A. Arthur Murray touts a 114-year-old history in dance education with 300-plus units. B. Instructors teach a variety of ballroom dance styles. C. The brand prides itself on its “anyone can dance” mentality.
Gary Edwards didn’t plan to get into dancing.
“My mom used to run dance events, and I didn’t like my babysitter,” said Edwards, who started dancing at 7 years old. “My mom said, ‘If you want to come to the events, then you have to learn how to dance.’ That was my initial introduction to dancing—a little bit forced, in a way. But I went the first time and loved it.”
Edwards went on to build a storied career in professional ballroom dancing and various dance styles, winning large-scale dancing competitions and eventually delving into the judging, teaching and media components of dance, appearing in movies and television shows like “Dancing with the Stars.”
Edwards has danced with Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Barry White, MC Hammer and a number of other celebrities. He lived in Brunei for more than five years, where he taught royalty, professional athletes and the one-and-only king of pop.
“I’m famous for teaching Michael Jackson cha-cha in 1996,” Edwards said. “He was doing a birthday party for Princess Hamidah [of Brunei], and he wanted to make it special for her. He came to one of the palaces, and I gave him a couple of hours of lessons on cha-cha.”
Decades of experiences have driven Edwards to his next venture: CEO of dance education concept Arthur Murray Dance Studios.
Edwards has been at the helm for a little more than a year, but his involvement goes back two decades, when he worked as a brand ambassador. It was during this time that he got to know former CEO Philip Masters, who led the company for more than 60 years.
“I think even at that moment, he knew he wanted me to one day run Arthur Murray. … I could see what I’d do different, what I thought was wrong,” Edwards said. “I discussed that with him, so he was very aware of the changes I would make.”
Gary Edwards is the CEO of Arthur Murray Dance Schools.
Edwards joined with private equity firm Clarion Capital Partners to buy the brand in December 2024. Masters died just days before the deal was signed.
Arthur Murray, a 114-year-old brand with 300-plus units across 20 countries, has since shifted under Edwards to embrace change as a beacon for growth.
Building a team has been priority No. 1 for Edwards, who led those first days without crucial team members and no sales or marketing departments.
Since then, Arthur Murray has nearly doubled the number of people on its team, creating various operational and support departments. Recent appointments include Chief Development Officer Tony Padulo, the former School of Rock CDO, and Vice President of Operations Kimberley Carroll, a longtime Arthur Murray franchisee.
Edwards is set on building a relationship with franchisees, so he’s breaking down the unspoken, “us versus them” mentality and giving them support they deserve.
“In the past, the franchisees have been promised many things that were never delivered, so there was a little bit of a distrust that had built up over the years. It’s a very old company, so that’s a lot of distrust,” he said. “I went in there with complete honesty and haven’t yet said anything to them that I haven’t delivered. I’m very proud of that.”
Beyond building relationships, Arthur Murray has taken on revitalization efforts by reassessing its franchise disclosure document, investing in technology and marketing, and getting back into TV—a nod to Arthur Murray’s “The Arthur Murray Party,” a dance variety show which ran from 1950 to 1960.
The brand works with the University of North Florida to offer a bachelor’s degree in healthcare management with a concentration in “lifestyle management,” designed for working dance professionals. The degree includes a teaching internship with the brand, where students can learn how to become franchisees.
Edwards sees these investments as a way to reinvigorate the Arthur Murray brand as a top-tier franchising opportunity.
Growth appears to be on the horizon. The brand wrapped up 2025 with a handful of unit openings, and Edwards anticipates opening 20 units in the first quarter of this year.
“We’ve got everyone working together to help support any franchisee that isn’t doing well, and we’re going to be in a position where we can help them,” he said. “The big difference here is suddenly this is looking like a good proposition for people to come in from the outside—for the first time in history.”