Changing Lives through Dancing by David Woodbury
Arthur Murray Santa Monica
You have started dancing at Arthur Murray. Perhaps you are in a foundation program, or you have begun your Personalized Social Dance Program. What to do now? The first thing is to get plugged into your private lessons with one to two lessons minimum per week. Then, study your studio calendar and attend as many groups and parties that are offered in your school weekly. Then, bring in a guest to help share the love of dancing with a friend and help your school grow!
After that, what do you do with all those wonderful lessons? My suggestion is to dance a spotlight with one of your favorite dances at the main studio party. Keep it simple, fun, and no longer than a minute or so. Wear your favorite dance outfit and have some very exciting music and even bring some friends to watch you.
After your spotlight, have your manager and instructor watch your video with you and plan how to make the spotlight an open and closed and solo routine. Find out if any of the visiting coaches are have an opening and then take your first coaching session.
Schedule a Showcase first to become familiar with a day of competiting. Purchase your first smooth and rhythm outfits and shoes. Both ladies and men will wear competition wear. Then, find out about what grooming is necessary for the right look on the floor.
At the showcase, make sure to have all your entries filmed so you may review them later. Enjoy the day of dancing. It will pass in a moment and you will be driving home wondering where the time went.
Before going to Showcase, have your next event planned. Plan your next solo routine. Perform a dance you have never learned. You’ll know it perfectly after dancing it as a solo. Sit with a calendar and plan an area World Dance-O-Rama. Plan a competition in Hawaii or Europe with Arthur Murray. Then, attend the largest event, Superama at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
How do I know all of this? I have helped many, many students follow this path of dancing and they loved every minute of it. Some danced many years with this same plan all the way up into the Gold and Above levels. Guess what, I loved every minute of it as well and I have a wonderful lifetime of memories from it all. Start with a Showcase and then hang on. You’ll have a fantastic journey of dancing!
Stay happy. Never give up. It will get better.
Thanks for reading,
David Woodbury