Happy New Year!

Are you enjoying that fresh, invigorating feeling a new year brings? We hope you are - the possibilities are endless...

We have some really exciting additions to our schedule like a Lindy Hop routine, a new version of Junior Ballroom @ Sapphire designed for the tween in your life, and a sweet way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, with or without a partner: Sapphire’s second ever Wine Tasting and Dance Party. With all this in just the first couple of months, 2017 is sure to be a great year.

If you don’t have dancing as one of your goals for 2017, add it to the list and keep reading to find out how to make it happen. Let’s get dancing in this year!

Upper Level Monday Nights are Rocking the New Year with High Powered West Coast, Latin styles galore, and Lindy Hop coming soon! - read more FREE Winter/Spring Sampler, Wednesday, January 11 - read more Winter Blues Dance Party - Saturday, January 14 - read more Blacksburg Group Classes, Tuesdays & Wednesdays - read more Junior Ballroom @ Sapphire: Tween Edition for 10-13yo - read more Valentine’s Day Wine Tasting & Dance Party at Sapphire - read more Dirty Dancing meets Lindy Hop on February 20 - read more

Dates to remember:

Grab a pen and take notes - there's always lots going on!

Friday, January 6 - Friday Night Beginner Workshops resume
Monday, January 9 - Upper Level Mondays resume with Salsa and Merengue
Wednesday, January 11 - Winter/Spring Sampler at the Blacksburg Community Center
Saturday, January 14 - Winter Blues Dance Party with West Coast Swing Lesson
Tuesday & Wednesday, January 17 & 18 - Blacksburg Group Classes begin
Friday, January 20 - Junior Ballroom @ Sapphire Tween Dance Class begins
Saturday, February 11 - Winter Luau Dance Party with Bachata Lesson
Tuesday, February 14 - Valentine's Day Wine Tasting & Dance Party

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Monday nights in January will be dominated by Swing and Latin styles. But don’t worry, Ballroom styles will make their grand entrance in February.

Kick the year off with a night of Salsa (7pm) and Merengue (8pm) on Monday, January 9. Then High Powered West Coast Swing is back by popular demand beginning on January 16 at 7pm and running for 4 weeks. While the WCS class is going on, the 8pm time will be Latin-happy with fun and festive Bachata, sensuous and silky Rumba, and finishing off with flirty, fast Cha Cha.

Looking further down the line, Upper Level Mondays in February will feature five workshops celebrating Ballroom styles as well as the promised Lindy Hop.

Find all the details of all these workshops at http://www.sapphiredance.com/int-adv-wksp.php and 4-week or 8-week classes at http://www.sapphiredance.com/groupclasses.php

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Have you tried out one of our Samplers at the the Blacksburg Community Center yet? If not, why? They are fun, free of commitment, and also FREE!

We kick off each semester of classes with an evening of short lessons, demonstrations, Q&A, discounts, and just plain fun. It’s a great way to get a taste of what a group class is like, meet new people and the instructors, and try out a dance with nothing to lose.

If you HAVE tried a Sapphire group class or one of the Samplers, you should still come out. The more the merrier. We are super excited to introduce the group class schedule through April - it is one most variety-packed sessions we have ever presented.

Check below to see what Blacksburg Group classes have to offer for January...or come out on Wednesday to see for yourself.

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Our first dance of the year is always one of our best.

Who knows if it’s the fact that it’s first, that it features West Coast Swing as our pre-dance lesson, or if it’s the one dance where blue jeans are encouraged... But always, it’s packed out and a blast!

Whatever your reason, join us at 7:30 for a lesson designed to start out just right right for absolute beginners and then grow into something interesting for any Westie.

And, if it sounds fun, wear something blue. It’s always cool to see the sea of blue throughout the studio. Fight those winter blues and get yourself here so you can dance them away!

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We’ve said it once already in this newsletter, but we are saying it again….this is one of the most variety packed sessions ever put together. The January/February session of classes begin January 17 & 18 with six fantastic options, all excellent for beginners except the Fox Trot Variations:

West Coast Swing - exciting and cool, this challenging, fun swing style will get you grooving to current hits and classic blues.

Nightclub 2-Step - graceful and romantic, this dance is perfect for those slow songs that deserve something more than the stand and sway that we all did in high school.

Argentine Tango - passionate and intriguing, Argentine Tango is wildly popular around the world, embracing music and creativity as well as connection and flair.

Waltz - classic and elegant, Waltz is great for new dancers wanting to see what Ballroom dancing is all about.

Cha Cha - fast and flirty, Cha Cha is a fun dance that works fabulously with many kinds of dance music.

Trot Your Waltz: Fox Trot Variations - where you learn to repurpose your favorite Waltz moves for Fox Trot. This is the only class that requires previous dance experience, Level 2 Fox Trot or Waltz.

Whew!! Something for everyone. We hope this amazing line up doesn’t make it too hard to decide which classes to take.

You will find all of the details plus all of our classes through April on our webpage: http://www.sapphiredance.com/groupclasses.php. You can also join us at the Winter/Spring Sampler on Wednesday, January 11, to find out what classes are available, see what they look like, and possibly get a sample lesson in the styles you are curious about.

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The Junior Ballroom @ Sapphire program is AWESOME! The hour they meet is one of the giddiest, most fun-filled occasions of the week. It’s so awesome that some younger soon-to-be dancers are itching to join in. So, starting in a few weeks, we are adding a “Tweens” class that will meet at the same time borrowing the studio next door for space.

We've delayed the starting date! Starting Friday, January 27 at 5pm, Lane will be teaching a new 4 week class for kids 13 years and younger.

The first 4 weeks will be looking primarily at 4-Count Hustle. This spinning, up-beat dance is sure to get some of their energy out! The Tweens class will also be invited to join in the Junior Ballroom’s Winter Dance Party.

We hope to plan more 4 week sessions throughout 2017 based on demand. If you can’t make the first class but are interested, let us know.

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If you are a holiday junkie, or can read a calendar, you know that the next big one is Valentine’s Day. If you are looking for a special way to celebrate, you need to mark your calendar for the “Valentine’s Day Wine Tasting & Dance Party at Sapphire” on Tuesday the 14th of February.

The evening will begin at 7:30 giving you time to go out to dinner before, if you choose. But, don’t overindulge because there will be lots of delicious snacks and treats here for you to enjoy with your wine. Between tastings, dance all your favorite styles. Sapphire staff will be on hand all evening to help out and give impromptu dance lessons if requested.

The tasting with Giles Mountain Vineyard and Winery will begin at 8pm. After the sampling the dancing will resume and Giles Mountain will stick around to continue to serve wine by the glass as well as have bottles to purchase.

Tickets are available to purchase in advance: $32 for individual tickets and $55 for couple tickets. Everyone 21 and over is welcome!

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On Monday, February 20, we will begin our next Beyond the Routine: Lindy Hop at 8pm!

This is a special routine class for several reasons. First, we have never done a Lindy “Beyond the Routine” before. Because of this, we plan to make it quite beginner friendly. Even if you are brand new to Lindy, if you have a strong East Coast Swing background, this class is for you. One of the goals in having this routine class is to give folks a solid foundation in Lindy Hop that can be used in addition to what is sure to be a really cute routine.

Secondly, this is the 30th anniversary of the release of Dirty Dancing (no way! really?) and we plan to use a song from the soundtrack...which everyone knows is an awesome soundtrack! Which song? Which scene? The one with the log. You know - this one: https://youtu.be/f2ugRkVMOuE?t=46s

Plan to release your inner “Johnny/Baby.” Don’t worry, no lifts, with or without the lake. ; ) If you are interested and want to know if this 8 week class is for you, talk to an instructor.

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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.