Arthur Murray studios take great pride in creating strong social dancers. Their secret? The three part teaching system: personal lessons, group classes, and practice parties.

Part of the reason people choose Arthur Murray is the unparalleled service offered on your personal lesson. It is a semi-private, comforting environment for you to learn the finer points of dancing. But more often than not, learning to dance is not the hardest part – socializing is. Before attending your first practice party, we recommend the newcomer group class as your first taste of social dancing.

The objective of the class is to get your body acquainted with the basic movements in one or two dance styles. You are not expected to remember the steps – but extra points if you do! Rather, your muscles will remember for you after many repetitions. Leaders stand on one side, followers on the other, while learning where to put your feet. The class is designed to give you the maximum number of repetitions in a single step – AND have a social evening. We rotate partners throughout class so you become accustomed to what your own body can do rather than try to focus on what each partner needs.

We especially recommend couples try dancing with others. Why? We recognize you want to dance specifically with your significant other. But think of it this way. As you are both learning from level 1, it can often feel like the blind leading the blind. You are going to try moves and leads that will be uncomfortable and probably upset your partner. Rather than stay frustrated, rotate partners so you can try it on someone else. Everyone in newcomers class is around your same level, have been in your shoes, and want to conquer this. By the time you get back to your special someone, you will both be better – and everyone in the group class will be thankful you danced with them.