Sweet ideas for special occasions

Sapphire Ballroom News - February 2021

Listening to the news, everything is about “a year ago this happened.” The Coronavirus was discovered in the US. Schools and businesses shut down. And the year of drudgery began. Our studio closed down for a few weeks, while we came to terms with the scope, and the realization that it was not going away quickly. By mid-April, we had started offering classes and private lessons online. In July, we very cautiously opened up for in-studio lessons. And in between all those steps were countless messages with students - words of support, of missing dancing, and of concern about the staff and the state of the studio.

Well, we have survived (and I don’t make that statement lightly). This coming year is also going to be tough for the studio, but I have faith that we will survive that too.

And now it’s time to take a break from all that and maybe make some plans that will help us though the home stretch without going too crazy. Even if we can’t quite act on all our impulses yet, you can take some time now to plan your next adventures in dance: going to a convention, travelling in other countries, or just attending a big old dance party (they’re coming, I promise!).

In this issue of Sapphire Ballroom News, Susan tells you about her trip to France and the role that dancing played, I tell you how a dance lesson can be like a mini-mid-day-vacation, you’ll find some great music about travelling and staying home, and we’ll get a glimpse of all the great group lessons coming up this month. I hope you enjoy!

In this issue...

- Susan's Sapphire Story

- Using Dance As A Sweet Escape

- Roam If You Want To Playlist

- Upcoming Dance Classes, online and in-person

Lyric Quote of the Month:

Take it hip to hip rocking through the wilderness
Around the world the trip begins with a kiss
Roam if you want to, roam around the world
Roam if you want to, without wings without wheels
Roam if you want to, roam around the world
Roam if you want to, without anything but the love we feel

     -     "Roam" by The B-52's
 

Susan’s Sapphire Story

Back in 2005, I was recovering from a long series of cancer treatments. I started looking for a way to make sure Chris (my husband) and I got out of the house and back into society again. Just at the right time, I saw an advertisement for ballroom dance lessons taught at the Radford Rec Center. This seemed like the perfect activity to get us out, moving, and mingling. Good goals, right?

We had tried a few dance lessons back when we were both in grad school, but didn’t achieve any lasting success. They were confusing, complicated, and frustrating: generally a defeating experience. But this time we were older, had more time, and signing up for four group lessons taught just down the street from us did not seem too daunting.

The teacher who met us at the Rec Center was young, energetic, friendly, and well organized. She was from Sapphire Ballroom, you may have heard of it. We started with the raw basics of waltz and easily completed the set of four lessons. Then we signed up for the Latin series of lessons. Within two months, we knew the basics of six dances and were really pleased with ourselves.

Before too much longer, we were invited to join a social dance party at the main Sapphire studio in Christiansburg where we were introduced to the larger group of dance enthusiasts.

They can’t have dance parties now, but I remember admiring how comfortable the experienced dancers seemed and how friendly people were about asking us newcomers to dance. When the song Smooth by Santana started playing, the experienced dancers stampeded to the floor and it was obvious this was a favorite cha cha. I watched them having so much fun and dancing more complicated figures while I was still so new. I was inspired to improve just so I could do more, have more fun with the music. We were hooked.

Flashing forward many years and many dances later, my husband was asked to go on a job assignment to France. We had done this before with our daughter and were able to make friends with other parents from our daughter’s school and related activities. But this time we were on our own, without that easy introduction to the community.

Ballroom dancing became the way we met people. It gave us the chance to meet lots of people and got us to explore the area. Nearly every Sunday some village somewhere in a 50 mile radius would be hosting an afternoon tea dance. So we would dig out the maps and go driving.

One Sunday, we got lost once looking for the social hall where we had heard a dance was held. Eventually we had to ask a local lady for directions. She said it was too hard to explain but she didn’t let us down - her sons could lead us there. Two young boys on small mopeds pulled in front of us and we started as a convoy up a steep hill of broken asphalt and into a dirt parking lot. The situation seemed a little sketchy, but the boys waved good-bye and sped back down the hill, leaving us there. When we opened the car doors we could hear welcoming music coming from the building. This sketchy little social hall became one of our favorite dance venues. We came back and we made some good friends there.

I have always been grateful for Sapphire’s emphasis on lead and follow technique, and not just teaching steps and figures. With all the changes of dance styles, cultures, and partners, it has been the ability to adapt and follow that has helped me feel comfortable in any dance situation. Dancing has become a big part of our lives and we thank Sapphire for helping us join such a large community.

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Using Dance For A Sweet Escape

We’ve all been stuck in our houses for a year now, some more so than others. It can really feel claustrophobic - restaurants were scary, traveling was scary, movies were at home…

Last week I started working with a wedding couple. They had actually taken a few lessons pre-pandemic and now are back to finish up their lessons. We talked a little about how different their wedding is going to be than what they had planned (15 people coming instead of 100, things like that) and they mentioned that their lesson that morning was the first time they had left their apartment for anything other than things like grocery shopping since last March. When they came to us for a dance lesson, they felt like they had escaped for a little while. And yeah, it was safe, it was fun, it was relaxing, and it was definitely diverting.

If you are looking for something (anything!) that will help ease the pressure of COVID-ness in your life, a private lesson with us really will help. Our spacious studio has plenty of room for people to have their own large square to dance in (10' x 10', usually much bigger). Our conscientious staff has come up with all kinds of engenius, sometimes hilarious ways to teach you without contact. And everyone is required to wear masks the whole time they are in our facility. (I do miss seeing your smiles, but safety is worth the hardship.)

A dance lesson will challenge your brain and take your mind off the Christmas decorations that need putting away. A dance lesson will get your blood pumping better than the most exciting YouTube video. It will get your body moving in more intriguing ways than thumping on your treadmill or exercycle. And if you want to talk about WandaVision while you’re dancing, so do we!

Think about it - an hour out of your house or apartment; with someone you care about (if you bring a partner) or on your own if you need a break from them too; doing something fun for yourself. You will learn to dance to your favorite music, accomplishing something that will stay with you for years to come.

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Sweet Moments Special Occasion Playlist

Rick Steves, the host of Travel With Rick Steves on the radio, has been saying, “plan now, imagine now, where you will go when you can again.” I like that idea. So here’s a playlist about roaming the world, in our minds & spirits, and sometimes, how awesome it is to be at home.

To see the Roam If You Want To playlist, visit us on YouTube at
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGEmFFdzKkkZZdeGxYJ_K9BS-oFnUjKEV

See all of our YouTube Playlists 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.

	Roam by the B-52s https://youtu.be/iNwC0sp-uA4 Dance Style: Triple Time Swing, goofy and fun
	Around the World by Nat King Cole https://youtu.be/HWE5Mo0ik2I Dance Style: Waltz, steady and classic
	Around the World La La La by A Touch Of Class https://youtu.be/pSVbF6DGH9U Dance Style: Hustle, fast and energetic
	Banana Boat (Day-O) by Harry Belefonte https://youtu.be/oKD_PfCQx9A Dance Style: Rumba, with exotic flair about missing home
	African Friend by Jimmy Buffett https://youtu.be/PBdIa7HRNNY Dance Style: Bolero, with a lovely story line
	Geographical Cure by Lucy Woodward https://youtu.be/tUVu6AOZ-tc Dance Style: Fox Trot, funky and cool
	La Casita Del Lago by Tango Kids https://youtu.be/jfA4YPdvS3c Dance Style: Tango, from an album of Tangos by kids (?!?)
	Feels Like Home by Chantal Kreviazuk https://youtu.be/Fd6_hMMJd6A Dance Style: Nightclub 2-Step, sweet and slow

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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