We’ve been having some “hot fun in the summertime” and hope you have, too. Between Dirty Dancing Weekends up at Mountain Lake Lodge, a smooth 4-week class on Silver Waltz, and a fantastic set of Group Classes in Blacksburg, this July has flown by!

Check out what August has to offer including Junior Ballroom @ Sapphire, as well as another High Power Dance class on Mondays. Plus, there's also a bit of news about a special visit from Karen Jaffe - this time she's bringing a friend, and he's ready to dance.

So, stay cool, enjoy the last days of summer, and dance on, my friends.

Junior Ballroom starts the year early with low-key, high-fun workshops, every Friday in August - read more High Powered Salsa heats up the dance floor in a totally cool way - begins August 8 - read more Upper Level Workshops feature Cha Cha, Night Club 2-Step, Quickstep, and Dancers’ Choice - read more Night Groove Dance Party will inspire you to get groovy on Saturday, August 13 - read more Karen & Tate come to Christiansburg in September! - read more Sapphire On The Town at Giles Mountain Winery - read more Why Should a Social Dancer Learn a Routine? - read more

Dates to remember:

Summer doesn't mean "time to let your dancing go" - there's always lots going on!

Fridays, August - Junior Ballroom August Workshops begin
Tuesday & Wednesday, August 9 & 10 - Group Classes begin in Blacksburg
Saturday, August 13 - Night Groove Dance Party with Night Club 2-Step Lesson
Friday, Sept 2 - CTAM Friday Night Beginner Workshop CANCELED for Labor Day
Friday, Sept 9 - Junior Ballroom Fall Session begins
Saturday, Sept 10- Vinyl Vibe Dance Party with Hustle Lesson
Friday, Sept 16 - CTAM Friday Night Beginner Workshop CANCELED for Special Event
Tuesday, Sept 20 - Fall Sampler: Free Intro Lesson (rescheduled - formerly Sept 6)

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It’s not quite time to start the Fall session of Junior Ballroom @ Sapphire … that 10-week session starts Friday, September 9. But what to do in the meantime when we are all ready to to get the party started?

August Fridays were just begging to have some one-day workshops - the perfect opportunity for current students to get “back in the groove” and to let new students check out the program and learn some cool tricks. Each workshop will feature a different dance, starting from the basics, but moving quickly into more interesting and challenging material. Because they are all unique, you can try one, two, three or four, without worrying about missed material - perfect for busy August, last-minute-trips, and oh-my-gosh-we-have-a-lot-to-do schedules.

Each workshop is $12 but if you register for all 4 its $36 total, or buy 3 and get the 4th free.

Complete details area available at http://www.sapphiredance.com/juniorballroom.html

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We have some electrifying Salsa coming your way on Monday nights at 7pm starting August 8. Our “High Powered” classes offer you 4 weeks to dig into a dance style and come out on the other end with new moves and a new understanding of concepts that will take your dance to a new level. It’s not just about acquiring patterns - although you get that, too - it’s about building skills! So, if you have Level 3 Salsa experience (or equivalent) and want to keep exploring the dance, come join us!

Check out all of Sapphire's Group Classes at http://www.sapphiredance.com/groupclasses.php

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The title almost says it all! Our one-night, upper-level, awesome-amazing workshops will be featuring these three dances and the dance of your choice.

Cha Cha will be “On The Move”, we will be giving you the “Runaround” with Night Club 2-Step and have you working on “Pivots” in Quickstep. Rumba continues as reigning champion of Dancers’ Choice, so we will be taking it even higher in August.

Cha Cha and Night Club are both very approachable dances. If you’ve never tried an Upper Level Workshop, and if you have experience in either one, you should join us and find out what the buzz is about!

More information is available at http://sapphiredance.com/int-adv-wksp.php

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Ray Charles had the right idea when he said "Night time is the right time to be with the one you love." It's also the right time to dance! Come get carried away by the night, as you dance under the starlight to our moonstruck playlist. Lane will kick the night off with a groovy Night Club 2 Step lesson, sure to send you over the moon.

Get the scoop on all of Sapphire's dance parties at www.sapphiredance.com/events.php.

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We are oh-so-close to having a nailed down the schedule for the weekend Karen Jaffe and Tate Di Chiazza will visit us, sharing their love of Argentine Tango. We can tell you that they are here September 15-18 ….there will be beginner, intermediate, and advanced opportunities...there will be group classes and private lessons….there will be social dancing, parties, and performances! We will even be having a special off-site performance/social including food from Argentina … I know I have your attention now. ; )

Stay tuned - we will be posting details on our website and taking registrations soon.

In the meantime, here’s a little bit about Tate. Many of you already know and love Karen, but if you haven't met her yet you can find her bio at www.tangogypsies.com. We are excited to get to know Tate so here is a little bio on him. A native of Buenos Aires, Tate has studied under Susana Miller, Osvaldo Zotto, Bariel Angio and Natialia Games, Fabian Salas, Luis Solanas and more. He was an Assistant Choreographer and dancer (in multiple roles) for “Tanguera,” the international touring production, during 2001-2005. He continues to travel the world to teach.

When home, he offers group and private lessons in Buenos Aires, and weekly classes at the famous club, “La Viruta”. Tate also organizes, hosts, and DJs a weekly group class and practica “Garufa” in the popular Palermo neighborhood. You can find pictures and videos at http://tatetango.blogspot.com/, but you’ll need to bring your Spainish dictionary.

Details will be posted at www.SapphireDance.com/Jaffe-Tate.html

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Giles Mountain Vineyard and Winery has a new wine called Tango, and how better to celebrate that than with a dance? On Saturday, August 20, from 5-7 pm, you can enjoy an evening of dancing with a Tango lesson by Sapphire, wine, light fare, and breathtaking mountaintop views. The admission is FREE. This is sure to be a lovely evening...we can’t wait! Find directions and more about this vineyard and winery at gilesmountainwinery.com. You can also give them a call at 540-818-0566.

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Have you heard the buzz about another “Beyond the Routine” class coming this Fall, this one featuring Night Club 2-Step? It’s true. It starts Monday, October 3, and rSuns through November.

Now, you may be thinking, “I’m a social dancer. I’ve worked hard learning to lead/follow. Isn’t a routine the opposite of that?” And so, you may be wondering why does Sapphire offer these classes in the first place?
If you have worked with Sapphire for any amount of time you know that we are a studio that focuses on social dancing...meaning “lead and follow.” We place a lot of value in the art of communication in dance, the subtleties that pass between the lead and follow that can only be felt when you are dancing “in the moment” and don’t know exactly what steps you are going to take until a few beats ahead. These things tend to dominate our lessons more than the showmanship side of dance and we teach that good partnering leads to “looking good.” Our philosophy is geared in this direction because our main goal as dancers, and for you as dancers, is to have fun on the dance floor!

So, again, why do the routines? A couple of different reasons! First, a little showmanship never hurt anybody. Even if you never intend on performing a routine, learning one can help you notice things about your dance that you never picked up on before. Once you know a set of patterns in a specific order, you can devote more brainpower toward where your arms are, adding in some character, am I even smiling when I dance? These are things you can then take to the social floor. Plus, especially for leaders, you will get some cool sequences ingrained to add to your arsenal of moves.

Besides what it can do for your dancing, learning a routine is also a really fun experience with your fellow dancers. It takes the camaraderie of a group class to a new level when you are all doing the same moves at the same time! You get to tap into the group dynamic that line dancing or square dancing have: doing something as a collective is powerful and exciting. It’s good for the soul!

Once you have learned the routine, you then have something you can perform if you choose! Performing is an exhilarating experience. When you have worked hard on something, it is so satisfying to be able to share it with others.

Whatever your reason, consider joining the Night Club routine this Fall. If that is not a dance you are familiar with, you still have time to learn it or to shake the dust off if you are feeling rusty. We hope you are as excited as we are to spend 8 weeks together learning a fun routine!

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