Arthur Murray has been creating confident social dancers for over 100 years! All instructors will be equipped with masks, practicing social distancing, and constant washing of hands and sanitizing the studio in between lesson visits. In addition, students will be asked to wear face masks and sanitize hands - please contact us for any other in-person lesson requirements.
Private lessons are 30-minute sessions scheduled with one of our awesome certified dance instructors and can be taken with or without a partner.
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The Argentine Tango is danced using an embrace. The embrace position has the dancers’ chests closer together than their hips and often has both the leader and the follower in complete contact, dancing cheek to cheek. However, the embrace is not rigid, but relaxed, so that all figures can be danced comfortably. The Argentine Tango is a dance full of emotion and is often dictated by the highlights in the music.
The Bachata has very simple footwork that moves in a side to side or forward and back motion. The romantic character of the Bachata is achieved via sensual body actions. Good use of the knees helps to produce the desired hip movement.
The Bolero has some different characteristics from its Cuban relative, the Rumba. Its long sweeping side steps and use of rise and fall create a softness that makes this dance unique among the Rhythm dances. The expanding and contracting dance position makes a very dramatic and romantic statement.
Triple steps (Chasse) and rock steps are the basic components of the Cha Cha. Since the Cha Cha is derived from the Rumba and Mambo, Cuban Motion is an important aspect of this popular dance. Everybody can learn the Cha Cha.
The basic components of the Fox Trot are walking steps and side steps. Crowded dance floors and nightclub conditions require short steps. In larger ballrooms the slow Fox Trot is characterized by longer, smooth and gliding steps, with an ease of movement and control giving this dance an unhurried appearance.
Turns, spins and wraps are the primary components of Hustle. The more accomplished dancers will use syncopated timing and fakes along with elaborate arm styling.
The components of Mambo are rock steps and side steps, and foot styling includes points, kicks or flicks. The Latin hip movement in Mambo is an important aspect of the dance. The overall flavor of the dance is contained in the translation of the word Mambo which means “shake it” or “say it.”
Walking steps and side steps (Chasse) are the basic components of Merengue. This dance is introduced as a marching dance but can be developed into something very rhythmical. With lots of Cuban Motion and animated body movement, the Merengue gives a festive party appeal.
The Rumba is an increasingly popular romantic Latin dance dating back some 400 years ago, and is better known as the Latin “Get-Acquainted” dance or the dance with the wiggle. The Rumba sometimes substitutes for those in-between tempos and features a subtle or relaxed (lateral) hip motion and Latin styling. Rumba hip movements are used in most of the popular Latin dances as well as the freestyle of disco and nightclub dancing.
Danced to four beats using only three steps, Salsa is the Spanish word for “sauce” denoting spicy or hot flavor. It can be danced to a variety of different rhythms. Generally, Salsa music encompasses many Afro-Latin rhythms driven by the clave (two wooden sticks struck together). Today’s Salsa is the result of many years of rhythmical evolution due to economical, social and political change. Salsa is the national dance of Puerto Rico.
Walking steps and side steps are the basic components of Samba. The major characteristic of the Samba is the vertical bounce action. Steps are taken using the ball of the foot. Knee action, along with body sway and “pendulum motion” in the accomplished dancer, is made to look effortless and carefree.
First known as the Lindy (in honor of Charles Lindberg and his historic hop across the Atlantic), this perennially popular dance emerged in the late 1920s. During the WWII years it re-emerged on the East Coast as the Jitterbug-jive and on the West Coast as Swing. This dance is a true American amalgam, combining steps from the Black Bottom, the Bop and Push, the Hustle and Boot Scoot, Shag, Charleston and Hop.
Rudolph Valentino single-handedly danced this Latin import into nationwide popularity beginning in 1910. Although widely believed to have originated in Argentina, it actually may have come from Spain. It’s dramatic, exciting and known as the Dancer’s Dance. The Tango, with all its staccato movements, greatly improves a man’s lead or a woman’s ability to follow (respond) and develops a strong sense of feeling for music.
This “mother of all dances” originated in Italy in the 1600s as a round dance called the Volte. It arrived in America in the early 1800s and was the first social dance in which a woman was actually held in a man’s arms. Learning to Waltz is elegant. The Waltz develops graceful movement and poise. Every wedding reception, social “black-tie” formal and holiday party includes Waltz.
Situated in the heart of picturesque Chatham, our studio is a spacious second story ballroom built to accommodate all of your dancing needs. No mere practice hall, the Chatham studio is a great venue for lessons, parties and even smaller Arthur Murray events, such as our beloved Team Match. In our studio you’ll find a complete staff of highly trained, full time dance experts, each rigorously trained to deliver the best in customer service and technique.
Come dance at Arthur Murray Denville and see for yourself why we’ve been here more than a decade. With lots of natural light, a welcoming atmosphere, and ample floor space to perfect your technique, this facility is the best place to learn how to dance. Join the family. Dance in Denville.
Arthur Murray Dance Studio of Ridgewood carries on the 102-year Arthur Murray tradition of excellence in private dance lessons, group dance lessons, and party dance instruction. Yep, you read that right—we’ve been changing lives for more than a century.
When you live somewhere that shares such an iconic name, it’s hard not to feel a little special. And we agree. Our Arthur Murray Roxbury studio is as special as they come, inviting students of all experience levels to learn how to dance in our stunning facility. As soon as you walk into our doors, you’re part of the Arthur Murray dancing family, and as our family duty, we don’t let you fail.
We are thrilled to announce that we have now opened a beautiful new location in historic Morristown, New Jersey. This "go to" destination city is the hub of Morris County. It is repleat with fabulous restaurants which makes a night out to the Arthur Murray Dance Studio an event in itself. The studio is situated just a few steps from South Street and the Mayo Performing Arts Theater.
12 Washington Street
Tenafly, NJ
07670
We are proud to be a part of the Tenafly community, and we hope to continue to see new faces in our studio as the years go by. Each student instantly becomes part of the family as soon as they enter our doors, and that’s a promise. If you’re looking for a new hobby or perhaps a great way to meet people, our Tenafly studio awaits you. And as soon as you start, you’ll kick yourself for not having started sooner. (Don’t worry, we won’t kick you.)
All instructors will be equipped with masks, practicing social distancing, and constant washing of hands and sanitizing the studio in between lesson visits. In addition, students will be asked to wear face masks and sanitize hands - please contact us for any other in-person lesson requirements.
I’m a bad dancer. Can you help me? Believe it or not we hear this often! Of course we can help you! We train extensively to not only teach our students footwork and technique, but to help them feel comfortable in the dancing world. We teach them proper etiquette and good practices to thrive in any dancing situation. We’re about social dancing here, so comfort and fun are our guiding principles!
Once upon a time, you couldn’t enter a dance studio if you weren’t in formal wear - jackets and ties were required for men, and ladies always wore their best dresses. Now we’re a bit more relaxed. Our aim is to teach you to dance comfortably, and comfortable is how you should feel while you’re learning. We’re okay with whatever you wear, if you’re coming straight from work in business wear, or dressed up to head out to a nightclub after your lesson. We suggest you not wear rubber soled shoes because they have a bad habit of sticking to our dance floors. If you’re coming to our studios to train for a specific event it’s usually best to practice in the footwear you’ll be wearing at the event.
We don’t require our students to dance in public, but we do encourage it. Dancing at an Arthur Murray showcase, for example, is a fantastic opportunity not only because of the performance you give, but because of the training that leads up to it. Dancing in front of a crowd is exhilarating, and the adrenaline rush you get in every private lesson leading up to it accelerates your learning more than you can imagine!
Dancing is a skill that you can’t just learn one way. Private lessons are great for learning the specifics of dance, yet even they can’t teach you everything you need to be a great social dancer. If you want to enjoy dancing in any situation you have to experiment with other people. It’s not social dancing if you only do it with your instructor or your significant other! Group classes and practice parties teach you to dance with people of varied skill levels all while still in the safe and accepting Arthur Murray atmosphere.
To learn more about private lessons, group classes and practice parties check out our “Journey” section at the top of the page.
Do you have an hour and a half per week? If you do, it’s likely that you can take advantage of our full packages. You benefit more from your lessons, group classes and practice parties if you can come in more than once a week, but we work with you to create a program that best fits your schedule.
Here’s a short list of dances we offer:
We teach other specialized or local dances as well. Call a studio close to you and ask about anything you don’t see on this list!
It’s important to understand that every dance is different, and that learning dance is a process that really never ends. Even the strongest professional dancers learn daily from advanced coaches. That said we have what we call our “Medalist System” at Arthur Murray. After a short introductory period our students will graduate into Bronze level dancing. By the time a student completes Bronze level, they should be able to dance their favorite dances from the beginning to the end of a song while performing varied and interesting steps.