Sapphire Ballroom
Sapphire Dance News - March 2017

If sunny days and warm temperatures are making you feel lucky, you’re not alone. But even if the weather goes south (what? Snow this weekend?!), we’re fortunate enough to share a passion for indoor fun that won't let you down. See below for all the excellent chances to dance available to you this month.

PS - The Summer Class Schedule is under way. With any luck, it will be ready for you by the next newsletter.

  Good Luck

  1. Tween 4-Week Group Class - this Friday, March 10! - read more
  2. Lucky Draw Dance Party - this Saturday, March 11 - read more
  3. Upper Level Workshops for March - Country Two-Step, Nightclub 2, & West Coast Swing - read more
  4. Advanced Monday Night Group Classes - Nightclub Floored and 3-Count Hustle - read more
  5. Blacksburg West Coast Swing Club Hosts Alyssa Gillespie @ Sapphire - Saturday, April 8 - read more
  6. April Group Classes in Blacksburg: Polka, Salsa, Carolina Shag, and Rumba - read more
 

Calendar GraphicDates to remember:

Spring is here and good fortune is in the air - it's time to make plans!

Friday, March 10 - Junior Ballroom @ Sapphire Tween Dance Class begins
Saturday, March 11 - Lucky Draw Dance Party with Fox Trot Lesson
Monday, April 3 - Nightclub Floored begins
Tuesday & Wednesday, April 4 & 5- Blacksburg Group Classes begin
Saturday, April 8 - Spring Fling Dance Party with West Coast Swing Lesson
Saturday, April 8 - Alyssa Gillespie Workshops

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1 - Tween 4-Week Group Class - this Friday, March 10!

Young dancersIf you are fortunate enough to have an incredible “Tween” in your life, check this out. As an extension of the awesomely fun (and sometimes silly) Junior Ballroom @ Sapphire class, we now offer 4 week classes for enthused 10-13 yo kiddos for only $40 a session (sibling discount available).

These classes, just like the Teens' class, are 5-6:00pm on Fridays, but will use the studio next door at Sapphire’s Performing Arts studio... So they get their own dance space to dance at their own pace. Each session looks at two dance styles, learning cool moves, basic patterns, and foundations for the techniques and etiquette that go into partner dancing. While some of the specifics may fade with time, the social skills the tweens learn will be useful for the rest of their lives.

Spread the word to all the Tweens in your life: get them started early and keep them dancing. More details available at http://www.sapphiredance.com/juniorballroom.html

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2 - Lucky Draw Dance Party - this Saturday, March 11

Lucky Draw Dance PartyWhether you believe in luck or not, you have to check out our Lucky Draw Dance Party on Saturday, March 11!

This is another one of our quirky themes, where we are tapping into the “Luck of the Irish” as well as the classy atmosphere of a casino (without the gambling). As always we will start the evening at 7:30 with a lesson, this time in the classic, “happy-go-lucky”, Fox Trot.

Whether you have tried this dance before or not, this lesson has something just for you. If you’ve never tried Fox Trot before, Lane will get you sauntering across the floor with style and class in no time at all. Make sure you get there for the beginning of the lesson to get all the helpful hints on how to score big at this lovely dance! If you’re already a high-roller in the Fox Trot world, make sure you ante up for the second half of the lesson where the stakes get higher and the dancing gets flashier.

Ace in the holeThen stick around to use what you have learned, chat with the people you’ve met, and share some delicious treats for the rest of the evening as we dance the night away to a Vegas-worthy buffet of Ballroom, Latin, and Swing favorites throughout the party.

Don’t leave your Saturday night to chance, bet on a sure thing by coming out to dance with us!

What’s the next Dance Party gonna be? A double X, extra special treat! Check out the Events Page at SapphireDance.com: http://www.sapphiredance.com/events.php for details.

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3 - Upper Level Workshops for March - Country Two-Step, Nightclub 2, & West Coast Swing

What two things do Country Two-Step, Nightclub 2-Step, and West Coast Swing have in common? First, they are all great for dancing to Country music (the theme this month). Second, they are all featured in the Monday Night Upper Level Workshops in the next few weeks at 7:00pm.

Country music fan or not, there is no denying how much fun you can have doing Country Two-Step! Great for turning and traveling, this dance kicks off on Monday, March 13.

Nightclub 2-Step keeps the winning streak going with it’s slow grace great for slow pop ballads… Country music or not. Catch the NC2 workshop on Monday, March 20.

Last but not least, finish March on a high note with West Coast Swing, one of the most musically versatile dance styles around, on Monday the 27th.

All of these Workshops ask for Level 2 experience in their relative styles. If you've taken the group classes, you're ready. If you're not sure, ask an instructor! We would love to help you prepare to join the Monday-Nighters at Sapphire.

Don’t risk missing out on Upper Level Mondays - check out http://www.sapphiredance.com/int-adv-wksp.php to stay in the know.

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4 - Advanced Monday Night Group Classes - Nightclub Floored and 3-Count Hustle

Alongside the exciting and challenging one-night workshops offered on Monday nights, Nightclub 2-Step and 3-Count Hustle are jazzing up the schedule with two special 4-week classes. These classes are geared toward a more intermediate/experienced crowd of dancers than most of the Tuesday/Wednesday group classes and offer more depth than just the “one-night-blast” of a typical Monday workshop.

In April, check out Nightclub 2-Step: Floored! In this is class, Lane will take material from a previous routine and break it down and show you how to use the flashy, dramatic, performance moves on the social floor. This class will be pulling from last year’s Nightclub 2-Step Routine to “Photograph.” You do not need to have been a part of that class to join this one, you just need Level 3 experience in Nightclub 2. If you have been dancing Nightclub for a while, and really want to raise the stakes in your dancing, you should try this class. It might be challenging, but it will also be so much fun.

In May, 3-Count Hustle will be taking the spotlight on Mondays. Starting from the beginning, Debbi will help you build a foundation that will jump-start your 3-Count and improve your 4-count repertoire with lots of smooth moves and (extreme) spinning. Level 3 Hustle or similar experience is enough to make you ready to jump in and experience this disco-tastic dance. If you are comfortable dancing 4-Count Hustle, and have heard there’s more to be learned, you should try this class.

Do you have thoughts for a dance style you want to delve into at an intermediate/advanced level? Let us know. Most of our classes become what they are based on student requests, so make sure you let us know!

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5 - Blacksburg West Coast Swing Club Hosts Alyssa Gillespie @ Sapphire

Allyssa GillespieSapphire is excited to team up with the Blacksburg West Coast Swing club to have a day full of West Coast Swing and other dancing with Alyssa Gillespie on Saturday, April 8.

BWCS, founded by our very own Katy Frei, is bringing in All Star Alyssa Gillespie for two intermediate West Coast Swing workshops as well as private lessons. Details can be found at https://www.facebook.com/events/113034352555844/.

Then, Sapphire is hosting their regularly scheduled monthly dance party that night with a pre-dance lesson in….you guessed it….West Coast Swing! Whether you come to the workshops or not you will want to mark your calendar for this fun dance!

Watch Alyssa strut her stuff in her winning performance at MADjam last year, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOeLWzph1g0.

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6 - April Group Classes in Blacksburg: Polka, Salsa, Carolina Shag, and Rumba

group classApril Group classes are right around the corner. Polka, Salsa, Carolina Shag, and Rumba are starring in the next session of 4-week Group Classes at the Blacksburg Community Center starting April 4 & 5: http://www.sapphiredance.com/groupclasses.php.

Not sure which class to sign up for? Watch for the next issue of this newsletter, coming out end of March/beginning of April where we will have more details on all four beginner level classes, plus Class-BlacksburgBy-Request decisions. In the meantime, please get in touch with us if you have questions about which class might be right for you or anything else to do with group classes.

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Thanks for reading, we hope you found something you liked. Until we see you again, happy dancing!

 

To subscribe to Sapphire Dance News, our monthly e-newsletter, visit us at SapphireDance.com/email.php.

Sapphire Ballroom & Dance Center

30 W Main Street, Suite C, Christiansburg, VA  24073 - 540-382-8782
www.SapphireDance.com