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Willard’s Last Wish

Boston Area Arthur Murray — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 01:05:49 +0000

In early April I received a phone call that I would have never expected could be such a life changing experience. A woman by the name of Celeste Mansfield (ironic – same last name as myself, already a connection) called and asked if our studio would be willing to assist them in fulfilling a gentleman’s last wish. My first reaction was yes! Yes! Yes! Without even knowing any of the details, my instincts naturally told me that this was one of those opportunities that would be a once in a lifetime moment! I discussed with Celeste the details about their program. Care Alternatives Dreamcatchers is an organization funded strictly by contributions for the purpose of granting wishes to terminally ill adults in their final days of life. She then proceeded to tell me about Willard Jackson, a gentleman who resides at the Concord Health Care Center. His last wish was to ballroom dance! Celeste told me that Willard’s favorite song/dance was the Anniversary Waltz and his favorite singer was Patti Page. She told me he just loved dancing in general and he and his late wife were avid ballroom dancers, including foxtrot, waltz and the jitterbug. His last and final wish was to have one more memory of dancing.

I got chills just hearing Willard’s story and was thrilled that our time together was scheduled for Friday May 7^th at 10 am. I was joined by my colleague, Mark. We planned to do a short performance to entertain Willard and his family after he and I had danced together.

When Willard entered the room that day equipped with his walker, my breath was taken away and there were no words to describe the feeling I had. I was a little overwhelmed that I be the one who would dance with Willard one last time. I believe that he did much more for me than I ever could have done for him. I had been told that Willard was a bit frail and probably would only be able to tolerate one dance or so, but with a couple of rest breaks, six or seven dances later Willard was to still dancing! He was the most endearing man and when he got up and heard the music boy could he move! He was a great leader and had amazing rhythm.

Mark & I danced to the Anniversary Waltz for Willard and his family. I knew this meant a lot to Willard and his daughter when their eyes welled up with tears. In all the years that I have been with Arthur Murrays this was truly a defining moment. I know that what we do has a great impact on people’s lives. This truly was a dream “caught” for Willard and also for me.

Linda

For more about our day of dancing and the Dreamcatchers program, please read the article in the Boston Globe – Click Here

Manchester June 2010 Calendar

Boston Area Arthur Murray — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 23:45:41 +0000

Download –> Manchester June 2010 Calendar

Boston June 2010 Calendar

Boston Area Arthur Murray — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 02:24:52 +0000

Download –> Boston June 2010 Medalist Calendar

Download –> Boston June 2010 Newcomer Calendar

Dancing for a Cause

Boston Area Arthur Murray — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 02:08:05 +0000

Margery and Andy attended the Fitz, Vogt & Associates, LTD 16th Annual Ballroom Gala to Benefit Meals on Wheels of New Hampshire. It was a wonderful evening of silent auctions, raffles, dinner and dancing, all to benefit an important cause. The proceeds go to benefit a valuable service to members of the community that are in need of food and company. Taking place in the ballroom at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester, the large floor was filled with dancers for most of the evening, stopping only to eat dinner or peruse the items that were up for auction. The room itself was beautifully decorated with soft lights and artfully arranged tables. Many students from the Manchester Arthur Murray Studio came out to show their support and danced the night away to the great music provided by Rico Barr and the Jumpin’ Jive Review.

In addition to the fundraising activities, the evening included professional performances by several local dance studios, including Arthur Murray Manchester. Andy and Margery danced an American Rumba to Celine Dion’s “Taking Chances” for an enthusiastic crowd of local philanthropists and dancers. The studio has participated in this event in the past, and we would love to donate our time to this worthy cause again at next year’s gala on April 30^th, 2011.

Teaching Kids Alternative Exercise Through Ballroom Dancing

Boston Area Arthur Murray — Thu, 20 May 2010 01:51:35 +0000

Margery and I taught ballroom dance classes to the 7^th graders at Chester Academy as part of their annual “Supersize Me” program. The event is aimed at showing the kids that there are more ways to exercise than just going to the gym as well as presenting them with other options for a healthy lifestyle. We taught both classes salsa, merengue and swing, all high energy dances that gave them enjoyable alternatives for exercise.

The classes also included two children who are students at the Manchester Arthur Murray studio. Tory Smith and Dorianne Belair have been coming to the studio for about two years now and each helped show their classmates the benefits of ballroom dancing. Even the faculty seemed to enjoy the dancing and told us how impressed they were with how easily we were able to help the children learn the basics of these dances. This was our second year participating in this event and we can’t wait to go back next year!

Andy

All That Jazz Concert

Boston Area Arthur Murray — Tue, 18 May 2010 00:00:17 +0000

On the night of Arpil 17^th, we had a wonderful time dancing at the Milford High School “All That Jazz” concert. The concert featured Milford High School’s jazz band as well as a local professional group, the Temple Dance Band. The audience was treated to an evening of dinner, music and…dancing! We were invited to break the ice and open up the floor, encouraging the audience to dance, which took some work, but paid off when more and more couples started to join in the fun.

Both bands played a great variety of music, including foxtrot, rumba, swing and foxxy, giving everyone a chance to dance to their favorite tunes. The culmination of the evening was a high-energy performance of “Zoot Suit Riot” by the combined bands, filling the floor with spirited dancers. Afterwards, we got the chance to talk with students and faculty, who expressed their enthusiasm at having so many more people up and dancing at this year’s event. We are looking forward to future invitations.

Margery and Andy, Arthur Murray Dance Studio Manchester

WHO TEACHES YOU HOW TO DANCE?

Boston Area Arthur Murray — Wed, 05 May 2010 00:16:56 +0000

It has long been my belief that we, your teachers, serve mainly as guides on your journey of self-discovery. Only you can know what it feels like to dance. Your body must execute the movements and your soul must express the feelings. We cannot do it for you. There is nothing more satisfying for us than to see that look on your face when you discover a new truth.

Any of you who are parents have seen that look on your childrens’ faces. You may stand them on their feet, but they must take those first steps. So when do we lose our ability to explore what our body can do? Why do we get discouraged when we don’t do it right the first time? Every time we try we learn something new, even if that is only that that way does not work. Sooner or later, if we keep trying, we find what does work.

Imagine how much faster we could learn if we discovered more of what our body can do when we are away from the studio. Have you ever just walked and allowed yourself to become aware of what your body does right naturally? We don’t have much time to think whe we dance but there is plenty of time to be aware. That awareness makes us live even more in the moment and we live a bit more fully.

I want to offer a challenge to all of you. Explore how your body works. Work your head, neck, shoulders, arms, back, ribs, hips, legs and feet. It takes almost no space. It can be done almost anywhere. You can do it sitting, standing, on the subway or stuck in traffic. Try it for 2 weeks and let me know what you discover.

Larry

You Don’t Have to be Born With It

Boston Area Arthur Murray — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 18:14:11 +0000

Think you’re one of those people who just can’t dance? Everyone else has rhythm and natural ability but you don’t? Or maybe you’re the one with rhythm but your significant other has none. It’s a common feeling that we are either born with the ability to dance or we’re not. It’s time to destroy the myth: You CAN LEARN to dance!

We would never expect to be able to play a game of tennis without someone showing us how to hold the racquet properly, hit the ball effectively, and alternate between a forehand and backhand, but for some reason many approach social dancing as different. Perhaps the difference is the lack of a prop: ball, racquet, bat, or glove. We only have our body therefore we should already know how to use it. Or perhaps the perceived difference is the casual, social nature of dancing versus the organization of sports with teams and coaches. The reality is that dancing is an althetic activity like any other, and just like any sport, the muscles in our bodies must be taught how to move, must be shown options for adapting to different situations, and must be provided enough repetition for the actions to happen without concious thought.

With dance lessons, you learn patterns that show you how to match movement to music and how to maneuver around the room. You learn how to communicate with your partner to allow the couple to move as a unit. You learn how to hear the different rhythmic structures in the music to understand which dance to choose. You learn how to create different types of body movement to capture different characteristics of a dance. That’s a lot of skill to expect to know intrinsically!

Early in my teaching career, I had a student who was unable to identify the beats in the music needed to keep him on time. His statement on his first lesson? “I have no rhythm. I can’t hear the music.” And I must confess, he was right with regards to what he was inferring. While I believe we all have intrinsic rhythm by nature of the way our heart beats, he was indeed unable to keep himself on time with the music. I grew up in a very musical family, so I wondered if it was actually possible to teach him how to hear the music. I set out on my mission – to train his ear just like I would train his feet! A few months into his dance lessons, I had to point out to him at one of our social dance parties that he was always in perfect time with the music. He started himsef on time and danced with the music to ten different dances! Mission accomplished and note taken: rhythm, just like dancing, can be learned!

How can we expect to know how to dance if we’ve never taken lessons? Sure, there are those who can step-tap naturally a bit better than the others, but who really knows how to dance who hasn’t received some sort of education? We wouldn’t expect that in any other activity and we shouldn’t adjust those expectations when it comes to social dancing either. So if you’ve always wanted to learn and never thought you could, make the call and remove the intimidation of the dance floor for the rest of your life!

Kia

Made in New Hampshire Expo

Boston Area Arthur Murray — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 23:20:00 +0000

Walter Helping Out

: Miss New Hampshire in the Booth

: Margery and Steve in the Booth

We had the pleasure of participating in the 15^th annual New Hampshire “Try it and buy it” expo. The expo features businesses both big and small as well as New Hampshire craftsmen and allows visitors to see, taste, try and buy their wares.

Margery, Steve, Abby, Jenn, Andy and Sandra all took turns manning our booth all weekend and we had a great time talking to hundreds of people interested in trying ballroom classes with Arthur Murray. It was great to hear a lot of people relate stories about their past experience dancing at Arthur Murray’s or watching the old “Arthur Murray Dance Party” TV show.

On Opening day we got to hear the Governor of New Hampshire, John Lynch, speak as well as hear the reigning Miss New Hampshire sing the national anthem. Steve and Abby performed a dance demonstration on Friday. Margery and Andy performed on Saturday. Hopefully we will see a lot of new faces in the studio over the next couple of weeks, but they will feel welcomed by our great staff and students! Special thanks to all the students who stopped by to say hello or help out at the booth!

Dancing with the Stars Giveaway

Boston Area Arthur Murray — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:16:14 +0000

Do you watch Dancing With the Stars? At Arthur Murray we love it, of course! We have loads of fun talking about the dances, the celebrities and the pros. We’ve been lucky enough to meet some of the pros. As a matter of fact, we got a private lesson from Edyta Sliwinska and Alec Mazo at our Dance for a Cure of Prostate Cancer event in December. Edyta and Alec conducted a Paso Doble workshop and mesmerized everyone present with an inspiring dance performance of Paso Doble and international Rumba.

We are sponsoring a giveaway for a trip for two to see the final episode of Dancing With the Stars and a dance package. The winner will be announced on May 3. The show is on May 24. Just go to thebostonchannel.com to register to win.