“It is a fine thing to have ability, but the ability to discover ability in others is the true test.”
– Elbert Hubbard (1856 – 1915)
American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher
Today as an older dancer, I love to discover the great new dancers of today and help them grow and mature to their full potential. What a joy to see a new first-time dancer and see that they have great possibilities and a knack for learning and a great ability to dance. To see a young professional dancer and visualize that they will be great is the future is very exciting.
Many times, a new dance student comes in with no experience and they think that they have no ability or talent. The first thing is to show them that they were able to walk or drive in which is much harder than dancing. For having rhythm, they naturally have a heartbeat that keeps a steady beat for a lifetime. They breathe in and out naturally with a graceful rhythm that is second nature.
The goal at Arthur Murray is to show the four basic elements and building blocks of dancing and how easy it will be for them to learn. When I see someone dancing, I only see the greatness inside of them. It’s my job to show THEM the natural greatness they already possess and how to use their current skills and build on them. This transference of confidence to new dancers is one the great joys in my life.
“No obstacles fell in his way that seemed to him insurmountable. He might be defeated, as he sometimes was, but he shrank from no hardship through impatience, he fled from no danger through cowardice.”
– J. P. Morgan writing about Napoleon Bonaparte
Perhaps a dancer will think they just don’t have the ability to dance. It is our mission to show the doubting novice that through patience they will learn, and with courage they will succeed. Perhaps this is the goal as a mentor, to uplift and guide others to greatness and build rock-solid confidence.
“What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882)
American Poet and Essayist
Many times, in my life I have heard that our actions are sometimes the only books that others will ever read. We may speak any truth we wish, but our actions speak who we are in our hearts. Others read us and our actions daily and they know us from our actions and trust us on what we do. Since Joel and I life a mile from our school, we truly must live the Arthur Murray lifestyle wherever we go. We see our students at the market, at mass, on walks, at the beach or the Promenade. We drive as if the other drivers were our newest students. We treat everyone we meet as if they were “reading” our lives through our actions. This is a great privilege and a great challenge to maintain daily.
Challenge for the day, let others read the book of life through your actions and always try to see the ability and greatness in others.
Thanks for reading!
David Earl Woodbury
Keep on Dancing!
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