Arthur Murray facts for kids

Arthur Murray (born Moses Teichman, April 4, 1895 – March 3, 1991) was an American dancer and smart businessman. He is famous for starting the chain of dance schools that still use his name today.

Early Life and His First Steps in Dance

Arthur Murray's 1920 "Radio Dance" event. A band played songs like "Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech" for dancers listening on a rooftop.

Arthur Murray was born in 1895 as Moses Teichman. He was born in a place called Galicia, which was part of Austria-Hungary at the time. When he was just two years old, in 1897, his mother brought him to America. They arrived at Ellis Island, which was the main entry point for immigrants in New York. His family then settled in New York City.

Starting to Teach Dance

Arthur soon began teaching ballroom dancing. He taught in different places, including a clinic in Massachusetts and later in Asheville, North Carolina. He was only 19 when he started teaching dance at the Battery Park Hotel in 1914. Around the time of World War I, many people in the U.S. did not like German-sounding names. So, Moses Teichman changed his last name to Murray.

By 1920, Arthur Murray was a well-known dance teacher and writer. He even made special records to help people learn how to dance at home. These records were made for big music companies like Columbia.

A Unique Radio Dance

In 1919, Arthur Murray went to college at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also taught ballroom dancing in Atlanta. In 1920, he did something very new: he organized the world's first "radio dance." A band played music on the Georgia Tech campus. This music was broadcast over the radio to about 150 dancers. They were on a rooftop in downtown Atlanta, dancing to the music they heard on the radio!

On April 24, 1925, Arthur Murray married Kathryn Kohnfelder. She was also a talented dancer. They had met at a radio station where he was giving a dance lesson.

Building the Arthur Murray Dance Studios

An advertisement from 1922 for Arthur Murray's dance teaching system.

People learning to dance at an Arthur Murray class during a concert in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

After World War II, Arthur Murray's dance business really grew. People became very interested in Latin dance styles. He even taught and broadcast dance lessons from Cuba in the 1950s.

Arthur and his wife, Kathryn, even had their own TV show! It was called The Arthur Murray Party. The show ran for many years, from 1950 to 1960, on different TV channels. It helped make dance lessons even more popular.

A Lasting Legacy

Arthur and Kathryn Murray retired in 1964. But they still stayed involved in dance. They even appeared on a disco dance show called Dance Fever in the late 1970s. By that time, there were more than 3,560 dance studios named after him!

Today, there are still about 275 Arthur Murray Studios open around the world. The company says it is one of the oldest franchise businesses. A franchise means many small businesses use the same famous name and system. In 2012, Arthur Murray Studios celebrated over 100 years of teaching dance. You can find these studios in many countries, from Australia to North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.

Later Life and Passing

For many years, Arthur Murray had two homes. One was in Honolulu, Hawaii, and the other was in New York. He passed away at his home in Honolulu when he was 95 years old. His daughter said he died from pneumonia. He had been very active and healthy until just before he passed away.

See Also

In Spanish: Arthur Murray para niños