A long time ago, on a dance floor far, far, away a guy ran into a problem.
Then he came up with a dance program to fix it, and for the last 100 plus years millions of people have become better dancers.
Whether you're on your first lesson or this is your go-to hobby, there's a reason or two... or sixteen... why Arthur Murray Dance Lessons work.
The majority of Arthur Murray staff are full time and career minded. This means that this is their real job, not just an occasional passion project.
Coincidentally, when people love their real job their clients tend to see real results.
Aside from the advantages of this in regards to scheduling your lessons, a full time staff gives your experience and progress continuity.
Arthur laid the blueprint, and today part of the bread and butter of Arthur Murray Dance Lessons is the Interrelated System of teaching.
This is, essentially, how all the dances overlap and improve the others. This way, you're learning to-dance without having to just learn a-dance.
Much in the same way a football team is made up of a variety of positions working toward the same goal, or all the many parts of your body working in unison to just walk up the stairs - through the inter-related system, every dance you learn helps to craft you into a better dance-version of yourself.
Just like a Broadway show, there is so much that goes on behind the curtain at your dance studio to make your experience incredible.
Arthur Murray Dance Studios has the best customer service representatives in the world, and their office is a dance frame. This is a byproduct of the ongoing training every day in the art of communication and service.
Every student comes to AM with different goals, backgrounds, occupations, and struggles. One of the most incredible parts of your studio is that it is made up of a community of people there to support your dance journey.
In some cases, students are taking lessons to cope with the loss of a spouse, to improve their social skills, or to just find some fun and enjoyment in their life, and the community of students and staff foster the development in those areas, whether that's through words of encouragement at an event, a warm greeting in the lobby, or a high five in a group class - your community isn't a single teacher, it's a village of positive people.
Read this, and understand one thing: There are much more difficult and complicated ways of explaining what you are learning.
Your instructors work hard to not only plan your lessons, but to refine how that material is communicated.
If it doesn't pass the Fun, Quick, and Easy test, it is refined some more. Like a rock tumbler for your dance lessons, eliminating any of the rough and complicated edges.
Your goals, your learning style, and your path to finally taking dance lessons are what make you unique. It's like your dance fingerprint.
The staff at Arthur Murray work hard to construct your experience around those, and many more, factors. So everything from the dances you learn, to the activities you try, are all part of a bigger plan to get you to where you want to be - on and off the dance floor.
Case in point - your dance program. It continues to evolve to match your dance ability and interests through the life of your hobby.
With any product, in any industry, there needs to be a quality control department. In the case of your dance lessons, that comes in the form of the management team.
Their job is to ensure that your program is fulfilling its desired outcome, your lessons are moving at the pace that works best for you, and to give tips and enhancements along the way.
So you can expect to see the words "Progress Check" in your program - it's like an oil change and tune up for your progress, and is one of the most important visits to keep your program progressing seamlessly.
A private lesson, group class, and practice party are part of every Arthur Murray dance program and offer varied learning environments. Utilizing all three of these streams of input not only refine your technique, but they also help students to lock in what they have learned.
One unit, three activities, and all designed to improve your progress.
Yes, the staff were brought up in the beginning of this list, but the reality is that without a great staff, the other items on this list would vanish. Each teacher, at some point, had to explain to their friends and family that they were taking on a career that can seem, to the outside world, as a big risk.
Which just goes to show that taking this bold step through the studio door is not just difficult for students.
Now, staff don't just appear out of thin air with all of the requisite dancing, teaching, service, and communication skills you appreciate in your studio. If great structures rely on a solid foundation, then consider the hiring and training practices of AMDS as the steel reinforced concrete slabs of your studio.
The response to employment ads for AM is huge, to say the least.
Think of this - for every one teacher that you see on the staff in your studio, the franchisees and managers may have evaluated and interviewed anywhere from 25 -100 people. But it all comes back to finding people that love and appreciate the culture, are obsessed with people skills, and can create that spark when they walk into a room that you've assuredly come to appreciate in your studio.
If you didn't know, every AM location is individually owned and operated by a small business owner who worked their way through the organization.
As franchisees, their role is to carry on the rich legacy of the company, and since, in most cases, they each started as a brand new teacher in the organization, they have first-hand knowledge of every aspect of the studio, are completely bought in to the history of the company, and understand the value they are creating in their students and staff.
A business without procedure is like a chef without a recipe book. The idea is that our company aims to create a consistently outstanding experience regardless of who the teacher is, what music is playing, or where your lesson takes place.
This can only be done through policies and procedures.
Not to mention, this infrastructure helps to protect, not just the quality of the experience, but things like the No Fraternization policy help to protect the integrity of the professional teacher/student relationship.
One of the most important points of differentiation for AMDS is that the culture. A big part of that is being intentional about changing our students lives for the better on, and off, the dance floor.
There are great benefits to the mind, the body, and general well being to dancing, but that's a byproduct that can go unnoticed if it isn't a priority to the professional.
Every AMDS utilizes a network of the best Dance Coaches in our industry. These consultants have wonderful achievements as dancers, business trainers, and teachers, but all understand the magic of delivering information in a way that is fun, quick, and easy.
As ambassadors of the Arthur Murray curriculum, and masters of the art of dance instruction, they can help anyone propel their dance hobby.
Here are some ideas on how to utilize a Dance Consultant.
Arthur Murray, the man, was very open about his struggles with learning to dance early on. So, in a way, he designed his curriculum to solve that common problem for others. In the same way that Steve Jobs made computers and technology more accessible for non-engineers, Murray made a dance program built for the non-dancer.
As an AM student, your lessons can transfer from one studio to another. That means that whether you're on vacation in Sydney, Australia, or your job relocates you to Boston, Massachusetts - your lessons travel with you.
In fact, one of our Hayward students, Tim Claspill, is a commercial airline pilot and would regularly take lessons in AM Honolulu while flying his route.
So it's safe to say that you have a studio home away from your studio home.
Whether you are interested in attacking your comfort zone immediately or gradually leveling up, there's a dance event offered by your AM Studio that will fit.
For some, their dance competition calendar is planned well in advance, for others it may start with Practice Parties and eventually scale up to a night at a Salsa Club. Whatever your end goal, the team at your studio will ensure that you are both informed and prepared should you choose to participate.
Without question, this list is incomplete. In fact, there is probably something special and unique about your studio that you may still not be able to pin-point, but you just know that you like and appreciate it.
Want to add to this list? Let us know what your favorite things are about your studio in the comments section below.
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