Accelerate your progress by understanding what your instructor is really looking for.

Every dance teacher has a mental checklist—things they hope to see students embrace. Some are obvious (attend consistently). Others are subtle (how you handle frustration matters). Understanding these expectations doesn’t just make your teacher’s job easier; it fast-tracks your improvement.

We surveyed Arthur Murray instructors across the country to compile this definitive list. Master these 31 things, and you’ll become the student every teacher loves to teach.

Technical Foundations

1. Keep Your Elbows Up

Frame isn’t optional. When your elbows drop, your entire lead and follow connection suffers. Think of your arms as the steering wheel—drop them, and you lose control.

2. Close Your Feet

The space between your feet in closed positions matters. Sloppy foot placement telegraphs inexperience instantly.

3. Refine the Basics

Advanced dancers don’t have secret moves—they execute basics with exceptional quality. A beautiful Foxtrot box step beats a sloppy advanced pattern every time.

4. Have Great Footwork

Your feet tell the story. Heel leads, toe releases, weight transfers—these details separate good dancers from great ones.

5. Work on Your Posture

Dance posture isn’t just standing straight. It’s an active, lifted presence that creates beautiful lines and enables better movement.

Learning Strategies

6. Try a Dance Routine

Routines force you to connect patterns into seamless sequences. The transitions are where real skill develops.

7. Take Notes

Your teacher sees dozens of students. Taking notes shows respect for the lesson and ensures you remember corrections between sessions.

8. Set Up Your Calendar

Look ahead at Practice Parties, competitions, and events. Strategic planning maximizes your opportunities to apply what you’ve learned.

9. Show Up Ready

Arrive five minutes early. Use that time to mentally transition from your day into your lesson. Rushed arrivals produce distracted dancing.

10. Ask Questions

Silence isn’t golden in dance lessons. If something isn’t clicking, speak up. Good teachers want to know where you’re struggling.

11. Embrace the Arthur Murray Unit

The students who progress fastest understand that learning to dance well requires more than private lessons alone. They embrace the Arthur Murray Unit—the proven system of one private lesson, one group class, and one practice party working together.

Why does this matter? Each component serves a unique purpose:

• Private lessons develop new skills with personalized attention
• Group classes provide repetition with varied partners
• Practice Parties build real-world application with teachers present to observe and correct

The combination accelerates your progress far more than any single activity alone. And because teachers are present at all three, your muscle memory develops correctly from the start.

Mindset and Attitude

12. The Willy Wonka Rule

Remember the golden ticket winners? The humble ones succeeded; the entitled ones failed spectacularly. Approach your dance education with gratitude, not entitlement.

13. Avoid Unfair Comparisons

Everyone’s journey is different. Comparing your progress to someone who’s danced for years longer—or has different natural abilities—serves no purpose.

14. Have Fun

This seems obvious, but dancers often forget it. The moment dancing becomes pure obligation, your progress stalls. Find the joy, especially during challenges.

15. Stay Open Minded

Your teacher might suggest something that feels wrong or uncomfortable. Trust the process. What feels awkward initially often becomes natural with supervised work. For more on this topic, check out The Dance Superhero Series: Good Vs. Evil.

16. Embrace the Struggle

Difficulty means you’re learning. If everything came easily, you wouldn’t be growing. Welcome the challenge.

17. Be Patient with Yourself

You wouldn’t expect to play piano beautifully after ten lessons. Dance is equally complex. Give yourself permission to be a work in progress.

Social and Community

18. Share Your Experience

If dancing has improved your life, tell others. Personal referrals bring in students who are already excited to learn.

19. Pay It Forward

Remember how nervous you were at your first Practice Party? Dance with newcomers. Your encouragement matters more than you know.

20. Talk and Dance

Social dancing isn’t a silent activity. Learn to maintain connection and conversation simultaneously—it’s part of the skill.

21. Dance with Different Partners

Your teacher can only simulate so many partner styles. Dancing with others at Practice Parties reveals gaps in your technique that private lessons alone won’t expose. This supervised environment lets you test your skills with teachers present to offer guidance.

22. Support Fellow Students

Celebrate others’ achievements. A rising tide lifts all boats, and a supportive studio culture benefits everyone.

Professional Behavior

23. Respect the Schedule

Running late occasionally is understandable. Running late regularly disrespects your teacher’s time and impacts other students.

24. Communicate Proactively

Need to reschedule? Having a rough day? Let your teacher know. They can adapt if they’re informed.

25. Follow Through on Commitments

If you say you’ll attend a group class or Practice Party, do it. If you say you’ll attend an event, show up. Reliability builds trust.

26. Accept Corrections Gracefully

Corrections aren’t criticism—they’re the service you’re paying for. A teacher who stops correcting you has stopped investing in your improvement.

Growth and Goals

27. Set Specific Goals

“Get better” isn’t a goal. “Master the spin in my Cha-Cha routine by March” is a goal. Specificity enables progress tracking.

28. Celebrate Milestones

Don’t rush past achievements in pursuit of the next challenge. Acknowledge how far you’ve come.

29. Consider Competition

You don’t have to compete, but dance competitions accelerate growth unlike anything else. The preparation process alone transforms your dancing.

30. Explore New Styles

Comfortable with Waltz? Try Tango. Each style teaches principles that enhance the others.

31. Trust the Process

Progress isn’t linear. Plateaus happen. Breakthroughs come unexpectedly. Trust that consistent effort produces results, even when you can’t see them yet.

The Real Secret

Here’s what your dance teacher won’t always say directly: demanding teachers are the ones who care most.

An instructor who never challenges you, never corrects you, never pushes you beyond comfort—that instructor has given up on your potential. The teachers who expect more are the ones investing in your growth.

When you embrace these 31 things, you’re not just making your teacher’s job easier. You’re signaling that you’re serious about your dancing. And that seriousness gets rewarded with deeper investment in your success.

Why Supervised Practice Matters

One thing every teacher wants you to understand: while your muscle memory is developing, it’s critical that your work happens under observation. This is why the Arthur Murray system includes Practice Parties as an essential component of learning.

At Practice Parties, teachers are present to:

• Observe you dancing with multiple partners
• Make quick corrections before bad habits form
• Help you through challenging moments in real-time
• Prepare you for dancing in the outside world

This supervised environment ensures you develop correct technique from the start. Students who embrace Practice Parties as part of their learning journey progress dramatically faster than those who only attend private lessons.

Start Your Dance Journey

Ready to become the student every teacher wants to teach? Arthur Murray instructors are known for developing dancers from complete beginners to confident social dancers—and beyond.

Find an Arthur Murray studio near you and discover what happens when great teaching meets a committed student. Ask about the Arthur Murray Unit and how the combination of private lessons, group classes, and Practice Parties can accelerate your progress.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I disagree with my teacher’s correction?

Try it their way first. Often what feels wrong initially becomes natural with work. If you still have concerns after genuine effort, discuss it—good teachers welcome dialogue.

How can I reinforce what I learn between private lessons?

Attend group classes and Practice Parties. These supervised environments let you apply what you’ve learned with teachers present to make corrections. The combination of all three components of the Arthur Murray Unit produces the fastest, most reliable progress.

Is it normal to feel stuck sometimes?

Absolutely. Plateaus are part of learning any complex skill. Trust the process, keep showing up to lessons and Practice Parties, and breakthroughs will come.

How do I know if I’m ready for competition?

If you’re curious about competing, you’re probably ready to try. Talk to your teacher about beginner-friendly events. Competition experience at any level accelerates growth.