February Events at Modern Steps

It's Show time at Modern Steps!

Don't miss our Spring Spotlight Show this Friday night, March 3, 2017 at 7pm at Modern Steps School of Dance!  Our students and staff have been working hard and now its time to show their stuff!  Doors open at 6:30 and we'll have a great show starting at 7pm showcasing our students in their favorite dances.  We'll also have a fun celebration after the show with refreshments for everyone.  Don't miss this great opportunity to watch ballroom at its best at Modern Steps in Naples!

Valentine Special for New Dancers

January 2017 Calendar

Summer Adventures for Modern Steps Students Part 1

We all love living in Southwest Florida, but as everyone knows, it gets a little quiet in Naples during the summer.  So where do all those people go?  A lot of our students "fly north" for the summer, but some of them have interesting adventures that take them away.  Pat Vautrinot is one of our students who went on a grand adventure this summer, exploring the two youngest states of America.  She traveled with her family, first to Alaska and the Denali National Park, and then also to the western United States' Paradise of the Pacific, Hawaii.  Here are some of the spectacular areas that she was able to enjoy last month.  Thanks for sharing your journey, Pat!

The Denali, formerly Mt. McKinley
The peak itself in all it's glory!  Usually covered by clouds,
Denali is only visible about 30% of the time.

Pat flying out from Kanchitna, after a 6 hr ride in a park service bus to get in!
Living strong, Pat went white-water rafting while visiting the National Park.

Pat and children, Frosty and "almost" son Ralph were
 part of a larger family reunion.

Little store that is home to "Mayor Murphy," the cat!
You expect a moose to stroll by at any minute.

Pat's son, Ted, giving our own private concert, though
many passersby dropped in to enjoy his music.

Saw the calving of this glacier!  Calving is when a chunk
of ice falls off the glacier, creating an iceberg.
Learn something new everyday!

Just your normal, friendly, grizzly bear.
(We'll assume Pat was in a vehicle of some kind and not asking the bear for a dance!)

View of a waterfall inside an old volcano on the island of Kauai, Hawaii.
Pat's riding in a helicopter, one of several modes of transportation
needed for these great views.

Aboard the museum of the USS Arizona

He Dances, He Sings, He's our very own Jim Clemens!

Sometimes we have diamonds in our very own backyard and we never really see them.  One of our shining, multi-faceted diamonds is Jim Clemens, owner and instructor at Modern Steps School of Dance.  You have probably seen Jim at the studio teaching lessons, or dancing at a competition, winning great accolades with his students and for the studio.  But you may not know that he is also a popular singer with a local group of entertainers called the Consecutones.  The trio of Jim, Antoine "Motown" Walker and Steve Fenntiman perform a wide selection of favorites from the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's and you can see them on Friday nights in July at Bill's Steak and Seafood Restaurant, located at the corner of Lakewood Blvd and Tamiami Trail East in Naples.  Not only can you get a great meal at Bill's, but you can enjoy this talented group of gentlemen as they bring back oldies and our favorite love songs from 6:30-9:30pm.
Social dancing is one of Jim's passions, and you usually see him on Friday night dancing with students at Bill's and enjoying the music from the dancer's shoes he wears so well.  He has another side that we don't see as often, but his wonderful renditions of our favorite songs are a testimony to the shiny facet that you don't want to miss on this gem we are proud to call one of ours

Jim and Tammy before the show.

Steve Fenntiman and Antoine "Motown" Walker are
the other two thirds of The Consecutones.

The Consecutones at Bill's Steak and Seafood Restaurant

In addition to enjoying the great music, friends get together to dance and enjoy an evening out at Bill's.  You will often see students and friends of Modern Steps out enjoying the music and dancing around town at various venues.  Social dancing is just that--a great way to meet friends, dance and feel the joy of the music, all wrapped up in one great package.

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Lynn and Brenda Shine in Baltimore at National Competition

It was raining in Baltimore last weekend, but there were bright lights shining on the dance floor at the USADance National Championships. And Modern Steps was proudly represented by Lynn and Brenda Griebahn, who earned silver medals in Senior II and III Gold American Rhythm and Senior II American Smooth, as well as bronze medals in Senior III Gold and Senior III Silver American Smooth.  Lots of hard work paid off, and the Griebahns were very happy with their dancing.  "We have made great progress in our Rhythm dancing, thanks to Justinas and Tammy," Brenda said when they returned to Naples.  Lynn was delighted with the results: "We were very happy to do so well in such a large national competition.  The competition was really tremendous, and the fields were very large, especially in the Silver divisions."  Over 500 couples competed in divisions from Pre-Teen through Senior III in the USADance National events, as well as the World Dancesport Federation ranking events in Adult and Senior I International Standard and Latin events, which qualify those couples to compete at World Championships throughout the coming year.  Modern Steps was proud to sponsor this event this year by providing scholarships in two of the Senior III divisions.  Congratulations to Lynn and Brenda on great dancing at this important event!

Brenda and Lynn with coach Tammy Clemens

Bronze medal in Bonus Bronze Standard Division

Celebrating after the competition,  Sarah Griebahn, Tammy and Brenda

What's Happening this Week

Saturday Dance Parties at Modern Steps are always fun and are open to everyone!  The party starts at 7pm and the music runs non-stop until 10pm with all your favorite dance music--ballroom, Latin and country.  And this Saturday, March 26, we want to extend a special invitation to our students to come out and dance with our instructors from 7:00-8:30pm, during the regular party.  Jim and Tammy, Mac and Justinas will be there to dance with their students and we will also have refreshments for everyone to enjoy.  Admission is $15 per person, and even if you're are not a student at Modern Steps, we hope you'll join us for a wonderful evening of dancing.  Save the date for next month's Teacher-Student night on April 23.

We will resume our Sunday Group Class on April 10, 17, and 24 at 2pm.  The dance in April will be the ChaCha, so make plans to join us--you'll be glad you did!  Each class is $25/person.

We're excited about this year's special performance night on Friday, April 29.  Our special Students in the Spotlight evening will be a great evening of entertainment and dancing, with special refreshments to celebrate after the show.  Tickets will be on sale beginning April 4.  Save the date and be sure to reserve your tickets in advance for this special night as seating is limited.

We want to wish you all a happy Easter this Sunday.  And to our northern friends who may be headed home, we will miss you and look forward to your return.  Keep dancing wherever you are and be blessed! 

Cool Cats at Modern Steps

Secret identities.  Mysterious strangers.  People in disguise.  What do these things have to do with ballroom dance, you ask?  Well, ballroom dancers come from all different walks of life and some of our favorite dancers at Modern Steps have another side to them that you may not even know about!

Deborah with her panther kitten

Deborah Jansen is one of those dancers!  Deborah started dancing at Modern Steps about three years ago, and she loves dancing!  You may have seen her in our Showcase last year, or you may have seen her at one of the local dance competitions, but have you ever seen her out in the Everglades?  Because that is where she spends her time at her day job, working with the National Park Service.  She loves that part of her life as well, and she sent us this great picture with a panther kitten she met last week at work.  Whether she is counting panthers or counting steps in the chacha, Deborah is a wonderful example of someone who has added some ballroom to her life and can say it is one of the best things she has ever done.  We're glad she has joined us on the dance floor!

Deborah in 2015 Showcase

Mac and Deborah at the Naples Star Ball