“Power is the ability to do good things for others.”

– Brooke Astor (1902 – 2007)

American philanthropist

Last night we held our fifth year of participation with Dancing with our Stars for St. Monica Parish Community. We took 6 parents and teachers from the schools and turned them into superstars. We had three hundred tickets sold and raised a lot of money for the music and arts department of the schools. The net proceeds all go directly to the school to benefit the students.

This is an eight-week project where each of the dancers is given an orientation, then 14 lessons are donated to each dancer from Arthur Murray. They are given choreography, music from an Arthur Murray professional dancer. As we get closer to the event, we prepare for costuming, hair, makeup, stage presence, and polish for the routine. We offer unlimited access to our groups and parties to all 6 participants. Funny, in all the past years the dancer who took advantage of the groups and parties always have won the event. I guess there is something to be said for practice!

As we enter the last week before the show, each dancer performs their routine at an Arthur Murray Santa Monica dance party. They work out all the bugs and then they have two more lessons the week of the show and a dress rehearsal. My staff is exceptional.  They take a completely new dance, choreograph a show show number, and prepare that dancer for the competition. They are true professionals.

I am so very proud of our amazing teachers who put their heart and souls into their dancing. Our special students who take the lessons and support our school. They are our dance family. We, Arthur Murray School, strive to give back to our community and especially support kids and the arts for young people.

As Brooke Astor said, Power is the ability to do good for others. Do I have power, yes. In the fact that I can use our school to help and support causes that we are passionate about and that we are able to give back to our great St. Monica Parish and to our amazing City of Santa Monica and to our Chamber of Commerce. Do I have power, yes. The power to give back to our community.

“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.”

– Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973)

Spanish painter, sculptor

The ability to give back has been learned. We started off by offering service that we knew nothing about and tackled projects that were way above our heads. We truly learned the beauty of community and mentoring as we learned from leaders who found out our passion for service and they were very willing to guide and teach us how to accomplish our goals. We also have learned the beauty of team work and the value of collaboration with those who know how and are willing to train new leaders.

“Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

– Theodore Roosevelt (1858 – 1919)

26th President of the United States

I’m sitting here in the cold on a Saturday morning typing away. We are having our A/C units serviced and they had to turn the heat off. Burr! Also, today is the 13^th day in a row we have worked. Yesterday, I was here before 9 AM to open the school for roofers and then went home, quickly showered and went to the benefit. Crazy long days, hard days, many days in a row. Many people tell me to take it easy, get some rest, don’t work so hard. Funny, I never hear anyone say that to a parent with a newborn. The studio is like a kid to me and I am willing to do whatever it takes to work hard and make success happen. The prize for me is the chance to work hard a something I love and something that is worth doing for me.

“Students gain lasting self-confidence not by being protected from failure but by learning they can survive it.”

– Tony Wagner, teacher and author

Have I had a failure? Well, yes, and a few at that. I’ve had devastating times, huge setbacks, and colossal flops in my life. Heartache that darkened the light from my heart and soul. Public failure. Failure that was not only not private, but everyone knew about it and gave me their opinions about it. Not only was I not protected from failure, but I faced it heal-long and I survived it. I became stronger. I learned from it. I became a better man. I learned that I could my experience to help, empower, mentor, guide, and help others. I do not regret a moment of what I have experience for the moments I have had to guide those who have come to me for mentoring. I do not pray for protection from the heartaches of life, I pray for the wisdom to learn from the trials of life so I can be of use for someone else.

So, let’s become “Power Hungry” and learn the power of doing good things for others. I’ll leave you with this great quote from Vincent Van Gogh:

“So let us go forward quietly, each on his own path, forever making for the light.”

– Vincent Van Gogh (1853 – 1890)

Dutch Post-Impressionist painter

Thanks for reading!

David Earl Woodbury

Keep on Dancing!

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