Entrepreneur Ward Thomas Chapman, founder of our Organization over 60 years ago, used his experience and expertise to make both his and social dance clubs abroad the most stable and profitable of their kind anywhere in the world.
Tom Chapman (1917-2004), founder of TC Dance Club International, was a Depression Baby for whom a high school education was an unaffordable luxury. He claimed to have never danced a step before he began his training. In Tom's own words, "Since then, I've made a lot of money and I'm a good dancer but more importantly, for fifty years I've had the wonderful experience or working in the ballroom dance business, a business that gives people what other business' promise the. No one enjoys life more than a dancing teacher". His was a classic entrepreneurial success story. He opened a series of studios under the Arthur Murray Banner. O(ver the years he met and befriended Barry Sandland who teamed with him to open Arthur Murray Studios in England. They remained Arthur Murray franchisees until shortly after Mr. Murray's retirement, soon after which, Tom and Barry began to toy with the idea of branching out on their own. It appeared to them that AMI was steering their Company toward more involvement in the competitive world of dance. The two partners both preferred to concentrate on "Social Dancing". They decided to go it alone in 1982................The birth of TC Dance Clubs. Now, many years later, there are several associated studios throughout the US. Barry and Tom remained business partners and friends until Tom's death in 2004. Barry opened in Satellite Beach, Florida on December 31st 1994, where he plans to stay. It is from that he currently runs the TC Dance Club International Association. Who are we? -A group of dance business professionals that can produce and share in the most important aspects of complete owner controls within the realm of good business practices, all for a minimal fixed fee. Our strength comes from the financial success of the individual Clubs. It is toward this end that we direct our efforts. As a member, you may avail yourself of our extensive resources and the combines talents of Dance Professionals, such as yourself, people active in the field and facing the daily issues of operation. Barry Sandland, President and CEO of TC Dancing Club International starting dancing at age 10 with his mother as partner and took his first lesson at age 12 while on vacation in Wales. At 15, he taught dance classes at the boarding school he attended. At age 18 he graduated from school and took Math & Physics degree courses at London University with a view to becoming an aeronautical engineer. Then came a telephone call, which was to change his life....."Congratulations, you have won a free dance lesson at Arthur Murray's". He went, signed up, working at weekends in a factory to pay for his lessons. Soon he was offered a job at the studio. He took it, married his boss and together they immigrated to America. In Los Angeles, he taught ballroom, had his own Adagio Act with his wife and continued studying ballet, tap, jazz and choreography. Soon he was both performing and winning many titles as a competitive Ballroom Dancer. He worked his way through the standards to become a Judge, Examiner and AMI Dance Board Member. At 23 he took the job as manager of Arthur's own studio on 5th Avenue, NYC. During his years in NY he met and befriended Tom Chapman, who had studios in the bay area and Kansas City. Together, they took the Arthur Murray Franchise to Europe and opened studios in England.
