August has been a fabulous month!  Group classes, workshops, and social dances - all have been brimming with enthusiasm and fun. Our monthly Dance Party, “Night Groove”, was packed out with a high energy crowd which made for great evening of dance: check out these pictures!  

We hate to see August and the end of Summer go, but we are falling all over ourselves (gracefully of course) with excitement for what's to come.   Check below to see what’s happening in September!

1. FREE Fall Sampler and Blacksburg Group Classes
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2. Playing Favorites Dance Party and Dance JAMs
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3. Beyond the Routine: Cha Cha
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4. Fox Trot and West Coast Swing, Upper Level Workshops
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5. Latin Summer Series Finale!
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6. Performing Arts Dance Program Kicking Off This Week!
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7. Spice up your office parties with some Sapphire
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8. Five Things You Need To Know About Coming To A Social Dance
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We will be kicking off our Fall series of classes with a Sapphire Sampler!  This event is FREE and a perfect  way to test the waters before diving in.  Both Jae and Lane will be at the Blacksburg Community Center from 7-8p on Tuesday, September 17, to teach a sample lesson, demonstrate some of the styles we will be offering, and answer any questions you have.  Come out and meet the instructors, meet other dancers and give social dancing a try!  

The Fall series of Group Classes will start Tuesday & Wednesday, September 24 & 25. This session has lots to offer including an advanced East Coast Swing Class and beginner friendly Waltz and Rumba. Check out the full line up at http://www.sapphiredance.com/groupclasses.php or pick up a Fall Schedule Leaflet at the Studio.

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Join us Saturday, September 14, as we dance the night away at the Playing Favroites Dance Party. I guess it’s easy to say this dance is our “favorite,” since we compile the playlist solely with the favorite dance songs of each and every Sapphire Ballroom staff member. You will hear a little of Debbi, Dennis, David, Jae, Lane, Linda, & Liz in the music that night (not necessarily in that order!).  Don’t miss Jae’s Waltz lesson to start the night off at 7:30p.  

Also, come dance with us Friday, Sept 6, at our Ballroom Dance JAM where we’ll romance the floor with smooth-style favorites, and again on Friday, Sept 20, for a loco Latin Dance JAM.  

See you there!

Read more at http://www.sapphiredance.com/events.php.

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It’s baaaack!  It’s been awhile since we have had a “Beyond The Routine” class, but the wait is over and we are starting where it all began...with Cha Cha. In 2005 Linda ran the first BTR with a Cha Cha routine we still use today - we’ve had 9 routine classes total since then.  If you have a solid Level 2 Cha Cha background, plus turning on the chasse, then join Linda and staff for 8 weeks starting September 16 to learn an exciting, fresh, new Cha Cha routine, http://www.sapphiredance.com/class.php#ChaCha.

Check out our Facebook page for previews of the choreography as we develop it!

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….who could ask for anything more?  These two debonaire dances will be featured on Monday nights starting in September and will keep going all the way into November.  Starting with the lower levels and working their way up to more advanced these workshops will offer something to all levels of dancers.

If you've never been to Sapphire on a Monday night, Sept 9 (Level 2-3 West Coast) and Sept 23 (Level 2-3 Fox Trot) are going to be great nights of wonderful, challenging, but not-too-crazy-hard, dancing.

Read more about these workshops on our Upper Level Workshop Page: http://www.sapphiredance.com/int-adv-wksp.php.

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As most of you know we offered a Bachata, Salsa, & Merengue classes over the summer and want to finish off the “Summer of Latin” with an outing where we can all use our new skills.  

We are going get a group together and head over to Roanoke for the Star City Latin Dance Festival at 16 West Marketplace!!! On Friday, September 13, starting at 8pm, there will be two workshops to attend, performances to watch, and then open dancing all night! AND if you are a part of our group you will get a 10% if you use our promo code (email us to get it).  Just go to https://starcitylatindancefestival.eventbrite.com/, enter the code, and purchase your ticket: easy!  Friday night passes are $30: contact us now to get your promo code.  

You can check out the full weekend of events at https://www.facebook.com/events/546236562080534/

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Good News!  We have interest in all the Performing Arts classes we are offering, but several of the classes only have a 2-3 enrolled. Please help us spread the word.

• Intro/beginner classes for "older" students just getting started in dance.  And by older, I mean 8 through 18.  Many of you probably got a good laugh out of that one.
• Intro Hip Hop or Intro Tap classes that adults can take, too.
• Of course we want the little ones, too:  Rhythm & Movement, Tap for 3-5 year olds, plus Pre-Ballet/Tap for 5-7 year olds
• Do you know anyone new to the area whose child has dance experience, or anyone looking for new home studio?  We have several options for experienced dancers, too.
• And, we could use another teacher for substituing and future developement.  Do you know a fantastic dancer who loves passing on the art and joy of dance to others? Let us know!

Read more at www.SapphireDanceCenter.com.

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Whether your office is planning a holiday party, staff retreat, or just something fun to do together to build rapport, you need to talk to Sapphire. We can come to your event a teach a dance lesson in any dance style you choose or you can bring the party to our beautiful studio in downtown Christiansburg.  Either way your group will be letting loose and having a good time while learning some dance moves.  Contact us for a quote at info@sapphiredance.com or 540-382-8782.

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If you have ever taken any type of formal dance instruction, then you probably have at least thought about attending a social dance.  For a lot of people the idea of dancing in a big crowd can be daunting to the point of preventing them from using their new dance skills on the social floor.  If you are ready to take your dancing from practicing in front of your mirror at home (this used to be me!) to the next level, or if you already dance in public but want to feel more comfortable "gettin' down" in a crowd, then read on for 5 things you should know might make it a bit easier.

1) You are not the only nervous person in the room.

If dancing in front of a room full of people gives you the jitters, then you can guarantee it made most of the other dancers nervous at one point and time.  This means they can all sympathize with you, and that some of them may still be shaking in their dance shoes. To distract yourself, find someone who looks as nervous as you feel and make a point to reach out to them.  After chatting a bit, you will both feel better.

2)  Not everyone is watching you, I promise!

Our greatest fear when social dancing seems to be that someone will see us mess up, *gasp*.  But know this: unless you are leaping in the air and doing flips, chances are no one will be watching you. The people jamming on the dance floor are usually so into their partner and their own dancing that a clown carrying a monkey could walk by and they wouldn’t notice.  The people taking a break on the side lines may be scanning the dance floor but rarely focus on one couple. Hopefully this doesn’t bruise your ego, but most people won’t be paying much attention to you unless they are actually dancing with you.

3)  Don’t be afraid to ask!

“I don’t know that person, will it be weird to just walk up to them and ask?” “Is that person in an exclusive dance relationship?”  “Is that person too advanced to dance with me?” These are the questions that race through our brains when we try to get up the nerve to ask someone to join us on the dance floor. While the answer could be yes to some of those questions occasionally, it’s still perfectly fine to ask!  Part of the fun of social dancing is being able to dance with a person you have never met.  

Experienced dancers love meeting new dancers and are usually pleased when you ask. A dancer is never too advanced to dance with a beginner. People who have been dancing for years know that they learn from dancing with all levels and love to share what they know with anyone who is willing. If someone thinks that they are above dancing with beginners, they are really missing out.  A truely good dancer will be able to appreciate dancing with all levels.

As for the couples, they don’t typically come to social dances to dance only with each other.  They do tend to like to dance their partner, so don’t ask them too very often, but it doesn’t hurt to grab them while their sweetie is dancing with someone else or taking a break.

4)  It is okay to say no.

So what happens if you get asked to dance and you really don’t want to?  Being at a dance you might feel pressured to dance with everyone that asks, all the time. But, it’s not uncommon for people to want to sit and watch some at their first social dance, and that’s okay.  Just explain if that’s the case, that way they will know to come back and ask you at some other time. If it’s just that you need a breather, you can decline but let them know you would love to dance after a few more songs.  If it is a style you are unfamiliar with, let them know that too.  They may offer to show you how (which you should totally try!) or they can wait and dance a style you are comfortable with.  Feel free to say no at any time, but do prepare yourself to be asked, potentially a lot!  The only thing is - if you say “no” to one person, don’t say “yes” to someone else during the same song.  That would make the first person feel pretty bad and might discourage them from asking people to dance in the future. So, feel free to take a rest, or sit and chat when you feel like it, just be considerate and no one will mind at all.

5)  The ultimate goal is to let loose and have fun.

Sounds trite, I know, but it’s amazing how easy it is to forget sometimes.  Dance is a sport and can be taken very seriously, which is awesome!  The potential to learn and grow is always there and we never want our dancing to become stagnate.  However, unless you approach partner dance as strictly competitive, there is a random social element that can not (and should not) be separated from partner dancing.  You can never predict what will happen at a social dance: they are full of surprises, both glorious and messy.  You can’t always predict what your partner will do, what the couple dancing next to you will do, what the music will do, and oddly enough, what you will do  So, you may not always feel like a superstar while dancing but that’s ok. You will be able to connect with other people, distract yourself from all the pressures of life, laugh at yourself, meet some nice people, and if you’re are willing, have some fun.

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