Our Mission Statement at Arthur Murray Santa Monica is: Dancing Will Change Your Life!”
David Woodbury (1956)
Arthur Murray Dance Professional
In 1975, a friend invited me to a dance party at the Arthur Murray in Nashville, Tennessee. I loved it and became a ballroom dance student. Disco was the rage then and my teacher told me that I needed Cha Cha to add agility to my feet. She told me I needed Waltz for balance, Tango for leading, Rumba for Cuban Motion, Swing for arm styling, Foxtrot for smoothness and she began to clean up my Hustle dancing.
What she did was use my love of dancing the Hustle to hook me into all the other dances…and it worked. I cut my hair, changed the way I dressed, and began to take professional dance lessons and to compete as a pro!
I started off just thinking that I was just going to stay with Arthur Murray for a year, 5 years max, and to my great surprise, I took my full judges test in 1980, just 5 years after beginning my dance career with Arthur Murray. Now, after 42 years with the same wonderful company, I plan, God willing, to dance the entire rest of my life. I only pray for good health and strong feet and legs and I’ll dance until my final dance!
Yes, dancing at Arthur Murray changed my life. I love the people of Arthur Murray, the competitions, the company itself and how the schools are run. I love the music, the staff, the students and all that comes with it. As Mr. Bob Long says, “I’m all in!”. My dream and wish are that you would love dance at Arthur Murray as I have, as I do, and as I plan to do in the future!
“Some people say I have attitude – maybe I do. But I think you have to. You have to believe in yourself when no one else does – that makes you a winner right there.”
– Venus Williams (1980)
US tennis champion
Yes, dancing will give you a strong belief in yourself. It will give you some “attitude”. Just ask anyone who has been around me more than a second that I have a quick wit and a strong sense of self-confidence.
“Individual commitment to a group effort, that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”
– Vince Lombardi (1913 – 1970)
American Football Coach
The great Arthur Murray experience is being a part of a championship team. I have been very fortunate to have been a part of many, many champion groups of dancers and Arthur Murray Professionals. The goal of having a dream team is my goal every day in our school, and we do have a dream team in Santa Monica Arthur Murray!
“My motto was to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was to keep swinging.”
– Hank Aaron (1934)
American Baseball Player (Retired)
Has this idyllic road been easy? No, it has not. It has been filled with days of greatness and glory that have given me memories of a lifetime. I have experience great loss and experiences that have brought me to my knees. But the silver thread throughout all these experiences is that I have stayed in the game. Do I worry about being judged, yes. But I have learned that time is the best doctor for all things and to just stay focused and keep going day in and day out. Never give up, and as my mom, J. Clair, always said, “Keep a little song in your heart!”.
“You can’t climb up to the second floor without a ladder. When you set your aim too high and don’t fulfill it, then your enthusiasm turns to bitterness. Try for a goal that’s reasonable, and then gradually raise it. That’s the only way to get to the top.”
– Emil Zatopek (1922 – 2000)
Czech Middle Distance Runner
Do I want to get to the top? I don’t think about that any more. I think about using all my skills to help others be the best that they can be. In my life, if I want fulfillment, it is not from acquiring things or having more money than the next person, it is learning all the skills of service and giving great support to others and helping others achieve and live their dreams.
Yes, I’m an Arthur Murray Man and I plan to keep on dancing the rest of my life! Try this, take a dance lesson, start up your dancing again, continue your dancing, or stay at the top as a champion dancer. It will keep you happy and give you fulfilment in every area of your life!
Thanks for reading!
David Earl Woodbury
Keep on Dancing!
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