Heart racing, palms sweating, and eyes as wide as Christmas tree ornaments.
You open the door and hear everyone talking funny and wearing strange things. The first thing you think when you enter the room is, "I don't belong here... ABORT MISSION!", yet you continue to galumph up to the front desk wondering why you ever thought this was a good idea.
Does this describe your first visit to eat sushi, or your first visit to Arthur Murray?
You must be brave, Sushi Dancer, these two have more in common that you think.
Most first-timers to eating sushi take one look at the creatures some over-zealous sushi chef crammed into a tiny roll and can't decide if they are excited to try the wonderment that is sushi, or if they should run for the hills.
Most first timers in a dance studio take one look at the program their over-zealous dance teacher crammed into a six week period and feel the same way - intimidated.
The beauty of sushi, and your dance lessons, is all the right things were put together to make the perfect tasty solution that fills your needs. That chef may seem crazy to cram 5 items in a tiny round masterpiece, but they are always the most compatible 5 ingredients. Your dance instructor always has a plan, and the 5 ingredients they may cram in your lessons may seem crazy, or even unnecessary to you, but without one of those items the dancing program would not be as deft.
Imagine Sushi without rice. Nope.
So whatever your first impression is, your dance program is going to be created and directed by a dance geek virtuoso.
Sometimes when there are so many good options to choose from you just have to invest in a conveyor belt. At least that is what sushi restaurants are doing.
At Arthur Murray we have a similar choosing method to tailor your program to your specific and unique tastes. Variety is invaluable because it enables your program to fit the specific needs of millions of people all over the world - literally.
There are over 20 styles of social dances to choose from, and at least as much variety in sushi plates. The good new is, your dance instructors will be right next to you to guide you in choosing the best options to fit your needs and desires. Your ballroom dancing and your sushi palate is uniquely yours.
Yay for variety.
Some people may look at a sushi roll and think, "why in the world would anyone east seaweed?" Well, I am here to tell you that seaweed boosts heart health and so does your dance program. What about the rice you say? Rice has many health benefits, one being the strengthening of bones and joints.
Dancing strengthens your bones and your joints too.
Eating sushi and dancing will play a role in improving brain function and all over health. Each element of your program - private lessons, group classes, and practice parties - all have an important role to play in the health of your dancing, but also the health of your body and brain. Dancing keeps your mind sharp and your body strong and healthy. So unless you love going to the doctor, eat lots of sushi and do a lot of Cha-Cha (or any dance you enjoy).
In other words, they are efficient and compact to make sure you are getting the absolute most out of your experience.
With sushi, there is no space wasted, each bite has only enough room for the good stuff. Your teacher plans only the good stuff in your dancing too.
No time is wasted on activities that won't produce the best for you in your dancing. Each ingredient in sushi works closely together (see what I did there?) to give your mouth an explosion of magic. The same goes for your dancing. Every ingredient that your specialist plans in your program (Private lessons, group classes, and practice parties) will work closely together to give you the best end results.
Even though you're really hungry, all you might want want tot do is stuff the whole sushi roll down your throat. It truly is a much tastier experience if you eat sushi one bite at a time. Most people, when they are wanting to learn to dance want instant gratification.
They are famished for moves when they come to a studio. They really just want to learn the cool, flashy moves they saw Joe-Shmoe do at the salsa club downtown, and they want to do it all in one lesson - eating the whole dance sushi roll in one bite.
Instead, wouldn't it be a much better experience and outcome if you actually learned how to lead and follow? If you learned how to do the moves that enable you to be your own cool dude (or dudette). In order to do that you must take your program one bite at a time.
Whole sushi roll = bad. Bite sized sushi roll = good. Trust your sushi chef dance instructor.
Do you know how to make sushi? If you do, then you know it is a skill that takes careful practice and dedication. But odds are you don't and you love it but you would much rather have someone else worry about the bamboo mats and nori.
You just want to EAT THAT SUSHI!
This is most common in learning to dance as well. Most people want to CUT THAT RUG, but they don't want to fuss with the plan of action, so they never learn.
This is sushi-sad.
Can I just say that there are a lot of rugs to be cut, and if you want to learn, let you sushi chef dance instructor plan your program for you. Your drunk buddy doesn't make Arthur Murray Bronze programs, and just like a baker doesn't make sushi, YouTube doesn't make programs either.
So make sure that if there's a dance program to be made, or sushi to be eaten, get a professional to make it and help you achieve that "nailed it" status.
While the whole world seems to change from season to season, clothing styles change, cars, popular music, and the variety of coffee options, there are two things that stay in fashion no matter when or where you are: Sushi and ballroom dancing.
People have been eating sushi for generations. People have been ballroom dancing for generations. Your dance hobby will continue to move forward with you as you improve, kind of like the iPhone. Whether it is cold outside or hot, people will always want to move to good music. In the 1920's people love to social dance, and in the 2020's (we aren't far) people will love to dance.
When you invest in your dance hobby, you are investing in yourself, in gaining the knowledge of how to do something that you will use for the rest of your life. In the same light, there will always be people who are just craving for that flavored rice roll majesty.
Bottom line: there will always be people to eat sushi and there will always be people to dance with.
Of course by "crutches" I mean chopsticks, and by chopsticks I also mean legs.
Everyone knows that in most countries the use of chopsticks is rare, which means we all start out very awkwardly when we try to east sushi with chopsticks. On a global level, I would say, the full use of our legs is very rare. I once taught students how to bend and straighten their knees while dancing and one of them exclaimed, "I've got legs!".
No matter what style of dancing you choose, you will inevitably learn to use your knees and legs so you move more naturally. At first, like using chopsticks, it will be extremely awkward, but the more you practice, the easier and more natural it will get. Now, you know you want to, go ahead and make your chopsticks dance the Waltz on the table... 1,2,3,4,5,6.
OK, so wasabi is not for everyone, but everyone gets the opportunity to try it.
You automatically get not one, not two, but three little enhancers to try at your pleasure: Wasabi, Fresh ginger, and Soy sauce.
In this case, Wasabi is like a Dance-O-Rama (my particular favorite), fresh ginger is like a local showcase (yum!), and soy sauce is like the master classes and/or coaching lessons (must-haves for sure).
These are the little extras on the side that everyone has the opportunity to add to their hobby. They are not all for everyone, but they will enhance every dancer's progress. Sushi enhancers are there to make the food taste better, which makes you eat them faster, which enables you to eat more of it.
The same thing happens when you take advantage of those amazing extras in your dance hobby. Adding one or more of them to your program will help make learning more fun, easier and quicker, so you are able to learn more in the same amount of time.
Usually, once your sushi chef dance instructor gets to know you and your goals they will guide and recommend which enhancers to jump in to.
Why did I just envision you jumping into a pool of soy sauce?
Merriam-Webster says that the word "brave" means "having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear or difficulty."
I don't know about you, but no matter how much I eat sushi, I am always slightly fearful of the potential for food poisoning, yet I am brave and bold and eat that entire roll in .02 seconds (one bit at a time, of course).
Then, I look around and everyone around me is happily scarfing their seafood wrapped in flavored rice down.
Be brave, sushi dancers.
Learning to dance will have its difficulties and there will be plenty of things planned in your program that may push your comfort level... be brave sushi dancer. You may wonder, "how kosher are self tanners and false eyelashes?" but be brave sushi dancer.
Asking someone you don't know to dance may indeed make you feel sick, but be brave sushi dancer. You are in the safe-zone at Arthur Murray. Everyone is learning and everyone is actively facing a fear or a difficulty. How exciting.
Now I know the title says "10 Ways...", but just like eating sushi, you can't stop at only 10!
Like dancing, once you get started it is so hard to stop, you'll always want just one more. At first, you may be reluctant, nervous, excited, or confused, but if you stick with your dance program, you won't ever want to stop the wild and amazing ride that is learning to dance.
Here's hoping that you will probably always be a dancing sushi fan.
Be brave sushi dancer.
We hope you enjoyed this article by Sarah Carlin, one of the great new additions to the Arthur Murray Live Author team. Get more articles by Sarah, and the rest of the Arthur Murray Live blog direct to your inbox by becoming a subscriber today.