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Linda
Stancill
Instructor, Owner
Linda@SapphireDance.com
Linda, a Richmond-area native, enjoyed 9 years of ballet as a youth, but knew there would never be a profession in it. Curious about ballroom dancing, she began taking lessons. Soon afterwards she entered and completed a training program for instructors at an independent studio in Richmond, VA, (www.dancemastersstudios.com ) where she feels fortunate to have had access to many different teachers and perspectives early in her dance career. She has been teaching dance (some part-time and some full-time) for almost 10 years, and still can't get enough… especially of Cha Cha (her favorite dance).
Meeting her husband, Dail is what lured her to the New River Valley. She has enjoyed working in this area since January of 2001, and committed to bringing the joy of dance to anyone who will try it.
Linda is very thankful for the level of commitment and dedication that her husband, Dail puts into her dance endeavors. Without him, this wonderful place to dance called Sapphire Ballroom would have never existed. Even though he's not an instructor, his presence brings a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere to classes and dance events.
Dail and Linda have now also become parents of a cutie-pie daughter Mallory Jordan, who was born in July 2007. She is what keeps them busy when they are not dancing. |
Debbi
Sheldon Richey
Instructor,
Director of Marketing
Debbi@SapphireDance.com
Debbi is a Blacksburg native who, while away at college, fell
in love with social dancing. Not wanting to pick a favorite, Debbi
tries to dabble in many kinds of social dance including historic,
country and western, international, and ballroom.
Debbi has been teaching dance for more than 15 years. She began
teaching international folk dance at James Madison University
(go Dukes!), where she was Vice President of the JMU Dance Theatre.
Her career as a professional dance teacher started when she was
drafted as an emergency substitute for a sick two-step instructor.
After college, she spent some time teaching with the Southwest
Virginia Social Dance Society as well as serving the group as
president. Currently, in addition to teaching and learning at
Sapphire, she organizes a group called the Blacksburg
Historic Dancers.
When she's not dancing, Debbi does free-lance graphic and web
design as well as designs and sews costumes and ball gowns.
In October '04, Debbi Sheldon became Debbi Sheldon Richey when
she married the most wonderful man in the world. There were dances
at their wedding from all over the world and dancers from all
over the east coast. And in September '06, they brought a new
dancer into the world: Colin Patrick (that boy can groove!).
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Dennis Williams
Instructor
Dennis@SapphireDance.com
Dennis, a resident of Christiansburg, has over 15 years of dance
experience including jazz, tap, hip-hop and clogging! His credits
and experience includes musicals with Summer Musical Enterprise
as actor, dancer, and choregrapher; Department of defense Top
40 band as a singer/Dancer; and a former lead singer/dancer of
Virginia Tech's New Virginians.
He decided to expand his dance knowledge by taking ballroom dance
classes. After taking months of classes, he decided (with a little
prodding by Linda) that not only did he enjoy this style of dancing
but that he was interested in teaching ballroom dance. He's often
asked what his favorite dance is...Hustle?, Rumba?, Salsa? Well,
he loves them all including Waltz which describes his thoughtful
and romantic character.
When Dennis is not dancing, you can find him weight training
at a local gym, running, swimming, or socializing at the local
coffee shops.
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Eric Jones
Instructor
Eric@SapphireDance.com
Eric has just joined the Sapphire team. His Bio will be coming soon! |
Jae Chong
Instructor
Jae@SapphireDance.com
Born in Seoul, Korea, Jae moved to the U.S. as a child. Suddenly immersed in a new culture, having to learn a new language, he struggled to conquer his overall awkwardness. Mix these obstacles with a lack of rhythm and you can imagine Jae’s aversion to the idea of dance. Thanks to a high school crush, he overcame that barrier. He asked her to the homecoming dance and soon after realized the excitement of music and the art of motion to music. He dabbled in hip-hop and techno styles of dancing through out high school and college.
With a Computer Engineering degree from Virginia Tech firmly in hand, and a job in the near horizon, his roommate encouraged him to try swing dancing for fun. Though reluctant at first, he has no regrets now! Since then he's been active in the swing dance community in Blacksburg, plus frequently taught and performed with Solely Swing and Southwest Virginia's Social Dance Society (SVSDS).
To broaden his horizon, Jae eventually expanded his repertoire to encompass Ballroom and Latin, where he met Linda for the first time. He joined the Sapphire team several years later. With his love of dancing and teaching, it was only a matter of time.
When not dancing at Sapphire, SVSDS, or out of town, you can catch Jae indoors reading or tinkering with his computer, or outdoors hiking, skiing, or biking. |
Lane Mattox
Instructor, Operations Manager
Lane@SapphireDance.com
Lane, a native of Craig County and current resident of Blacksburg, grew up dancing ballet, tap and jazz for 9 years. After studying psychology at Virginia Tech, Lane began to dabble in ballroom after having resisted many invitations from her friends Wayne and Betty. She quickly realized what she was missing and fell head over heels…Latin heels! Now, having taught for Sapphire for over 2 years, Lane is still finding more and more reasons to love dance (especially Rumba and West Coast Swing). She enjoys helping others discover the same passion and satisfaction she found in the world of dancing.
Linda enjoyed having Lane around so much that she invited her to expand her role to being Operations Manager. So not only is Lane an asset on the dance floor, she is also your go-to person for scheduling lessons, registering for upcoming classes, buying dance shoes, and more!
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Troy Robbins
Instructor
Troy@SapphireDance.com
Troy was born in Roanoke and grew up in new river valley until he was 9 yrs old. At that point, he
moved to Alaska and started taking dance in high school including hiphop,
jazz, tap, modern, ballet, and clogging. He
joined the Young Americans after high school and moved
to Southern California where he studied performance techniques, took
voice and dance lessons, and was part of a 3-month outreach-tour through the midwest, bringing music to small town schools in an
exciting way. He returned to
Virginia to be closer to family and finish college.
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