A Night of Dance

09/12/2026

Only 5 more weeks!! I'm excited to see all of my dance friends Saturday October 17th! Who has gotten there tickets?

Tickets are available through the Opera House, Venmo or CashApp. All tickets are available at the door day of.

https://cash.app/$NightofDance

https://venmo.com/AJsKisses

https://www.cityoperahouse.org/events/country-nights-%26-city-lights

09/01/2026

Meet your your co-instructor for MWM Connection and Techniques

James Weston Schaberg is a movement facilitator, educator, and lifelong student of embodied connection who has been studying the Mykl Werth Method (MWM) of co-creative social dance since 2005. Over the past two decades, he has taught and explored partner dance in communities across the United States and beyond, expanding his practice through Contact Improvisation, conscious dance, community yoga, and a wide range of movement modalities.

James facilitates Freeflow Partner Dance, an evolving exploration of social dance as a living conversation, rooted in many of the principles and practices of MWM. Moving beyond fixed steps and traditional lead-follow roles, Freeflow invites partners to listen, respond, play, and co-create movement in the moment. His approach emphasizes presence over performance and connection over choreography, creating an accessible space where experienced dancers and complete beginners alike can explore improvisation, authentic relating, and the possibilities that emerge when movement is discovered together.

08/25/2026

Less than 2 months away!

The OH has our event up and running and online ticket sales are available now!
Physical tickets sales are available as well. Your tickets will be held and available for pick up the night of at the front door!
physical tickets can be purchased through Venmo and CashApp or at the door night of.

OH tickets are available by following the link below!

https://www.cityoperahouse.org/events/country-nights-%26-city-lights

08/14/2026

Line dancing—where people dance in rows without touching—has deep roots in 19th-century folk, traditional contra, and African cultural dances. It evolved into modern choreographed crazes during the 1970s disco movement, before exploding into a global country-and-western phenomenon in the 1990s. Early Roots and Mid-20th Century. Folk Traditions: Settlers brought European reel, polka, and square dances to America, which blended with indigenous and African rhythmic styles. The Madison (1957): An early documented line-style group dance originating in Ohio that gained TV fame on American Bandstand. The Stroll (late 1950s): Another milestone teen dance where rows faced each other to perform synchronized steps. The Disco Era (1970s)Urban and Soul Influence: Shows like Soul Train popularized synchronized line routines like the L.A. Hustle and the Nutbush. Electric Slide (1976): Choreographed by Rick Silva to Marcia Griffiths' track, it became an enduring social staple. Country Adaptation: Dances like the Cowboy Boogie began bridging folk movements with modern counts. The Country and Mainstream Boom (1980s–1990s)The T**h Push (1980): Created by Jim Ferrazzano, helping cement structured country-western routines. Urban Cowboy (1980): The film sparked massive mainstream fascination with Western wear and honky-tonk dancing. Achy Breaky Heart (1992): Billy Ray Cyrus’s hit track propelled country line dancing onto an unprecedented global stage. Modern Party Staples: Formats later expanded into pop and hip-hop culture with dances like the Macarena, Cha-Cha Slide, and Cupid Shuffle.

Send a message to learn more

08/14/2026

Meet Shua Kiel, co-instructor for the MWM Blues workshop.
Shua Kiel has been dancing since he was 11 yrs old, he started in Jazz, Tap and Ballet. He studied Modern Dance and MWM (Mykl Werth Method) Social dance at Northwestern Michigan College. Shua was initially introduced to partner dance through the vibrant rhythms of Swing, but it was the expressive depth of Blues that truly captivated him. Drawn to its improvisational nature and the rich musical landscape it offers, he discovered in Blues a space where movement becomes a dialogue—inviting the graceful integration of steps and techniques from a variety of other dance forms. With permission from Mykl, he began teaching MWM in 2005 and Break dance in 2008. Shua toured the southwest as a break dancer for a year in 2013 before returning to Michigan. Shua alongside Mykl Werth and others, began the development of a teacher training program for MWM. Shua currently teaches MWM social dance classes at Northwest Michigan College in Traverse City Michigan.
Join Shua October 17th at the City Opera House for a 1 hour MWM Connection and Techniques workshop beginning at 4pm. Join us at 2pm for Line Dancing and Country Swing prior!

08/14/2026

Our wonderful contact at the Opera House is working hard to get the event ticket sales live!! Only a few more months!!

07/24/2026

Flyers are in! If you'd like to volunteer to distribute flyers please let me know!

06/11/2026

Meet your co-instructor Ashley Nicole Antonov (formerly Urbanus), who has been dancing since the age of seven. What started as a childhood passion has grown into a lifelong love for movement, music, self-expression, and connection.
Ashley studied dance at Columbia College Chicago, where she refined her technique and discovered her passion for teaching. Over the past 8 years, she has been sharing her love of dance with the Traverse City community through classes, private lessons, and a weekly social dance. She was also recently married to her husband, Arthur, and loves his endless support of her passion.
Before focusing on Co-Creative Partner Dancing, Ashley trained in a wide variety of styles including Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Musical Theater, Ballet, Modern, Contemporary, and West African. Her passion for partner dancing has since expanded her repertoire to include Blues, Tango, Latin, East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, and Waltz.
When Ashley is teaching, she strives to create a welcoming and supportive environment for dancers of all levels. Her teaching style is rooted in encouragement, discipline, and joy, helping each student feel confident while discovering their own unique rhythm and voice through dance.

Connect with Ashley October 17th at the Opera House

06/02/2026

Meet your country swing instructor couple!

“The Dance Floor”

“Where the bills & responsibility don’t matter. It’s where the stress is gone. My happy place, where my soul is free, my smile is not fake, and I am my true self. Nothing matters but me and the music. The dance floor is my freedom”.
Nancy and Mel Kiogima started their dancing career in the late 70’s when Disco was at the height of popularity. Their training started with learning the Hustle, the wildly popular dance of the 70” and 80’s. They quickly caught the “dancing bug” and went on to train privately with Fred Astaire trained instructor, Linnea Bailey. After winning multiple dance competitions, and providing dance instruction themselves, they took a break from dancing to raise their family of eight. As their children grew, they started private training again with then local ballroom dance instructor, Meg Nutting. In the late 80’s they continued their private instruction with award winning professional, Arthur Murray trained dance instructor, Jean Guild, with whom they maintain a dance relationship yet today.
Nancy, with her husband Mel, went on to successfully compete in the UCWDC (United Country Western Dance Council) circuit in the early to mid 90’s dancing Country Two-Step, Country Waltz, Country Swing and Country Cha-Cha.
They are trained in Ballroom, Latin, Swing, Social and Country and teach dance throughout northern Michigan. In addition, they have performed in the Crooked Tree Arts Council Nutcracker production for several years and they taught and choreographed dance with the local non-profit, Swing Shift and the Stars for 14 years. In recent years they have choreographed dance and done dance exhibitions in the ZoeDance Showcase of Petoskey. They are owners of their dance business, “Night Moves Social Dance”.

Come see Mel and Nancy Kiogima October 17th at the City Opera House

05/26/2026

Please drop in the comments songs and artist you'd like to dance to.