In 2016, the Arthur Murray Extravaganza moved from an in-studio event for the Arthur Murray Walnut Creek, Hayward, Redwood City, San Francisco, and Livermore locations into a Theater Showcase, held at local theaters, and complete with professional lighting sound, and staging.
In the Spring of 2016, the Arthur Murray Extravaganza theme was Disney, and it featured music from Disney movies, rides, and television shows. In the Fall of 2016, the theme is Musicals.
Not many people walk in and ask when they can perform in front of an audience, and that's not just a dance thing. Performing in front of people, in any hobby, is a rite of passage, a testament to your improvement, and a vehicle for building confidence.
In addition to confidence, your dancing and performance ability will improve, and whichever dance you decide on will receive more time, training, and attention.
Read this Article on 12 Steps To Master Your Next Dance Routine
Routines are a great way to improve as a social dancer because they include ingredients from your social dance program. This means that transitions from pattern to pattern are refined and can be stored in long term muscle memory. This becomes more valuable as you are able to utilize these transitions in non-routine, non-performance settings.
A dance routine allows you to develop rehearsed styling. Social dancing is a lot like defensive driving - you never know what the conditions may be around you. When you're working on a routine, however, the conditions are pre-set, and you have defined actions that can't be interrupted by others (unless you're thrown off by standing ovations). This is a great way to refine your styling for events like Dance Competitions.
This Friday, September 23rd, each Bay Area location will be hosting a Song Selection party. If you've got a song in mind, or if you are in need of one, this Friday is when you can make your selections. There are a limited amount of spots in the Extravaganza, and the last one sold out in less than a week.
In addition to a fun party on Friday, there will be games, special presentations, and some announcements you do not want to miss. The Extravaganza will be the last student performance event of 2016, so why not finish off the year in the spotlight?
The Stage is set, and now we just want you on it.
It's much easier to prepare for things you know and are familiar with. You know how to host a dinner party, you know how to merge onto the freeway, and you know how to cut the crust off your kid's sandwich just right so they'll eat at least half of it.
What you may not know is how to perform a solo routine.
This is normal, and if you didn't grow up knowing how to do this, there's nothing wrong with you. There are many things in life that you receive coaching on. Whether it's your parents, your friends, or yourself through trial and error.
The same can be said about your dancing.
You walked in to take lessons on your own. Maybe you had someone with you, or some encouragement, but you made the choice. From there, your teachers have helped act as ballroom dancing guides since. With routines, it's the same process. You will never need to worry about trial and error, or going it alone. Your teachers won't just ask you to perform, they'll be there assembling the pieces, explaining the process, and will even dance it with you until the final bow.
Which goes way beyond your Mother explaining how to cut the crust off of a sandwich.
We hope that you will try a routine in this final stage of your 2016 Dance Season. It won't just improve your dancing, but it'll also improve your understanding of why they help.
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