About Our Swing Dance Community

The North Shore of Massachusetts was once home to one of the most active West Coast Swing communities in the New England area. Seaside Swing conducted dance classes and a dance in the middle of every week, with a monthly dance held on the fourth Saturday.

When Larry and Heidi Mongeau retired in 2013, they passed the torch of their Seaside Swing monthly dance to Eric Cudmore, a long-time student, patron, dance competitor, and friend.  Joe Mahoney and Eric continue running this dance, held every fourth Saturday at the Wakefield Knights of Columbus. The monthly dance sponsor is known as Boston Westie.

Now, back again after a 10+ year hiatus, weekly West Coast Swing lessons and dancing return to the North Shore!

Every Thursday night, Saya Suzaki and Roberto Corporan host a unique mix of lessons, practice, and a dance party known as Waterside Westies.

Waterside Westies debuted in April 2024 with the aim of having the North Shore once again become a hub for swing dancing. The Knights of Columbus was chosen as the venue for its quick access to the highway and Boston, spacious wood dance floor, and ample off-street parking.

After establishing Wakefield as homebase and their initial nurturing of this growing WCS community, founders Eric and Joe passed on the Waterside Westies torch to Saya Suzaki and Roberto Corporan in December 2025. With an accomplished 10+ year background in WCS competition and teaching, Saya and Roberto hit the ground running with an innovative program that enables dancers to learn, improve,  gain confidence, and have fun. 

The Waterside Westies mission is to provide a comfortable and fun environment for dancers of all levels to focus on the technical aspects of West Coast Swing. Rather than conducting pattern-based classes, Saya and Roberto’s teaching approach is to go beyond 6-count/8-count basics and connection, to explain and drill advanced techniques required to master the dance.

Waterside Westies also offers a unique space for dancers to practice! From 8:15 PM to 9 PM, westies have a choice of taking the second workshop or partnering with others on the portion of floor dedicated as practice space.

We hope you drop in and check us out some Thursday night as we continue building a vibrant dance community. We welcome dancers of all levels to a safe and respectul space to learn, improve, connect, and groove to the rhythm of West Coast Swing.