Changing Lives through Dancing by David Woodbury
Arthur Murray Dance Studio Santa Monica
“You have to work hard to discover how to work smart. You won’t know the best solutions until you’ve made nearly all the mistakes.”
We have many wedding couples at Arthur Murray Santa Monica. I love meeting them and seeing their amazing progress. They perform their first dance at one of our group classes or dance parties. This is to work out all the nerves, address all the mistakes, and experience a room full of people cheering and clapping for them. They always are thrilled with their experience.
I always walk up to them after their performance and say, “Imagine if I could have shown you a video of the routine you just did on your first visit! Would you have believed it?” They are full of joy, happiness and appreciation for their wonderful teacher and the great routine the just learned.
It is said that you are ready for a solo routine, group dance, or a championship the moment after it is danced as you are walking off the dance floor. The first feeling we all have is this, “Oh I wish I could do it over again”.
And you have many opportunities to do so! You get back on the floor again you have worked out all the mistakes and from the last performance.
Once with a wonderful championship student dancer, we finished our 4-dance championship event and we said, “Wow, don’t you wish we could do it all over again, right now?” And guess what? There was a missing judge and a computer glitch with the scores, and the whole event was run AGAIN!
We were overjoyed and thrilled. The second take, immediately after the first, was perfect. We were not the least bit nervous and our bodies were completely warmed up. As we performed the four dances again, we did not have a care in the world. We smiled, glided over the floor, had eye contact with each other, the judges and the audience. The music was exactly the same as in the first round. It was a perfect dancing experience!
We felt the magic of dance every second we were on the floor. At the end, we embraced and then stood in the lineup with all our competing couples. They counted down from the 6th place, 5th place, 4th place and then we were in the top three couples. To our astonishment, they called another couple and we were in the top two. We hugged and congratulated the other couple and we waited. The emcee then called out the placements of each dance and then they announced the other couple as 2nd place.
We were stunned and then we hugged each other and wept with joy. We took our first-place bow, then went to the lineup and shook hands with all the other couples. We had won from great luck of having danced twice, and the second time dancing from the pure love and joy of dancing.
I will never forget that event. It always brings joy to my heart and mind.
We had learned hour to WORK SMART! We found the BEST SOLUTION after we had made nearly all of our mistakes. By fate, we had a second chance and we won!
The winning at that point did not matter. The fact that we effortlessly did our best in the second run of the dances was the only thing that mattered to us.
I love this story and I love having shared it with you. Do you have big goals? Work smart. Make nearly all your mistakes and go out and give your best without fear. Perform in faith, love, and trust that you are ready.
Thank you for reading and Keep on Dancing!
“Dance & Thrive in ‘25”
David Woodbury
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