"Deck the halls with suede-soled dance shoes..." If only. There are times when your dance skills can feel like a gift that you have no time to open, but not anymore. The famous carol declares that there were 9 ladies dancing on the 9th day of Christmas, so in the spirit of that celebration, we bring you 9 tips to keep you dancing in December. 1. Holiday Music If this is your first holiday season as a social dancer, get ready. Holiday music is a treasure trove of great Foxtr

You don't need to have a dance partner to begin dance lessons. I believe that learning on your own can be an advantage. It helps you to work on your own pace and focus on your specific role so the best possible results can be delivered. A great dancer will learn how to dance, then choose from a variety of partners when out social dancing. Pro-Am dancing is taking the world by storm. Many students of dance have found that taking lessons where only one of the dancers is wearing

It's happened to the best of us. You attempt to change lanes only to quickly veer out of the way of someone in that lane... as if they appeared out of nowhere. That "nowhere" is your blind spot and we have them in more places than just your commute to and from work. Let's take a look at some of the most common blind spots we can have when it comes to your dance hobby. Whether you're a casual social dancer, a professional competitor, or somewhere in between - finding the bli

In the age of oversaturated media and 'fake news' how do we know what advice to listen to and what to ignore? A quick YouTube search for 'how to dance the Waltz' will bring up THOUSANDS of results. Everything from someone talking in their garage to world champions at a conference of experts will populate your results. So how do we filter out the bad and irrelevant info and find the good and useful stuff? It's not easy. The same problem can come up when searching for a place t

Whether you are slow dancing to a romantic love song or shaking your body to a high octane Latin number, nothing wows the crowd – or your partner – more than a daring dip. However, it will only be impressive if you pull it off correctly, and that definitely does not include dropping your other half on the head! If you come along to dance classes at Arthur Murray, we will teach you the tricks of the trade, but in the meantime, here is our step-by-step guide to perfecting the d

For optimum fitness, you need to do cardiovascular work as well as muscle strengthening exercise. Dance is the perfect combination of both forms and is not as high impact as the traditional cardio sport of running. What is cardio Cardiovascular exercise improves the circulatory system, strengthening your heart and helping to pump blood around your body effectively. Your heart is a muscle like any other – it needs regular exercise to keep in peak condition, otherwise it will g

There are many similar health benefits between the two disciplines and many dancers advocate yoga as a great way of keeping fit enough for their dance classes, but when compared and contrasted, it seems dancing is generally better for you. Total Body Workout Yoga is undeniably good for your body as the core is constantly engaged while the standing postures build leg strength and the twisting poses massage internal organs. However, the practice is predominantly peaceful and it

When I first walked into an Arthur Murray studio (almost 19 years ago!) there were many popular dances being taught: The usual suspects: Waltz, Tango Fox Trot, Cha Cha, Rumba and Swing. The fan favourites: Salsa, Merengue, Argentine Tango, Lindy Hop, Hustle and West Coast Swing. Other timeless 'dance studio classics': Mambo, Samba, Bolero and Viennese Waltz. And some modern additions have been added along the way: Bachata and Zouk. What I never would have expected is that som

My ballroom dancing partner (aka my wife) and I were recently stuck in a performance rut. We were at a standstill on the dancefloor, or more accurately a stand-off. The more effort I put into leading Johanna through the moves, the worse we synchronised and the unhappier she was becoming. One evening our instructor Thomas, who had been watching us dance the cha-cha, nodded sagely to himself and then smiled at us. “Tell me about leadership,” he said. I had never actually connec