While its not quite Halloween yet, while reading through some links via our amazing Arthur Murray Ballroom Twitter friends (click that link, its the most comprehensive collection of Arthur Murray official Twitter Channels on the Net! compiled with the help of our friend Ana at the Danvers, MA studio!) and came across this “haunting” link.

The song is by Matthew Fisher and is called “Ballroom For Ghosts”, at first we were expecting something perhaps a little more Disney than Debussy? But we were surprised- this is an elegant and moving bit of music that would be perfect for a riveting showcase should anyone take up the challenge! I’m sure Matthew Fisher would love to see it! So please take a listen- you won’t regret it.

If you made it out to the Coral Gables Valentine’s party last Thursday we’d love to see pictures! We’ll be watching Facebook all week for a few great shots!

Also, when Coral Gables announced their Valentine’s Party they dropped a good reminder of two major events coming up very soon!

Upcoming Arthur Murray Events!

Don’t forget about…

Fun-O-Rama dance competition is just around the corner! This year’s Fun-O-Rama will be in Orlando, FL and will be hosted at the Hilton Orlando Hotel on February 24-25. If you’d like to find out more information on signing-up please call 305-444-6136!

And

Next Month is The World Dance-O-Rama and will be hosted in New York City at The Sheraton Manhattan! This is one of the largest competitions of the year and it will be between March 21-25.

Here at Arthur Murray we read a number of blogs about ballroom dancing, usually starting with the latest news from our dance studios across the world and then trending off into whatever our Google Alerts lands in our inbox.

We found a very charming blog written by Daniel J. Hogan, a writer, wine drinker, collector of old typewriters, adventurer and man who wears a very stylish eyepatch. It seems Mr. Hogan stepped into his ballroom dance class, expecting the usual assortment of samba, swing, jazz and what have you- but was instead greeted with a (perfectly dance-able!) big band version of both Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit and Van Halen’s classic cut JUMP from 1984.

Read his (hilarious) reaction here:  http://danieljhogan.com/home/2012/02/16/lets-dance-ii-the-dancening/

While there are a number of great Jazz versions of modern songs- we think Daneil’s melting-reaction might have been caused by the uncanny Paul Anka cover!

Country Western night at Arthur Murray Dance Studios of Etobicoke

Our friends at Arthur Murray Dance Studios of Etobicoke posted on Facebook last week reminding their followers of where their blog is located (http://arthurmurrayto.wordpress.com/). As followers we of course clicked the link to explore the wide world of Dance Lessons at Etobicoke!

How can we say it? Their blog is a wonderful example! There is so much to explore on that site- from updates on events and studio news to simple notes direct from the studio to their students. We just kept scrolling and truly learned the story of the dancers at Etobicoke!

So take a look- you won’t be disappointed!

Arthur Murray Dance Studios in Naperville is hosting friend of Arthur Murray Studios worldwide and renowned dance coach Ron Christy! Ron has graced the dancefloors of Arthur Murray Studios all over the country. Arthur Murray San Jose has some great words on what Naperville can expect:

 What can we say.  He’s a man made of almost steel with an almost steel head and can almost see through anything.  He can however see what we need to work on.  Students had a blast working with him one on one and in his workshop.  Have you ever witnessed a miracle in your life?  That’s what takes place during a lesson with a coach like Ron.  He not only astonished and amazed our students, but our staff as well.  We had a field day trying to understand the man known as Ron Christy.

They’re in for a great night of ballroom dancing and fun!

Last week we brought you a story from Arthur Murray Kenilworth about how to keep time with music when Ballroom Dancing. It was a great lesson for all! Well, they were gracious enough to give us a phone call about it! Turns out one of their gracious students brought in an old Arthur Murray book full of tips for ballroom dancing!

They’ve made a blog series out of this new venture and we invite you to stay tuned to Kenilworth’s weekly blog updates! They’re full of great tips, inspiration and rules for every type of social dancing.

Click here to see what they’ve come up with: http://arthurmurraynewjersey.com/category/blog/

ARTHUR MURRAY INTERNATIONAL CELEBRATES 100 YEARS OF TEACHING THE WORLD TO DANCE

Arthur Murray Dance Studios - 100 Years of Ballroom Dancing

CORAL GABLES, FL – February 1 ‐ 2012 marks 100 years since a shy young man named Arthur Murray stepped onto the dance floor and into the history of American pop culture. Known best for the iconic Arthur Murray Dance Studios, Arthur Murray was a brilliant marketer and innovator, starting his dance teaching career in 1912.

“Most people remember Arthur as an older gentleman smiling in grainy dance photo poses from the 1950s, many times accompanied by his wife Kathryn, a television celebrity in her own right.  But Arthur was a visionary,” said John Kimmins, President of Arthur Murray International. “Fueled by a passion for sharing  his  love  of  dance,  Murray  created  new  marketing  methods  and  embraced  the  latest  in technology and media to bring joy to millions.”

As a student in college, Arthur developed and marketed the idea of selling dance lessons one footstep at a time by mail.  During the 1920s, he arranged for the first live radio broadcast of dance music, with the help of a group of young engineering students from Georgia Tech, bringing live music to a rooftop party in downtown Atlanta.

Later, after developing his own dance studios, Arthur made sure that every first‐class steamship cruise included  dance  teachers  from  his  studio  system.  When  travelers  returned  home,  they  wanted  to continue their  dance  lessons, and relied on the familiar brand name to continue with their dance lessons.

Arthur was a dance impresario, travelling throughout the Caribbean and Latin America to bring Latin dances to America – still the most popular dances today.  At his direction, many Arthur Murray Dance events took place in Cuba so that the dance instructors would learn the Latin dances in as authentic a manner as possible.

In the 1950s, Arthur embraced television, still in its infancy, creating the celebrated Arthur Murray’s

Dance Party television show.  The show was a huge success, and ran for ten years on national television– enormously popular even by contemporary standards.   These hugely popular TV shows were the precursor to today’s ABC mega‐hit “Dancing with the Stars.”   Indeed, many of the Arthur Murray’s Dance Party shows had well known celebrities paired with dance professionals as dance contestants – voted on by judges and the TV viewing audience.  The Arthur Murray Dance Party is being updated, re‐ edited, and will be made public in the early spring of 2012.

In celebration of the 100th   anniversary of teaching the world to dance, Arthur Murray Dance Studios world‐wide will hold a variety of special events and dance competitions in the dance studios.

Larger events scheduled for 2012 include:

• March 21 – 25 ‐‐ World Dance‐O‐Rama ‐ New York City, NY
• April 4 – World‐wide 24 hour dance party to celebrate Arthur Murray’s Birthday
• April 11 – 14 ‐‐ International Franchise Convention – Miami Beach, FL
• October 31 – November 4 – Superama 2012 – Las Vegas, NV

For dance celebrations in your community, contact your local Arthur Murray Dance Studio, and as Kathryn Murray always said at the close of each TV episode, “Put a little fun in your life. Try Dancing.”

Arthur Murray Dance Studios are located in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Austria, Latvia, Ukraine, Poland, Italy, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, UAE, Egypt, Turkey, South Africa, United Kingdom, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia.  For more information about ballroom dance, visit the Arthur Murray International website at www.arthurmurray.com.

For  history,  photographs  from  the  historical  archives  of  Arthur  Murray  International  and  more information, visit www.100yearsofdance.com.

Arthur Murray Federal Way shared a great photo archive a while back that warrants a revival! What happens when ballroom dancers go for a picnic? Find out for yourself!

You can view the archive at Arthur Murray Federal Way’s Website!

Arthur Murray Sherman Oaks shared a fantastic letter written by Goldie Levenstein, an 89 year old ballroom dance student, to the producers of the Today show.  We couldn’t improve on the content whatsoever, so here is the letter in its entirety.

Dear Hoda Kotb & Kathie Lee Gifford

c/o The Today Show, NBC

I’ve watched your show for many years and enjoyed it very much.  However, a few months ago, you had a segment featuring five women in different age groups (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s).  The five women were talking about going after one’s dreams and passions at any age.  I thought:  how about after the 60s?  I took exception to this.  It was as if you were saying that no one past their 60s was worth knowing or listening to.

I am an 89 year old woman who has taken up ballroom dancing at ARTHUR MURRAYa little over a year ago and it has really become my passion.  I’m striving to become a good dancer without making allowances for my age.  Dancing has given me a new lease on life.  I’d hate to think what I would be doing now if I hadn’t gone after my new passion.  I know I would not feel as if I were getting younger all the time.

I am sending you a DVD [see clip in this article] showing my Solo Dance featuring my instructor, JOSH BECKET (28 years old) and myself dancing.  The music is titled “Sugar Mama” to show you I have a sense of humor.  The audience, as you’ll see/hear, went crazy.

Another thing I’ve noticed is on your Friday Makeovers:  there are no older women.  You know, we older women like to look good also.  I also wonder at your ignoring this segment of the population as they are becoming an ever-increasing segment and are likely to continue growing.

Thank you for listening to me.

Goldie Levenstein

Valley Village, CA

Go get ‘em, Goldie!!

We had the pleasure of a tweet from “Arthur Stuff” this week sharing the following video! Arthur Stuff is a website celebrating all things Arthur related! It was only a matter of time until they came across Arthur Murray Dance Studios.

Our friends in Arthur Murray Kenilworth posted some great advice for every ballroom dancer!

From their blog post titled: How to Keep Time to Music and Develop your Sense of Rhythm

There is a mistaken impression that learning to keep time to music is difficult.  This unfortunate belief that one has “no sense of rhythm” keeps many people from enjoying the pleasures of dancing. If you can march to band music, if your foot can beat time to ordinary dance music, you have well enough sense of rhythm to enjoy dancing. Everyone was born with a sense of rhythm. Nine out of ten good dancers do not know one note from another, but they can keep time. Knowledge of music is not necessary in order to keep time to music…

But you’ll have to visit Kenilworth’s Site to learn the secret!

Our friends in Arthur Murray Vancouver shared this stunning album of photos from the recent Hularama!

The archive is here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150546195389176.400006.263130544175&type=1

We came across this amazing initiative by Arthur Murray Boston:

Arthur Murray Dance Studio of Boston Takes Steps to End the Prostate Cancer

On January 27, 2012, between noon and midnight Arthur Murray Dance Studio of Boston is taking dance steps with its 4th Annual Teach-A-Thon to benefit AdMeTech Foundation’sDance for a Cure of Prostate Cancer. “One in six men is diagnosed with prostate cancer, and every 16 minutes a man dies. There is no community in the United States left untouched,” said AdMeTech Foundation’s President, Dr. Faina Shtern “Arthur Murray’s teachers are inviting everyone to dance for our fathers, brothers, husbands, partners, friends and neighbors who have faced or lost their battle against prostate cancer,” stated Kia Kenney, Manager of Arthur Murray Dance Studio of Boston.  

“Arthur Murray Dance Studio of Boston will conduct a ‘Teach-a-Thon’ in support of AdMeTech Foundation’s world leading efforts to improve early detection of prostate cancer, which is so critical for saving lives. Our dance instructors will volunteer the entire day of January 27th to teach ballroom dancing to the current students and any interested members of the general public,” said Mark Lightner, New England Area Chair of Arthur Murray International.

Thank you, Boston, for this act of love and generosity. We’ll make sure to update on how the vent went when information comes!

Our friends at Arthur Murray in South Jacksonville, FL have put together an amazing infographic on the benefits of dancing.  Thanks guys!

Arthur Murray NYC posted an amazing blog last week which was a six point checklist of what to do 10 weeks before a dance competition.

Please read the full list here: http://arthurmurraynyc.com/ballroom-dancing-blog-nyc/what-to-do-10-weeks-before-a-ballroom-dance-competition/

Our favorite is number 5:

5. Watch a video from your last dance competition.

Practicing your dancing in front a mirror is very helpful for feedback while you are dancing. Watching a video provides a different kind of feedback that is also tremendously valuable because you are not also trying to dance at the same time. If you don’t’ have a video from your last performance or have not competed before, try to have a friend video tape you. Most ballroom dance competitions now have professional videographers who can focus on you during your competition.

Many students and franchisees love to watch and share video from previous events. These videos hold intrinsic value, however, beyond just documenting a wonderful time. You can play and replay these videos to check your footwork, your style and learn what your strengths and weaknesses were in a performance so you know what to focus on.

Thanks Arthur Murray NYC!

Cathy is an Arthur Murray student who tracked us down on Twitter (@arthurmurray) and asked us to read a blog she wrote (worth the read) about her 2 year dance anniversary. Well, we did and its one of the most rewarding stories we’ve seen in a while.

When Cathy walked into an Arthur Murray studio in St. Paul over two years ago she was just trying to “get out of the house” and maybe find a new hobby. She had no idea that her experience at Arthur Murray would “totally change” her life.

How did Arthur Murray change her life? The following quote from the blog says it all, really:

I’ve also made so many good friends with the other students. Going to the studio is an opportunity to catch up with people. I go to dinner and get together with them outside of the studio too. It’s like a whole another family for me – a family who understands me, knows what dance means to me, has a common interest with me, and just accepts me for who I am. The studio is where I feel most comfortable being me. And what’s weird to me is that people see who I truly am and think I’m fun, I’m funny, I’m smart, I’m talented, I’m kind and they enjoy being with me. That’s a whole reality I’m not used to experiencing.   

The last line is what made us smile. Not, of course, because Cathy wasn’t used to being accepted or comfortable with herself but because Arthur Murray happened to be the place where she found friends, family and a place to be herself. We have every confidence that even without Arthur Murray Cathy would have found this balance in her life- but we’re humbled to have been part of it all the same.

And Cathy- as we know you’re reading this blog, we’d just like to give you a personal message. Your blog is about how dancing, and the people you’ve met while dancing, have changed your life. But don’t forget that you’ve changed the lives of everyone around you. Your fellow students, your teachers, the first timers to whom you “pay it forward”. Thank you, Cathy and happy dance anniversary!

http://thereinventedlass.wordpress.com/2011/10/22/dance-anniversary/

Saw a fantastic Facebook update from our friends in Richmond Hill:

The readers of the Richmond Hill Liberal have once again cast their ballots for their #1 Richmond Hill businesses for the year of 2011, and we are SO EXCITED to be voted #1 and named York Region’s Best Dance Studio for the third year in a row!!!

No surprise here! Well done Richmond Hill.

A great survival list for dance events supplied by our studio in Seattle!

1. Do bring 2 pairs of shoes!

-          Don’t let your day be spoiled by blistered feet.

1. Do bring formal attire.

-          Gentlemen: Suit & tie or Tux

-          Ladies: cocktail dress/ sassy (Latin Dances)

-          Formal dress/classic (smooth dances)

*It’s also a great idea to coordinate colors*

1. Do bring toiletries

-          Don’t forget deodorant, hairspray, bobby pins, safety pins, make-up, hair brush, etc.

1. Do bring music for routine

-          Don’t be caught off guard! It’s always better to be prepared!

1. Do bring a “ready to party hardy” attitude!

-          Don’t worry about anything! You’ve practiced  & you’re prepared, so now it’s time to reap the benefits of the Showcase!

CORAL GABLES, FL – DEC 14 Arthur Murray International congratulates Nothumbria University in Scotland for groundbreaking social research that confirms what men and women in the dance world have known for centuries: women are skilled judges of men’s dance moves as a means of judging their health, strength and attractiveness as potential mates.

“The study is fancinating to us in the dance world. By using the latest in 3D motion capture technology, these researchers drilled down to the precise moves that women identify as indicators of a good partner. This totally validates what we have told our men students for years – women love men who can dance,” said Thomas Murdock, Vice President Marketing and Promotions at Arthur Murray International, the iconic global dance organization.

This particular study, from Northumbria’s School of Life Sciences, filmed 19 male volunteers with a 3D camera as they danced to a basic rhythm. Their movements were mapped onto featureless avatars that were then presented to a group of 25 women who were asked to rate their physical attractiveness.

As it turns out, Elvis was right on target: large and varied movements involving the neck and the trunk made all the difference.

There have been many studies that have proven the power of dance when it comes to attracting women to men. What does this mean on the dance floor?

According to Murdock, popular dances that move these body parts include the Tango, which involves quick head movements, and the Salsa which uses syncopated body rhythms to express the music.

The study, led by psychologist Dr Nick Neave and researcher Kristofor McCarty, was published in the Royal Society Journal Biology Letters. Northumbria is an internationally acclaimed modern university in the heart of the historic City of Newcastle upon Tyne in the North East of England.

Arthur Murray Dance Centers can be found throughout American and Canada and in Australia, Brazil, England, Egypt, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Latvia, Mexico, South Africa, Taiwan, and United Arab Emirates. More than 40 million people have learned to dance at Arthur Murray Dance Centers. For more information about ballroom dance, visit the Arthur Murray International website.

Two posts just a week apart!  I better be careful I don’t spoil you.

We’ve talked in the past about how important it is to identify what one wants to work on with one’s teachers.  In fact, it was one of the main points in our second article.  In order to achieve one’s goals in dance, as in any discipline, it is crucial to identify those goals.  It’s important, however, to be open-minded about those goals, both in terms of how to achieve them, and even what they are.

When a student books a lesson with a teacher, that student is paying for the teacher’s time, but expects to get several things out of the lesson.  The student expects to have his or her dancing improve and expects this will happen via the teacher’s expertise and instruction.  With that in mind, we can get more of that expertise, and thus more improvement and thus more value from our lessons, if we allow our teachers more leeway in how they use that expertise.  Some of this is obvious:  If a teacher is specialized in a particular dance style then one should focus on that style.  If a teacher is an expert at a technique (say, turning), he or she can probably teach that technique better than other techniques (say, arm styling).  All of these are common sense, so let’s move on.

What’s not common snese is that a good teacher isn’t just an expert instructor or dancer but an expert on dance.  A good teacher doesn’t need the student to say what’s wrong; he or she can see what’s wrong.  I may be unhappy with my arm styling in international rumba (forget “may be.”  I actually am unhappy with my rumba arm styling and I’m actively practicing so it will improve) but I rarely work on arm styling with my Latin coach.  Why?  Because she sees a lot of other areas of my rumba that need work before my arms.  Now if I were to come in and say, “L____, today we’re going to work on my arm styling,” that might (might) help the arms, but it would not improve my rumba overall.  Not the best use of an $80 lesson.  Instead, I dance rumba for her with my partner or with her and she identifies the problem areas we need to work on.

Does it work?  Well my partner and I have moved up from first round eliminations to pretty dependable semi-finals and sporadic finals.  I’d say L____ knows exactly what my rumba needs and she knows a lot better than I do.  I’ve no doubt we’ll do arms eventually, but there are other things going on first.

All too often I see students trying to dictate every aspect of the lesson, from figures to music to the technique they’re going to work on.  These may be aspects you want to work on, but remember: you’re paying your teacher to help you.  If you force him or her to work on one specific area, you’re denying him or her the chance to impart hard-won expertise on what may be your biggest problem areas.

This isn’t to say you shouldn’t identify goals with your teacher, but you should allow the teacher flexibility in getting there.

Don’t say: “I want to work on arm styling.”

Instead say: “I want to look better on the floor.”

Don’t Say: “My lead is too weak.”

Do Say: “I’m having trouble leading these figures…”

Don’t Say: “I need more steps.”

Do Say: “My dancing feels repetitive.”

Note the difference.  In the bad examples, the student has given a diagnosis and prescription before even showing the teacher the problem.  In the good examples, the student identifies the problem but leaves it up to the teacher – the expert – to suggest how they should fix it.

When you start your lesson, you can identify these larger goals to your teacher and allow him or her the leeway to decide what to do about it.  But sometimes – and this has become more and more common for my partner and I – you just have to put on the music, dance for a set, and allow the teacher to see what areas are in need.