Learning to dance at Arthur Murray doesn't take magic, no matter how challenging it may seem to get you on the dance floor.
While there are patterns like the "Magic Step", Arthur Murray relies on methods, not magic. One of those methods is the Arthur Murray Unit.
What is an Arthur Murray Unit?
Imagine you are back in college, and you want to be the best Chemistry student on campus. What are the three mediums for taking in the most academic information?
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Tutor
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Lecture
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Lab
Sure, if this post is around in 2032, and we are now ingesting academic information through nanotechnology - great, but for now let’s use these three: Tutor, Lecture, and Lab.
The Arthur Murray Unit system is identical (not to the nanotechnology thing, but I assure you - we are working on it). It is comprised of Three Learning Activities.
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Private Lesson
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Group Class
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Practice Party
Going Further: Private Lessons = Tutor
Just like a tutor, a private lesson at Arthur Murray is when a single student, or couple, is working directly with a teacher. That one on one time allows for the quickest bursts of improvement and a highly customized approach to match your needs and learning style.
Going Further: Group Class = Lecture
The only thing that these two things really have in common is that they both involve a teacher with a group of people (not a lot of lecturing in an Arthur Murray group class, or dancing in a college lecture). Participating in a group class allows the students to learn new material, develop balance, and improve muscle memory.
Going Further: Practice Party = Lab
A lab gives students a real-time application of the information they’re studying. A practice party does precisely the same thing for Arthur Murray dance students. Built to simulate what it might be like at a wedding reception, office party, or nightclub; the Practice Party is a controlled dance environment where the students can put their dance into action with other students and dance instructors. This session is highly recommended as a precursor to dancing in public, and allows a student to build confidence asking, or being asked, to dance.
Final Thought
Unless you were Will Hunting, it would be tough to graduate if you spent all of your time in only one of these areas. In dancing, it is the same. Arthur Murray discovered long ago that students needed different types of activities to stimulate the learning process, and develop the confidence to apply it.
After all, he should know.
His business began as a mail order catalogue with step-by-step guides for the latest dances, complete with footprints. Despite the success of that system, Arthur Murray decided to open dance studios. He continued to refine the process so that way anyone, regardless of their background, interests, or ability, could learn how to dance.
Your Arthur Murray Unit Begins Here
Photo Credit: Good Will Hunting
