That is the question, isn't it?

Sapphire Ballroom News - April 2022

As we reach for Spring, warm weather, and sunny skies with our region’s very typical off-and-on approach, I feel like I start every day with uncertainty. Should I wear fuzzy socks or shorts? Should I slide on berks or ugs? Should I stay or should I go… oh, wait. That one is a song. Do you see the problem? It’s not a bad one to have. Questions mean options, and options mean potential fun, especially when it comes to dancing.

In this newsletter, we are answering a few very common questions about dancing at or with Sapphire and having a bit of fun questioning just about everything in a new, very questionable playlist. I hope you enjoy, and remember - if you have questions, we’d love to answer them! My favorite question is “Would you like to dance?”

In this issue...

- What’s New? Schedule Highlights

- What’s News? Headlines

- How do you know when you’re ready for “the next Level”?

- When should I wear a mask to the Studio?

- What’s Up Playlist

Highlights

Charleston Lesson at Blacksburg Museum

The Blacksburg Museum & Cultural Foundation has asked us to join them at the lovely Alexander Black House to teach 1920’s style Charleston and early Fox Trot. It’s an hour-long beginner lesson, free, and a great way to spend the afternoon. While you’re there, check out their new 1920’s based exhibit. Flapper-style attire is welcome, not required.
Visit their facebook event for details: https://fb.me/e/2mbAkOJb4

Level 2 Waltz - Just added!

A bunch of the wonderful people at the Friday Workshops in March asked “can we have more”? Of course you can!
Level 2 (ish) Waltz, a 4-hour group class with lots of review and practice of Level 1 material.
Sundays at 4:30pm starting April 10. $42/person.
Class will skip Easter weekend.
Registration required by noon the day of the workshop. Register online at SapphireBallroom.square.site or email us at info@sapphiredance.com.

Dancing among the vines at Beliveau Winery on April 15

Looking for a lovely setting, delightful company, and good dancing? Join us on Friday, April 15 at 7:00pm at Beliveau Farm Winery, 3899 Eakin Farm Rd., Blacksburg.  Learn some dance, watch the sun set, and sample some wine. What a great way to start the weekend! Admission is $15/person at the door. Check out their event on Facebook: https://fb.me/e/1LyQAB7W4

Advance registration not required for this event.

Blacksburg Date Night Dance Classes (DNDC) April 19

Want to spend more time with your special someone? Learn to dance together. First share the learning experience, then share the dancing for years to come.
Blacksburg Date Night Dance Classes (DNDC) make for fantastic memories of fun, laughter, and joy. Sign up today, before it sells out, by visiting the Blacksburg Community Center registration page at https://recreation.blacksburg.gov/wbwsc/webtrac.wsc/search.html and search on Adult Dance. You’ll have the Time of Your Life!

Happy Hour on April 22

The Happy Hours are back! Last fall these micro dance parties filled the studio with excellent dancing at many different skill levels. The folks there declared it a success and that we really ought to do it again. So, mark your calendar, let us know you are coming, and dance your way into Thanksgiving week! Our next Happy Hour will be Friday, April 22, 5-7pm.

Details on our website: http://sapphiredance.com/GroupLessons.php

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Headlines

Spring Line Dance Sale - 6 workshops for $36!

You’ve heard of line dancing. Maybe you’ve done the Electric Slide or the Wobble. But there’s so much more! And now, it’s on sale.
Now through Summer Solstice (June 21), the “official” days of spring, you can buy a package of 6 beginner Line Dance Workshops for just $36! Share them with friends, your family, or keep them for yourself - it’s up to you. Registration for any particular workshop is required by noon the day of the workshop, not at the time of purchase. So, take your time, choose the nights that suit you, and learn to line dance. The dance floor is waiting for you. Sale is for Beginner Line Dance Workshops only. See the spring schedule on our webpage at SapphireDance.com/GroupLessons.php . Please use the Spring Special workshops within 3 months of purchase.

Planning a Summer wedding? Now is the time to schedule your dance lessons!

We can take that dreaded first dance and make it a thing of pride and joy. All it takes is time and lessons. The more time and the more lessons, the more comfortable you will be when all those people are watching. But even 1 lesson can help take the stress out of what should be a fun part of your wedding. Contact us today (info@sapphiredance.com, 540-382-8782) to schedule your lessons! They will be the highlight of your week. Details at SapphireDance.com/BridalLessons.php
 

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How do you know when you’re ready for “the Next Level”?

Are you ready for Level 2 in a dance style? Is that What’s Next Workshop right for you? Should you join the Challenging Line Dance on Monday evenings or the Beginner Line Dance Workshop on Tuesdays? What good questions - all of them!

First let me start with a fact - you are always welcome to take and retake beginner level classes. No matter how accomplished you are, it is always helpful to revisit the basics and we encourage you to do that as much as you like.

On our website, we categorize classes as “First-Time Beginners,” “ Improving Beginners,” and “Established Dancers ” modeled on the Line Dance conventions of Ultra Beginner, Beginner, and Improver classifications. You can filter classes based on category by clicking on the group you are interested in at the top of the group lessons page. But there are even more clues in the class names and descriptions.

Classes with “Advanced” or “Challenging” versus “Beginner”

Any time we have an advanced or challenging, you need to ask yourself a couple of questions.

1) Do you feel comfortable dancing to a variety of speeds or do you need slower tempos?
2) Do you feel comfortable dancing entire songs or does your brain start glitching 2 minutes in?
3) Can you string together a couple of moves with no basics between or do you get tangled without breathing space between figures?
4) For some styles, have you learned any alternative rhythms or are you only doing the basic counts?
5) If you end up overwhelmed with information, will that be more exciting or frustrating?
If you consistently chose the first option, you’re probably good to go. With the exception of #3, these questions pretty much apply to Line Dance as well.

Classes with “Levels”

The levels we talk about at Sapphire Classes are based on a large collection syllabi that were both carefully constructed and always evolving. A level 2 syllabus expects students to have been dancing for 1 hour a week for 4 weeks - the duration of a level 1 group class. A Level 2 class is roughly the equivalent of a Beginner or Improver Line Dance. It does not expect you to keep up with whatever hotshot is dancing next to you. It does not expect you to have mastered that material either. In fact, a Level 2 syllabus is usually designed with the idea of revisiting the harder Level 1 moves with a new twist - something that might make the original make more sense.

And Level 3 classes have the same approach in regards to Level 2 material. At or after Level 3, you are probably ready for a What’s Next Workshop (Monday evening in Sapphire Studio).

What’s Next Workshops

Most What’s Next Workshop listings on Sapphire’s Group Lessons page will include prerequisites, sometimes with lots of detail. Pay attention to those descriptions. They will use words like “familiar,” “comfortable,” “confident,” as well as occasionally “mastered.” “Familiar” means you should have met the move or concept before, but maybe not have a lot of practice. Usually a lesson that says you should be familiar with a thing expects to work on that thing, giving you more details and ways to use it. “Comfortable” means that you should be able to do the thing without help at least in its basic format. Maybe you're not fancy yet, but your knowledge is solid. “Confident” is just a little bit more than comfortable, while “mastered” means you’re ready to move beyond that thing.

If you’re not sure, ask.

You can always trust your teacher, or the teacher of the class you’re interested in. We might ask you, “have you ever done this move,” or “how is your technique in this position?” We might encourage you to practice something before trying the workshop. Most levels include a range of skills. If someone is on the low end of the range, and we know you’re coming, we can adjust the lesson plan to accommodate that.

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Mask policy going forward

As you maybe already know, we have recently relaxed our masking policy for classes and lessons at the Sapphire Studio. This was based on information provided by the CDC at
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html

Once they had rated us at “Medium” or lower for more than 1 week, we were able to ease up.

As of the time I’m writing this, we are rated “low” risk. But we really have no assurances that we will continue to be low, especially with BA.2 coming. So here’s the guide for our masking policy - when Montgomery County is at Medium or Low according to the CDC, masks are encouraged, not required. When the CDC rates us at High, masks will be required in the studio. If we are at another venue, their masking poilcy will apply. We will do our best to get the word out in several ways - posting changes on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, etc.

Masks are always welcome, especially colorful, cute, or wacky ones. We keep disposable masks at the first desk if you ever arrive and need a mask.

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What’s Up Playlist

Music has long been the way to ask tough questions. Important questions which might otherwise go unvoiced. And trivial questions that we all could live without knowing.

Here’s a delightfully quirky compilation of songs that question almost everything.

To view the complete playlist, visit us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/SapphireBallroom/playlists
These playlists are always changing. If you have a suggestion, I’d love to hear it! Send me a link at info@sapphiredance.com.

What's Going On by Marvin Gaye
Style: West Coast Swing
Link: https://youtu.be/o5TmORitlKk

Why Do Fools Fall In Love by Frankie Lymon
Style: Single Time Swing
Link: https://youtu.be/EWwzsNyFn1I

Quando, Quando, Quando by Michael Bublé (with Nelly Furtado)
Style: Rumba
Link: https://youtu.be/hVu_hUTOvj0

So What The Fuss by Stevie Wonder
Style: 3-ct Hustle or West Coast Swing
Link: https://youtu.be/61-WnnpOtsU

What's Love Got To Do With It by Tina Turner
Style: Rumba
Link: https://youtu.be/oGpFcHTxjZs

Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera) by Doris Day
Style: Viennese Waltz
Link: https://youtu.be/zSKf4bpXthY

Will You Love Me Tomorrow by The Shirelles
Style: Carolina Shag
Link: https://youtu.be/hvkGmYBvMQU

How Deep Is Your Love by Bee Gees
Style: Rumba
Link: https://youtu.be/XpqqjU7u5Yc

Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour On the Bedpost Overnight? By Lonnie Donegan
Style: Polka
Link: https://youtu.be/h3Zpyr5f4-U

Where Do Broken Hearts Go by Whitney Houston
Style: Nightclub 2-Step
Link: https://youtu.be/wa3tfVjGCQ8

Do You Really Want To Hurt Me by Culture Club
Style: Rumba
Link: https://youtu.be/DLZtqLrzbfs

Who's Zoomin' Who? By Aretha Franklin
Style: East Coast Swing
Link: https://youtu.be/eYmmFf6M40Y

What is Love by Haddaway
Style: Hustle or Cha Cha
Link: https://youtu.be/HEXWRTEbj1I

Why by Annie Lennox
Style: Bolero
Link: https://youtu.be/HG7I4oniOyA

Who Let The Dogs Out by Baha Men
Style: Merengue
Link: https://youtu.be/ojULkWEUsPs

Cuando Me Enamoro by Enrique Iglesias, Juan Luis Guerra
Style: Bachata
Link: https://youtu.be/4DO8GsIYfhQ

Who Do You Know In Heaven by The Five Keys
Style: Fox Trot
Link: https://youtu.be/ImiS4zRNXwo

Baby, What You Want Me to Do by Etta James
Style: East Coast Swing
Link: https://youtu.be/xC5F_SkvgCg

Who Needs Pictures by Brad Paisley
Style: Nightclub 2-Step
Link: https://youtu.be/zWM5P2GgT_E

Are You Lonesome Tonight? By Elvis Presley
Style: Slow Waltz
Link: https://youtu.be/9XVdtX7uSnk

Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash
Style: West Coast Swing
Link: https://youtu.be/BN1WwnEDWAM

What songs do you think should have made this list? What would you like to see in next month’s playlist? Let us know - we’d love to hear from you on Facebook or by email.

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Upcoming Dance Classes: online and in-person

Events are hosted by Sapphire Ballroom & Dance Center: online, at our studio in Christiansburg, or at the Blacksburg Community Center. Please check locations before traveling!

Taking online classes is affordable and easy, once you try it. You do not need a partner; you do not need a fancy space. You do not have to share your picture or video. Online events require a Zoom link (included below), but not a Zoom account.

All Group Lessons have a maximum of 10 people in-studio. To prevent being turned away from a full class, please register by or before noon the day of the class by emailing us at info@SapphireDance.com or contacting the Blacksburg Community Center.

All group events and lessons cost $6-$15/person/hour. Visit our Square Store to pay online for classes and private lessons.

More information available on our webpage or Facebook page.

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

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