Oh weary traveler.
Wanderer through the bumper to bumper wilderness. Breather of smog. It is time, young dancer, to take refuge in your Arthur Murray sanctuary. Once you can remove the smartphone from your hand, only then, will you be ready.
4 Ways To Achieve Zen While Waiting For Your Dance Lesson
1. Decompress
| YES: Drink coffee/tea, breathe deeply, and focus on the fact that you could still be stuck in road rage inducing traffic. |
| NO: Put the spreadsheet down. Avoid bringing work into your Arthur Murray zen-sanctuary. |
2. Consult The Text
| YES: Have a quick look at the notes from your last few lessons, refresh the theme, and brush up on your 28 point teaching system. See if you can find 2-3 areas where you are making progress. This sets your mind on a positive track. |
| NO: Don’t avoid your chart, leave it entirely up to your teacher, or serve tea from it. |
3. Stretch
| YES: You may have been limber at some point in your life, but unless that time is now… get to stretching. |
| NO: Your teacher can’t make you more limber by choreographing fancier moves for you. |
4. Apply Pressure
Try This 4 Part Pressure Building Dance Exercise |
|
Warm Up Exercise 1:Time: 60 SecondsGoal: Dance Without Stopping in a dance of your choice. Even if you only achieve clarity in your Change Step in the Waltz, the exercise is taking effect. |
|
|
|
Warm Up Exercise 2:Time: 90 SecondsGoal: Dance Without Stopping in a dance of your choice. This time attempt the bonus objective, but not if it compromises the primary dance directive. Bonus Objective: Keep eyes and elbows elevated |
Warm Up Exercise 3:Time: 90 SecondsGoal: Dance Without Stopping, With Eyes/Elbows elevated – Your dance frame needs to see the world as much as your eyes do. You are on the path to confident dancing. Bonus Objective: Pick one style-specific technique (ex. Longer steps, Rise & Fall, Cuban Motion) |
|
Warm Up Exercise 4:Time: 90 SecondsGoal: Dance Without Stopping, With Eyes/Elbows elevated, Use one style-specific technique – This is no different than the progression of movements in any physical activity. You are now mentally and physically in tune. Achieving this point, before your dance lesson, makes for a proud teacher, and happy student. Bonus Objective: See if you can dance your freestyle using no more than one basic between patterns. |
| YES: Pour on the pressure, as long as it a fun and achievable challenge. This wakes up your body, and challenges your brain in a dance-like fashion. |
| NO: Don’t sit and observe other lessons like some Italian judge on a dance TV show. |
Final Thought
Arriving early, finding your pre-lesson zen, may in fact help your dancing, but that is merely a vessel to unlocking a bigger mystery: Self discovery.
A wise mentor once said, “No one comes to Arthur Murray to just learn how to dance, they come for the benefits and byproducts of learning how to dance.”
This is wise and true, but only if you are willing to relinquish the grips of the outside world.
So says the Zen Master.
Namaste.
<
The journey outside your comfort zone can be very “un-zen-like”. That’s where we come in. Become an Arthur Murray Live subscriber to receive weekly emails with all of our dance advice, entertainment, and event coverage.
‘e022d2aa-47f1-46dd-b952-aada324b65ce
