Friday, January 16, 2009

Celebrate Our 4th Anniversary Feb. 20

We're celebrating four wonderful years at Fred Astaire of Willoughby and you're invited to the party! We'll have shows, shrimp, champagne -- and a whole lot of fun. What's more, you can bring your friends!

The evening starts with a free group lesson at 7:15 p.m., Friday, Feb. 20, followed by the party from 8-10 p.m. You'll dance, sip champagne punch and enjoy several pro numbers, along with performances by some of our long-time students.

It's going to be a wonderful evening -- so mark your calendar now. We'd love to see you there!

West Coast Swing Seminar Feb. 6

Looking for some new tricks in West Coast Swing? Then come to this 90-minute intensive seminar with the incredible Michael Raisch. Michael is one of our favorite coaches, with a special knack for making every dance easy.

The seminar will be from 8-9:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6 (in place of our regular dance party). The cost is just $45. Students are signing up fast, so be sure to reserve your place.

Tyler wins DWTS local challenge!


When the Dancing With The Stars tour landed in Cleveland January 13, they found another star in Tyler Mausser, a 16-year-old student at the Willoughby Fred Astaire Dance Studio. Tyler and his 17-year-old partner Laura Klenz beat out nine other couples in a local dance challenge held during the show. The other competitors included several pro-am couples.

Tyler and Laura wowed the audience and judges Kym Johnson and Fabian Sanchez with their cha cha and jive. They did a fantastic job, winning 88% of the texted-in votes. Even more amazing, Tyler and Laura had never danced together until a few days before the show, when they decided to audition for the dance challenge. The challenge was sponsored by Samsung Eternity, and both dancers won the newest phone from Samsung along with a special trophy.

Tyler has been dancing at the Willoughby studio since he was 14. In that time, he's entered numerous competitions and won the Ohio Regional Top Youth award. His instructor is Katie Bronshteyn.