Yoshi started dancing WCS during the pandemic. He came to dance with little-to-no dance or musical background from childhood and a severe broken back injury that prevented him from using his body for many years. He’s had to work incredibly hard to learn to hear things like up/down beats in music or to readjust his posture to a healthy and positive frame. He brings the empathy and experience for those who start late and with limited training and talent – and must earn dance skills with persistence and tenacity.

Kerim began his dance journey when an exchange student at his High School showed off an underarm then with a mutual friend. His mind was absolutely blown away that a dance could be more than just jumping up and down with a fist in the air. When he moved to Boston from California, he knew it was time to dust off my dance shoes after his 3-year gap post-graduation from the USC Ballroom dance team. He initially started dancing with the Dancing Fools until he met Anne Fleming and the Dance Boston community where he started to find community.

As far as Kerim can imagine, he thinks he’ll be a westie for life. He loves the range of music, creatively and comedic moments that come with every new dance. However, above all else, he loves the community. Every time he connects on the dance floor, he feels like he *knows* his partner, but then he learns more about their lives and is blown away by their drive and passion for life. Balancing their family life, careers, personal life and dance is not something for the faint of heart. But then again, the people in this community embrace most people’s greatest fears on a daily basis. Everyone who sticks around is either stubborn, crazy or both. 

His kind of people! Kerim has experiences in Ten Dances in Ballroom, Argentine Tango, and Blues/Fusion. Outside of dance, he is also experienced in Air Force Enlisted, Cybersecurity, Prosthetics Engineering/Embedded Devices, and IT infrastructure.

Saya began dancing at age 4 – in many dance forms starting from ballet, modern jazz, musical theater. She found her love for Hip-Hop when she was 11 and then Ballroom later (American smooth/rhythm). She discovered West Coast Swing in 2013, attending BTP without even knowing any basics. 

Born in Tokyo, moved to Munich at age 11, and to the U.S. at age 19. She fell in love with WCS because of the uniqueness of being able to combine partner dancing and solo dancing. Saya has been fortunate enough to be trained by many top champions all over the world and continues to work harder. She wants to give back to the community by sharing her love and knowledge. Saya is quick to adjust and adapt to different ways each student learns. She can be tough but is always honest and will push you to continue to strive for the next level.

Her favorite thing to say about WCS is “When you dance WCS, be present, focus on yourself, the partnership, and the music because it cannot be recreated again”

Roberto began dancing at age 8 and has been dancing many dance forms such as hip hop, line dancing, and ballroom. He fell in love with WCS almost 15 years ago. He is highly regarded for his smoothness, musicality, and isolations. He loves being able to create with his partners and incorporate his solo dancing background. Roberto is compassionate and hears all the micro musicality. He is the frame in the partner dancing and understands how to be there for his partner.

Lindsey has been dancing West Coast Swing since 2016, but her foundation is in solo dance, having been a member of an accomplished competition company through middle and high school. She went on to perform and choreograph pieces for her college dance company and perform in shows as a professional dancer. As a body mechanics nerd, Lindsey loves the physics and possibilities that West Coast Swing provides a very cool container for, and this informs the way she teaches both group classes and private lessons.

Dani is an All-Star West Coast Swing dancer and educator who began dancing at the age of three, falling in love with ballet and as a child and through college. As an adult, she explored salsa and dabbled in ballroom and even taught ballet in her early years. In 2011, she discovered West Coast Swing and never looked back. What drew Dani to West Coast Swing was the freedom that exists within the structure: the ability to interpret music in real time and have a conversation with a partner. It offered a level of creative expression she hadn’t experienced in her previous dance training, blending technique, musicality, and connection in a way that felt both grounded and limitless.

Dani loves teaching fundamentals, connection, and musical expression while keeping classes engaging, approachable, and fun. Laughter is encouraged, curiosity is welcome, and joy is non-negotiable.

At events, you’ll often find Dani on the contest or registration teams, teaching, judging, or emceeing…sometimes a combination of those in the same weekend. Outside of dance, she’s the founder of Dani D. Consulting, where she works as a business and strategic coach for creative entrepreneurs. When she’s not dancing or working, she’s spending time with her husband, two kids, and her dog, Rudy.

Jessie and Leo are passionate West Coast Swing dancers who bring a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to their weekly classes. Jessie began her West Coast Swing journey in 2005 with the Caltech Ballroom Club, while Leo discovered the dance in 2015 through a local ballroom studio and never looked back. They met in Montreal in 2018 through JT Swing Teams and have been dancing together ever since. 

Recently married, Jessie and Leo are currently competing their third Rising Star routine together on the national WCS circuit. As active competitors and travelers deeply immersed in the national West Coast Swing scene, they love the dance for its casual feel, creativity, partnership, and the vibrant community it fosters worldwide.

Eliot started WCS in college to fulfill a PE requirement, and now nearly ten years later it’s safe to say that it stuck with him. Since then, I’ve danced International Ballroom and Latin, but Eliot always comes back to swing. His favorite thing about WCS is the community built around it, and the opportunity it gives people to connect and create with so many interesting people. Eliot also loves introducing people to an amazing hobby through teaching! He is Looking forward to dancing with all of you.

While pursuing a degree in computer science, Rohit wanted to explore something more creative. Rohit joined Texas Ballroom and took a social dance class, both which introduced him to West Coast Swing. He distinctly remembers watching a demo of WCS to “Bloodstream” by Ed Sheeran, and from that point he was hooked. In 2018 he moved to Boston right across the street from the now former Dancing Fools, and the rest is history. What Rohit loves about this dance is the ability to flow and create shapes to different parts of the music. He especially enjoys creating powerful moments with a partner or just being a goofball to dance with. Rohit loves being able to help everyone! In his day-to-day life, he mentors software engineers and helps them build skills for their roles. He aims to do the same for this dance!

Renee is an avid West Coast Swing dancer & Lindy hopper based in Boston. Dance has always been central to Renee’s life. After growing up in the rhythmic, athletic world of Irish Step dancing, she was deeply drawn to swing because it combined the rhythm and athleticism she loved with playful partnership and improvisation.

Renee started in Lindy Hop, which brought her to her first Boston Tea Party in 2015. There, she discovered and was immediately enticed by the parallel universe of WCS. Renee went on to train her WCS dancing, teaching, competing, and performing with Kristen Shaw, and helped grow the WCS scene in New Haven, CT, for 7 years.

Renee loves helping students tap into their unique creativity and expression within the partnership. She is happiest when she comes off the floor feeling like a social dance flowed like a great conversation.

With over 25 years in dancing and deejaying, Cuddy is practically a walking relic of the Boston West Coast Swing scene. Traveling the country back in the day to deejay at events, he enjoys the blissful chaos of coordinating competition music and social dancing—because who doesn’t want to spend weekends surrounded by great people and loud beats? With a unique mixture of skill and sarcasm, Cuddy ensures that every performance is not just another gig but a thrilling rollercoaster of audible experiences and yes, a few eye-rolls. Get ready for the beats—because life’s too short for boring playlists! When Cuddy is not dancing you will find him in the woods, on the water or playing a prank on some unlucky sole!

Abby originally fell in love with west coast swing in Minnesota, but it was in Boston that she dove into the social and competitive lifestyle headfirst! As a young girl, Abby was known for making a mix CD for any occasion, so it made perfect sense for her to transition from dancer to DJ. Abby utilizes her scientific background and analytical prowess to bring the dancers on a journey of genres, tempos, and moods, with a variety of music that will get everyone on the floor!

Maria started dancing at the age of ten with ballet and continued to various styles on her high school dance team (hip-hop, kick, contemporary, modern, jazz). She fell in love with WCS in 2015 when Neal Klein introduced it to her at Lesley University and has continued her dance journey on Wednesday nights. She began DJing in 2019 and has so much fun curating vibes for the Boston community. She is always looking for new music and you can usually catch her playing fun afrobeats, pop hits, late-night gooey tracks, and what is buzzing on the circuit. When she’s not dancing, she’s a proud dog mom, taking heated classes, and a licensed clinical social worker.

Danielle started her West Coast Swing journey in 2011 with Neal Klein at Lesley University. She started teaching WCS as a teacher’s assistant in that very same class at Lesley in 2012 and has been a proud supporter of Wednesday night’s her first time out in the wild. Since beginning DJing in 2021, she loves curating groovy, feel-good sets. Her goal is always to play music she would want to dance to so a set will usually feature fresh finds from travels to weekend dance events, late-night vibes, T-Pain favorites, classic funk, and nostalgic throwbacks. This mix usually keeps her wiggling in the booth and doing a little karaoke (with the mic turned off of course). When she’s not dancing, she’s a proud cat mom and athlete coaching volleyball, skiing, snowboarding, and attempting to teach science to middle schoolers.

Joe credits his father for instilling a love of both sports and dance into him, and now he is passionate about sharing that love with the next generation of dancers. When he’s not dancing or cheering on the Red Sox, Joe travels the globe for his company.

Joe (Papa-Joe) has been hanging around bars line dancing and country two-stepping since his teens. Over the years, Joe has become an integral part of the west coast swing community as a DJ, Instructor and event organizer. Joe travels around the country as a DJ at National West Coast Swing events such as Countdown Boston, Liberty Swing, MadJam, Tampa Classic, Montreal, Summer Hummer and more. Joe is the co-founder of The Dancing Fools, Boston Westie and Dirty Water West Coast Swing.

As most of you know Joe brings experience as a DJ at national events!! However, he also has a few years of experience teaching workshops and judging competitions. He is currently hired to participate in a range of events where he offers these services.

Kristen has been dancing since age 3, with training in ballet, tap, jazz and pointe. In college, she discovered Lindy Hop and began her journey in West Coast Swing.

Kristen enjoys contributing to the community through teaching, event organization, deejaying and more, both locally and nationally. She runs both Countdown Swing Boston and Summer Hummer.