...With 32 years of dancing, and 29 years of teaching, I have a broad background ranging from Rock'n'Roll to Salsa and Bachata, Argentine Tango to Ballroom and Latin, and even urban dance styles while performing on-stage at nightclubs and raves....

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IT ALL STARTED WITH ROCK'N'ROLL

 

Having first started learning a 50's and 60's style of Rock'n'Roll in New Zealand at the age of 14, I started to learn and teach American Ballroom & Latin to Gold Level in Adelaide, South Australia, at the age of 17.

 

'During this time I competed in Rock'n'Roll in a style called Pub Rock in Adelaide (similar to some versions of Rockabilly and Ceroc), and claimed the SA State Title in the two years he entered. Following these I claimed both an Australasian Title and then an Oceanic Title, all at the A Grade level.

 

BALLROOM & LATIN... AMERICAN OR INTERNATIONAL?

While teaching American Ballroom & Latin, I introduced my students to broader and more expressive dance lines and arm styling that is part of International and Competitive dance styles. I found that this allowed students to feel more accomplished, as even beginner dance steps can be styled to make a dancer feel like their whole body is part of their steps rather than just their feet! It also allowed students to express their musicality while dancing, using their entire bodies in different ways for different songs so that the same dance step could be expressed in many ways.

 

WEDDING DANCE COUPLES

Combining relaxed social styling with the techniques and body lines of competitive styling, I have found that this combination works incredibly well for Wedding Couples. My key ideal for Wedding Couples is to "fit the dance steps to the student, rather than fitting the student to the dance steps".  Working with a student's natural body movement means students are more comfortable with the steps in their Wedding Dance, and will remember and perform their special dance on their Wedding Day to the best of their ability... and with the most fun!

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SALSA & BACHATA

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During my 20's in Adelaide, I joined local salsa groups and started my Salsa journey, learning both a more traditional Cuban Salsa, as well as a showier style called LA Salsa. Finding both styles to be fun and to have their own merits, I now dance socially with a blend of both styles.  Continuing my Salsa journey in Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane, I also began to expand my street style Latin dances to include Bachata.

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ARGENTINE TANGO

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While in Adelaide I began to learn Argentine Tango, and revisited it again in my 30's in Perth. The quickness and responsiveness of the lead and follow aspect of this dance were incredibly helpful with learning new leg lines and flourishes, as well as introducting a different style of body movement when interpreting music.

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WEST COAST SWING

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Around 10 years ago in Brisbane, I started to explore the world of West Coast Swing... and found another favourite dance to add to my repertoire!  Danced to a wide range of music, from 1940's big band blues to music you hear currently on the radio, West Coast Swing is incredibly flexible and has a dance musicality unlike any other style of dance. You can even inject other styles of dance into the West Coast Swing framework, with many younger dancers incorporating Hip Hop styling, and some dancers incorporating Contemporary and even Argentine Tango!

 

DEGENDERING... THE FIRST MALE FOLLOWER
 

At Best of the Best in 2015, a West Coast Swing competition event held in September every year, I persuaded the organiser to change the rules to allow degendering... becoming the first male follower to compete in West Coast Swing in Australia. Since then, all WCS competitions have allowed dancers to compete in whichever role they wish, and opening the dance community to more dance possibilities. Being able to degender and dance both roles has proven to be incredibly helpful in understanding each role of a partnership. Understanding what the other person is feeling from your lead and follow, and how to respond in a better way to create a more communicative connection within a dance partnership only serves to make you a better dancer!

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JUST DANCE!

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My current passion with dance is to share it with as many people as possible! There are so many positive aspects to dance: exercise and the release of 'feel good' endorphins, being social and meeting new people, keeping active in both mind and body, finding a creative outlet, setting and striving toward goals, and the most important of all dance is just plain fun! Join me in a Group Class to learn steps, book a Private Lesson to learn technique, or book a Wedding Package to have your Wedding Dance choreographed and tailored just for you.

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