The History Behind an Arthur Murray Dance Program

In 1912, Arthur Murray dance programs were mail-ordered.

They came in a shoebox, included footprints, and a How-To guide.

For the time, it was genius. A marvel.

The wildly popular program took the nation by storm.

Fortunately, Arthur recognized a critical missing ingredient.

Now, over 100 years later, things are much different when it comes to planning your Arthur Murray dance program.

What’s the Goal of an Arthur Murray Dance Program?

Golf has equipment: a variety of clubs in a bag for a variety of situations.

Fishing has equipment: a variety of lures, bait, and rods for a variety of fish to catch

Makeup has equipment: a variety of brushes, hues, and accessories to look your best.

These all correspond with the goal of your Arthur Murray Dance Program: to equip.

There are dances included in your program, like a golf bag, that fit any situation. Whether your goal is to survive a wedding dance, turn heads at a salsa club, or dance off the potential calories on an Alaskan cruise. Your Arthur Murray instructor will work with you to custom-tailor a Dance Program that will fit your current and future needs. Being built around the legendary Arthur Murray Dance curriculum, all Arthur Murray Dance programs are designed to equip students to feel comfortable on the dance floor of their choosing.

How is the Arthur Murray Dance Program planned?

Whether we are talking about clothing or golf clubs, a custom, tailored fit can make all the difference in the world. In order to achieve this at Arthur Murray, your professional instructor will teach you to dance (pretty obvious), but also help pinpoint your dancing goals. This way, they can determine your learning style, the proper pace for the information, and a better idea of the timeframe needed to reach your goals.

Arthur Murray instructors work with students from every walk of life, career path, and social interest imaginable. Their full time job is to plan, teach, and develop a student’s dance program, fitting with the Arthur Murray methods of teaching.

Assembling Your Dance Program

To establish the best fit for your dance program, we recommend a few introductory lessons.

This is like

• Walking around at the shoe store in a new pair of shoes
• Test driving a car
• Scouting out the offerings at a Las Vegas buffet

The goal is for your Arthur Murray Instructor To:

1. Develop an understanding of the how you'd like to use your dancing
2. What you want to get out of it (in addition to new dance skills)
3. Where you may want to use your dancing in the future

When an Arthur Murray student and teacher understand these things, customizing a dance program becomes much more efficient. 

What’s the Point? Why Do it?

Learning to dance at Arthur Murray means that you’ll have a teacher that helps you to see the benefits of learning to dance, not just the dance steps.

Arthur Murray conveyed it best when he said ,

“I wouldn’t give a dime for dance lessons. But I would pay a million dollars for the benefits of learning how to dance.”

Preparing our students for practical dance situations is fun and enjoyable. Helping our students become more confident, fit, socially aware, and happy is what makes the job meaningful and of greater purpose.

A Historical Change in Arthur Murray Dance Programs

In 1925, after years of success in the mail order business Arthur Murray decided to open a dance studio. He understood that a shoe box would never care about someone’s goal to become a better dancer, and a happier person. It was this change that changed, forever, the way Arthur Murray Dance Programs are planned.

Today, that shoe box could be a DVD or a video clip on your computer, but the message remains the same: A custom tailored approach, with a full time, Arthur Murray professional is the best way to get the results you want on, and off, the dance floor.

Happy Dancing!

Related Articles:

5 Bad excuses for Avoiding Dance Lessons

For Everyone with 2 Left Feet (A Poem)

Your First Lesson at Arthur Murray: Perception vs. Reality