Changing Lives through Dancing by David Woodbury
Arthur Murray Santa Monica
Recently, I had a new Arthur Murray Dance student come in and chat with me. She is preparing to continue with her dancing lessons. She is fun, stylish, charismatic and loves to dance. As we planned her course, she said “I’m almost to the point where I cannot live without it”. Her words were amazing. She was explaining how much she loved being in our school and how much she was enjoying her lessons.
How do you feel about your dancing? Do you know about the:
Four Stages of Learning:
The Initial Stage
The Awkward Stage
The Conscious Stage
The Natural Stage
The Initial Stage is fun, exciting, scary, and exhilarating.
The Awkward Stage happens between the 3rd and 8th lesson. You might need to think
about every move and it seems overwhelming. You may reach a plateau and feel
overwhelmed. This is natural and happens to all types of learning. It will pass, and it will get better! Get past that 8th lesson and you’ll be dancing up a storm!
The Conscious Stage is where you have a grip on your dancing and with focus, you can make it happen.
The Natural Stage is when the blessing of muscle memory begins, and the body can remember the steps and the styling and it all comes together.
Do you know about the Mood Cycle? On some days you may not feel like dancing. If you are a couple, one of you may just want to cancel the lesson. If the lessons are just for you, you may feel discouraged and tired and not want to dance. Solution…come in anyway and dance! When you leave the lesson, you will be so happy you made the effort and showed up!
I do not remember the point where I could not live without my dancing at Arthur Murray.
Was it when I started off as a student at 18 years old? The day I started as a professional?
How about when I became a judge and traveling and coaching? When I became an Arthur Murray Executive? When I purchased my first school, my second school? I don’t really know, but as Bob Long always says, “I’m all in!”
I have lived the stage “I can’t live without it” for almost 50 years now”. I’m surrounded by so many long-time Arthur Murray professionals who have danced for decades. My closest friends are and have been franchisees, coaches/judges, executives, The Arthur Murray International, Inc. family. I have known students for many, many years and they are family to me.
For the past 48 years, I have never worked. I have not had a job nor a career. I have had the Arthur Murray lifestyle and it has been and still is glorious! I am truly in the stage where “I can’t live without it!” I hope I stay here forever!
Thanks for reading,
David Woodbury