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Brenda is living her childhood dream as a professional dancer and teacher.
She travels across the country bringing her passion for vernacular partner dancing to people of all ages.
Whether it's Hustle for middle-school kids or octogenarians dancing the Balboa, everyone walks away a better,
more inspired dancer. Her unique teaching style incorporates a focus on individual movement and body
control with solid partnering techniques. Today Brenda conducts workshops, group classes, performance coaching,
and private lessons in Salsa, Lindy Hop, Balboa, Blues, and West Coast Swing. Check out her website at
www.dancemode.com.
For private instruction rates and availability, please e-mail
Brenda. Heidi Fite (San Francisco, CA)
Heidi began dancing and teaching Lindy Hop and Blues with Charlie Fuller in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1999
and has been dancing, teaching, and performing ever since. She now lives in San Francisco, California,
where she teaches weekly Lindy Hop classes with Manu Smith at the 9:20 Special
and weekly Blues classes with Damon Stone at Roots. On weekends, she travels to various cities to teach workshops and organize
events such as Cheap Thrills and bluesSHOUT! Admired for her clear explanation of fundamentals, Heidi brings to all her classes
and workshops not only a focus on solid techniques, but more important, a love of dance and a dedication to
the learning process. For more information about Heidi, check her out at
www.blues-dance.com.
For private instruction rates and availability, please e-mail
Heidi.Ria Debiase (Sacramento, CA)
Ria has studied Historical Jazz, Lindy Hop, Blues, Ballet, Gymnastics and Hip Hop.
Her dancing style is energetic and musical, and she is comfortable being playful and funky as well as
"busting it old school". Ria's teaching style is clear and concise and she can break down complicated
moves and concepts so they are easily understandable. She specializes in teaching the basics,
communication through lead/follow technique, and connection. Despite a healthy competitive attitude
and mantle full of local, regional, national and world championship trophies, Ria's first love is
social aspects of vernacular jazz and blues dances. Check out her web site at
www.riadebiase.com. Please contact Ria
directly for private lessons.
Tina Davis (Dallas, TX)
Tina has been dancing Swing, Lindy Hop and Blues since 1999, getting caught up in the resurgence of Swing
Dancing thanks to those crazy Gap ads. Since then she's been dancing up a storm, fitting in a growing love
for West Coast Swing, Argentine Tango and Ballroom Dance with all that swingin'. Tina is continuing her love
affair with dance by teaching and spreading her love of Blues dance across the land. She has organized
and/or taught at several Blues dance workshops in Austin and Dallas, and at national events like Austin
Blues Party, Blues Boot Camp (Dallas) and ReEnter the Blues (Atlanta). Tina likes to emphasize to students
sound fundamentals, the basics of rhythm, and love of the music. But most of all, dancing has just got to
be fun. For more info on what Tina's up to, check out her web site at:
www.sweettproductions.com.
For private
lessons, please contact Tina directly.
Charlie Fuller (Cincinnati, OH, formerly St. Louis, MO)
Charlie began dancing and teaching in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1999. After being cajoled into teaching a weekend workshop at Truman State University in the summer of 2001, he has been teaching weekend workshops both regionally and nationally ever since. Often cited for his quick wit and humorous examples in classes, Charlie presents fundamental concepts in a practical and knowledgeable way, and he brings to his classes and workshops a focus on solid techniques and a dedication to the learning process. He has played a leading role in the organization of Cheap Thrills, bluesSHOUT!, and The Blues Dance Project. Charlie now lives in Cincinnati and teaches Blues dance both locally and nationally, continuing to develop his unique style of Blues dance by incorporating ideas from the original forms of the dance, while giving special attention to modern methods of partner connection and musical interpretation. For private instruction rates and availability,
please e-mail Charlie.
Damon Stone (San Francisco, CA)
Damon has been dancing his entire life. Starting with vernacular Jazz/Blues he went on to Hip-Hop, and eventually studied well over a dozen different dance forms until coming full circle in 1995 to focus primarily on the history and styles of Swing and Blues. He has taught dance extensively on both coasts, and studied the development of vernacular Jazz/Blues dance regionally and nationally, traveling to New York, Chicago, Memphis, Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, St. Louis, and New Orleans. He has been interviewed as a Black dance historian in documentary and for radio. Damon has been a featured instructor at numerous swing camps and jazz festivals and workshops and camps across the U.S. and Canada. He is a member of the California Historical Jazz Dance Foundation, and a Director of the Northern California Lindy Society. For privates with Damon, please e-mail him directly for times and availability.
Don West (Dallas, TX)
Don West has been dancing since 1997 and teaching since 2000 in Dallas. He's been in a number of dance
troupes including Smiley's Lindy Hoppers, Uptown Swing and began his own troupe called the Madcap Maniacs
and is now the creative director for the ACME Swing Company. He was also the 2000 American Lindy Hop Jack
and Jill Champion in Connecticut as well as first place winner in several local competitions in Austin and
Houston. Don's teaching style focuses on technique and communication in social dancing, and wants nothing
more than to share his love of the dance with you and for you to enjoy yourself on the dance floor. For
private lessons, please contact Don
directly.
Topher Howard (Seattle, WA)
Topher began dancing with his grandmother in her kitchen and has been studying
and teaching Blues dancing since 2000. His passion for moving with spirit
has inspired him to study a variety of dances which he incorporates into
his personal Blues. Every dance is a conversation and in every conversation
he hopes to dance to the edge of the possible. He seeks to inspire his partners
and his classes to expand boundaries and breathe themeselves into the movment
and the dance. He brings clear comunication of his movement material and
unrivaled enthusiasm to his classes. He lives in Seattle where he makes
his living teaching and writing poetry. For private lesson rates and availability,
please contact Topher directly.