You’ve seen the posters. You’ve heard your teachers talk about it. You’ve maybe even heard other students say it’s their favorite event. So, what is this “MEDAL BALL” thing, anyway?
Medal Ball is a graduation event for Arthur Murray students working on through their Medalist programs. Each medal, Bronze, Silver, and Gold, is made up of four levels, and the students prepared to graduate from one level to another do so via Medal Ball.
The event itself has three sections:
The In-Studio Checkout
The first step to graduating from a level is to do your in-studio checkout. This is where a member of management visits a predetermined lesson where the student demonstrates the patterns and appropriate technique for the level they are working to complete.
This can be done at any time throughout the year whenever your teachers think the students are ready, and is always done prior to the next two parts of Medal Ball below. Students will get feedback from management about what to continue working on for this level and how it will help you in the future levels.
The Freestyle Checkout
This is where all your hard work really counts! One Sunday a year, Fort Wayne Arthur Murray’s holds “Medal Ball” which is has a day and evening portion.
The first part of the day (the Freestyle Checkout) will look more like a studio dance party than a dance test at first glance. This part of the examination process is designed to show how the student leads or follows the dance material in an active dance environment. A visiting consultant, sometimes with little or no knowledge of the student's dancing, writes feedback to help launch the students into the next level, scores their dancing, and is also available for follow up coaching lessons the days after Medal Ball.
Each student could dance anywhere between 1-6 different dances depending on what they are currently working on graduating from… major dances, minor dances, or a partial level checkout. Students will not be asked to dance something they didn’t demonstrate in their In-Studio Checkout. Several students are on the floor at once much like a party, and some opt to dance with their teachers for the freestyles.
The Evening Celebration
Congratulations! You now get to have a GRADUATION PARTY!
When the day portion is complete, we all meet at one of Fort Wayne’s great banquet facilities for a night of dinner, dancing, awards, dressing up, and celebration. Graduates, students, spectators, and other guests are all invited to this once a year event regardless of completing a level or not.
We hope you will all join us this year SUNDAY, JUNE 9, 2019 as we celebrate the hard work of all those graduating to the next level in their dancing!
The day portion will take place in the studio, and our evening celebration this year will be at Goeglein’s Homestead on Maysville Road. See in-studio posters for more details.