combination of something traditional (flowers) with something unexpected (dance lessons) creates what psychologists call a “peak experience.” It’s the kind of gift she’ll remember – and talk about – for years.

2. The Big Game Bet

An unexpected place for an unexpected idea

This one takes a little courage, but the payoff is worth it.

1. Schedule a lesson at Arthur Murray
2. Make sure you have an appointment card, gift card, or printed email as proof of the appointment (very important)
3. After the first break in the game action, get everyone’s attention, and tell them that there is a high stakes bet you want to make
4. Pull out the dance lesson proof and wave it in the air
5. Lay out the terms: You are going to bet, in front of everyone, that your significant other cannot guess what you got her for [insert your favorite occasion]. If she can’t guess it correctly, she will agree to do whatever it says on the paper – without question
6. Let her guess
7. Hand her the dance lesson gift card
8. Get your dance shoes ready

Why does this work? Because you’re demonstrating vulnerability in front of an audience. You’re showing that you’re willing to step outside your comfort zone – and do it publicly. That kind of gesture lands differently than a whispered suggestion over dinner.

3. The Lost Wallet

A little setup can go a long way

This requires some acting skills, but the reveal is priceless.

1. Pretend to lose your wallet before work. Make sure she knows.
2. Call her from work and let her know that you received a call and a good samaritan dropped your wallet off at a specific address (the address of your favorite Arthur Murray Dance Studio)
3. Ask her if she can possibly stop by and pick it up on her way home – because you got slammed with a surprise review from your boss. (You’ll have already skipped out of work early.)
4. Get to the dance class appointment early
5. Greet her in the lobby
6. Hand her your wallet and say, “After our lesson, use this to pick out our next dance program.”

Safe to say this one requires commitment to the bit. But the look on her face when she realizes what’s actually happening? Worth every second of the performance.

4. Coffee and a Stroll

You make it look so easy

This is the smooth operator approach – casual, confident, and completely unexpected.

1. Pre-schedule a lesson. Let’s say it’s 7pm.
2. Grab a coffee nearby the studio of your choosing
3. Go for a “walk”
4. “Happen upon” an Arthur Murray Dance Studio
5. Watch from the window for a second
6. Head to the door, like a regular
7. Say something like, “Our tango lesson can’t start without you.”

The key here is acting like this is completely normal. No big announcement, no dramatic reveal – just confident assumption that of course you’d be walking into a dance studio together.

5. Be My Dance Partner?

Could this simple note be a game changer?

Listen, if she has hinted, bugged, or threatened you to take dance lessons with her, nothing would be more meaningful than a simple request – from you. It’s simple, effective, and, chances are, she’ll save that note forever.

1. Leave her a note, check-boxes and all: “Will you be my Dance Partner?”

Sometimes the biggest gestures are the simplest ones. A handwritten note shows thought, intention, and that you were listening when she mentioned wanting to dance together.

Final Thoughts

Remember, you have asked her to do some very “guy-centric” things in the past. This wipes the slate clean from the grief she gave you for the fishing, poker, and preseason football dates.

Your buddies will, in fact, make fun of you… and that’s why they will continue to be in trouble, single, or both.

Learning to dance is like shopping for cologne: The opinion of your guy friends does not matter. Ever.

This will be, without a doubt, something she will brag to her girlfriends about.

This move will put you in the top percentile of husbands/boyfriends in the galaxy.

That’s it. You’ve got the tools. The worst that will happen is you’ll learn how to dance and this will send your relationship into overdrive. You’ll, unfortunately, find that you enjoy it and that may mean that you will then, subsequently, be someone’s dance partner. Your relationship points will rise more rapidly than a second Google IPO, and your nightlife together will have more spice than a cajun restaurant.

So if you like that sort of thing…

For more relationship-boosting dance ideas, check out 21 Tips for Couples Starting Social Dance Lessons or learn about what to expect at your first Arthur Murray lesson.