Ron Christy wants you to shine.
This means he will make you the subject, adjust his perspective, improve the image, and make sure you show up when it matters most. Whether he's acting as a dance coach or a dance portrait photographer, one thing is for certain - he's there so you can look good, and not the other way around.
Dance Coach Ron Christy Works Behind The Scenes
A Clarification
It's not that Ron is not capable. He's one of the only Arthur Murray professionals to have won competitions in everything from American Smooth to Country Western, West-Coast Swing to American Rhythm. He's the dance version of Macgyver. But with everything he's accomplished, he'd be the last to share it. His humble demeanor and student-first approach make him the coach, and man, that he is.
The Interview
AM: How did you get started with Arthur Murray?
RC: Like most people, as an accident. I was just finishing school and deciding what I wanted to do. I saw an ad, thought it would be something fun to do part time, and three months later I was working full time.
AM: We know you're an avid photographer. How did you get involved in that?
RC: When I was a kid we went on a vacation cross country and my dad gave me a camera. I still have the pictures from it. Through high school I loved doing it, but I guess I got away from it for a little while. More recently, it was my sister who got me a camera for the holidays. I was living in Florida at the time on a lake. The opportunity to shoot pictures on the lake every day… and I got hooked. Bought a new camera and just got into it more and more.
AM: How do you unwind after a busy month of traveling?
RC: Depends. If it’s just a “busy week” of traveling then I don’t really have time to unwind. But, I love projects – like refinishing a sofa for my mother. Doing photography and trying to learn more about that.
AM: You cook a lot too
RC: Yes, we have 15-20 people for Christmas Eve dinner every year
AM: And you cook for everyone?
RC: Yes, I start cooking a week before.
AM: Wow!
AM: What’s something that not many people know about you?
RC: I’m kind of an introvert. The hardest thing for me with this job was small talk. As a new employee I really had trouble with that. Knowing how to dance with people was easier than actually asking people to dance. That was really tough for me in the beginning.
RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS
AM: What movie do you wish there was a sequel to?
RC: The Incredibles. I can’t believe there isn’t one yet.
AM: What’s your comfort food?
RC: I’m going to have to go with Gingerbread.
AM: Gingerbread?
RC: Gingerbread.
AM: Why gingerbread?
RC: I make it every year for the holidays, just something that I really, I don’t know. I think of it and it makes me warm inside.
AM: Sounds delicious.
AM: Something you collected as a kid?
RC: Recently, I’ve been collecting old cameras. As a kid, the little slot race cars. Took them apart and put them together. Had tons of those.
AM: What’s the hardest thing to judge?
RC: That’s our job. There shouldn’t be anything hard to judge.
AM: Best dance advice you ever got?
RC: As a competitor, the best advice I ever got was from Troy Baeton. He said, “Work hard enough on your dancing that it makes the judges feel silly placing you anywhere other than what you deserve.”
AM: How would you transfer that advice to, say, a student?
RC: The thing I always tell students is to do what is being asked of you, no matter how it feels. Because there are going to be things that feel terrible, but are correct, because the muscles aren’t used to doing what they’re being asked to do. When you do what is being asked of you, you develop muscle memory faster, your learning curve is quicker because you aren’t constantly stopping every time it feels uncomfortable.
AM: Word on the street is that certain owners will give you three secret words that you have to incorporate into one of your workshops. Can you confirm or deny this?
RC: Absolutely true.
AM: Do you remember three words you had to use?
RC: Ceramic pot. Combustion engine, and something else I can’t remember.
AM: How did you end up using them in the class?
RC: We were doing a Rumba workshop and I used it to describe the dance frame like, “imagine we have a nice round ceramic pot between us and using the legs to drive into the floor like combustion engines.”
AM: At the end of the day, you’re traveling like crazy, going from city to city seems like it can be tireless work. What makes it all worth it for you?
RC: I think it’s about the benefits it can give to other people. When you take the time to just step back a little bit and think about what we can learn from the people that we teach. There are so many stories, so many life lessons, and so many people who have gone through major things that we can learn from. Dancing changes people’s lives, and if we take the time to listen, we can learn a lot ourselves.
| Author's Note: This interview was originally posted in 2014. We updated the article on 12/10/16 to improve the continuity between this and other content on Arthurmurraylive.com |
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