Invasion of the British Party! Unique Dance-0-Rama 2014
David Earl Woodbury
No 30 Changing Lives through Dancing
By David Earl Woodbury
Friday, July 25th, 2014
Getting Ready to Dance in the Fall and Winter!
Wow, I’m planning out 2015. Those of you who know me are chuckling. Fall and Winter is just around the corner. The fall dance calendar is full of exciting events! We are planning our Tournament of Champions in August and getting ready to dance into 2015!
Someday, in years to come, you will be wrestling with the great
temptation, or trembling under the great sorrow of your life. But the
real struggle is here, now, in these quiet weeks. Now it is being
decided whether, in the day of your supreme sorrow or temptation, you
shall miserably fail or gloriously conquer. Character cannot be made
except by a steady, long continued process.
— Phillips Brooks (1835-1893) American Bishop
Miss Vicki Venka, my favorite coach!
We were just asked to submit our Hospitality Service schedule at St. Monica’s through January 2015. It was amazing to me to see that our dance calendar is full until March next year. What a joy and thrill that we have the opportunity to dance, perform, compete, train, and share the magic of dance together.
Trials, temptations, disappointments — all these are helps instead
of hindrances, if one uses them rightly. They not only test the fiber
of a character, but strengthen it. Every conquered temptation
represents a new fund of moral energy. Every trial endured and
weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than
it was before.– James Buckham
Georgetta Platt, Amazing and Wonderful friend!
Do you want to get motivated? Go to your PC and print out calendars for August 2014 through December 2015.
Then, write out some goals of what you want to do with your life. Write in goal dates of when you want to take your first dance lesson, perform your first routine, and compete in your first competition. Plan your weight and exercise goals. Do you want to travel, learn a language, run for office, get a promotion, have a needed surgery, get a new job, start school or graduate, or fulfill an lifetime dream? Write it down, make a plan, then inch-by-inch it will be a cinch!
Aim at the sun and you may not reach it; but your arrow will fly far
higher than if you had aimed at an object on a level with yourself.
— Robert F. Hawes
Steve Platt, our Area 7 Director!
Do not falter or shrink; But just think out your work, And just work
out your think.
— Nixon Waterman
Last weekend I had the honor of judging Unique Dance-O-Rama in Irvine. The organizers, Steve and Georgetta Platt, put on the largest event in Arthur Murray History, perhaps the largest competition in the US to date! It was an amazing few days. Friday and Saturday, the competition began at 7 AM and finished around 1:30 AM with the ballroom always full and hundreds of dancers at their best taking the floor to compete! I left with such great hope for the young generation of today after seeing the young couples trying to win their heats. The gentlemen were so beautifully dressed with perfect decorum and poise, and the ladies had grace and beauty and elegant charm as they glided across the floor.
To see such a return to elegance truly blessed my soul. There is hope for today, and a lot of it comes through the discipline and reward of ballroom dancing which is stronger today than ever. Write on your calendar that you are going to call your Arthur Murray Dance Center and start on you new dancing journey. You’ll be glad you did!
We each have all the time there is; our mental and moral status is
determined by what we do with it.– Mary Blake
Thank You,
David Earl Woodbury
Next Week: How to be a Champion Dancer!