Changing Lives through Dancing by David Woodbury
Arthur Murray Dance Studio Santa Monica
This is a follow up on my last blog of “Be Visible, Be Easy, Be Useful, Be Ready”.
BE BOLD
This is my take on being bold. My mother had a way of meeting new people. She called it “Build an Empire”. Momma always said, when you meet someone new, immediately find something that you love about them, and share it with them and build an empire of friendship. “Oh, what a great handshake you have” “I love that color on you” “You have such a great laugh”.
The comment you share with them may be anything, but sincerely done, it will bring a smile to their faces and a perhaps a good laugh together afterwards.
Being bold is having a presence, having originality, having a glow about you that is sharable with others.
BE BRAVE
I am brave. I am fearless (most of the time). I have a strength inside of me that I’ve drawn from all my life. I’ve walked onto the dance floor with 700 spectators watching with joy and power searing through my body and soul, ready to perform.
I’ve spoken in front of hundreds of people and felt only the urgency to serve them and inspire them.
The only time I am always humbled is remembering names. As a youth, I was a stutterer and had a lisp and a stammer. Physical therapy and practice helped helped a lot. Even today, I will sometimes choke in my conversation and be forced to take a pause. I still stammer.
Unfortunately, it happens when I am saying hello to someone I’ve met just recently, and it also happens with someone I know very well. It’s not the bravest time of my life.
BE UNSTOPPABLE
My dad was unstoppable. The last time I saw him, he height had shortened by several inches, yet he stood tall and erect. He was strong until the last day of his life at 94. He was a force of nature that lives inside of me and my sisters until today.
For me, now at 69, I’m still at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio going strong. No more 12-hour days for me, but I am still able to hold my own on the dance floor and as an owner/franchisee. I do not see stopping as a dancer/owner at all. I am an advocate for senior dancers. We are Bold, Brave and we are all Unstoppable. Never tell a senior that they can’t do something. We’ll surprise you!
The main reason I don’t want to quit is that I have a lifetime of knowledge and I want to share that wisdom with others. I will keep coming in and being a part of Arthur Murray as long as can walk and dance, and I will continue teach the secrets of dancing.
I love the thought of being unstoppable. I just met a woman at a social and she was 99 years old, just under 100! She was amazing. She was vibrant and brilliant. She was a wonderful conversationalist and so much fun. She was sitting next to her best friend, who is 95. The 95-year-old is full of energy and laughter. She looks decades younger and has a fire and a passion in her eyes.
I look to those older than I am. There is so much I can learn. Patience, longevity, wisdom, vision, listening, loving, forgiving, and love. They are all unforgettable!
Thank you for reading and Keep on Dancing!
“Dance & Thrive in ‘25”
David Woodbury