NWDance • Creating Community One Step at a Time

Youth Dance Program

DANCE IT!, NW Dance's youth dance program*, offers free swing dancing lessons at local high schools. Teenagers can learn the basic elements of energetic swing dancing and share the joy of learning how to partner dance. To date, we have taught over 1,000 teenagers the joys and benefits of social dance.

	FREE tote bag (great for dance shoes) with any donation $25 or more. Your contributions are tax deductible and will help us continue this wonderful program.

*sponsored by Northwest Dance Network.
NW Dance is a nonprofit organization creating and supporting community through dance.

Our Program Includes

Four weeks of FREE swing dance lessons
Free swing dance demonstration
Continuing lessons at a reasonable price
Pre-dance workshops

Here are just a few of our professional instructors:

Mark Kihara, energetic swing and Lindy teacher at the Century Ballroom: "Swing is a celebration of life. Let's Dance!"

Mark Kihara is well known for bringing incredible passion and enthusiasm to his dancing and instruction. Mark shares his joy for swing dancing on the social dance floor, the performance stage, and in all of his classes. Never passive, always energetic, Mark loves swing dancing.

Mark has trained under some of the legends of lindy hop, and danced in over ten countries. He has won or placed in numerous local, regional, and national competitions. Additionally, he has also served as the Master of Ceremonies for various local, national, and international dance events.

Just don't ask him to sing.

More information at SwingJamProductions.com
Lizzy Boyer, Swing dance, performer, musician and DJ: Lizzy has been swing dancing since 2005, and started teaching and performing in 2006. She likes to make sure that people bring a lot away from her classes, as well as having a great time. Below is a list of some of the places she's taught or done shows at:

More information at LizzyBoyer.com
Michelle Badion, mistress of swing, salsa, tango and Latin dancing: Michelle has been dancing her entire life, beginning with classical ballet, and has taught partner dancing full-time since 1990. She specializes in Argentine Tango, Salsa, and West Coast swing.

Michelle discovered Argentine Tango in 1993 and it was love at first sight. She knew this was her dance. She has performed and taught with Carlos Gavito, Fabian Salas, Manuel Ortiz, Daniel Lapendula and many others. She has spent over 15 weeks in Argentina studying from the best and continues her education here by attending tango festivals and taking private lessons from the traveling instructors. She is also a prolific producer of Tango performances, and has brought stage shows (5) and cabarets (14 to date) to Seattle, Portland, Tacoma, and Hawaii.

Evan and Michelle have been dancing, teaching, and performing Tango in Seattle since 1996, and travel frequently to Argentina and other Tango communities throughout the world in pursuit of their shared obsession. Together, they have taught and performed alongside the world's finest Tango artists, including teaching at international events such as Buenos Aires in Las Vegas (with Julio and Corina, Chicho and Lucia, El Pulpo and Louisa, Nito and Elba, Gavito and Marcela and others), and have been featured in cabarets and traveling stage shows such as Tango Nights, Tangoretro and Tangoing (with Fernanda and Guillermo, Carolina and Diego, Armando and Daniella, El Indio and Marianna, Patricio and Eva, Fabian and Carolina and many others).

Michelle also loves Salsa. She has taught, performed and judged at many of the Salsa congresses in the US and has taught and performed with Alex DeSilva, Enio Cordaba, Jose Negela and may others. Michelle was one of the first people to teach salsa in Seattle and is still dancing and teaching many nights of the week.

West Coast Swing is a great dance for Michelle. She one the Washington State West Coast Swing Championship in 1995, but prefers teaching and dancing to competition. She is well known in the North West as a fun, creative and well connected follow with solid technique. She has taught workshops in Washington, California, Oregon, New York, Chicago, Hawaii, and Europe.

Although she is a well known performer Michelle's greatest gift is her ability to teach others to dance. She makes her classes fun and accessible by giving clear, concise instruction. She cares about every one of her students and it's impossible for them not to feel her enthusiasm. Michelle strives to help her students grasp the endless beauty, sensuality, excitement, fun, strength, and passion of dancing with another.

More informaton at MichelleBadion.com

For more information on the Dance It! program click:
• here for students
• here for school faculty and donors

Telephone: 206-546-9088

Email: info@dance-it.com

Dance It! 2009 • Swing Class

Swing class with Mark Kihara at Shorewood High School

Testimonials

"Learning to swing dance was a great life decision-not only has it turned into a source for entertainment, but it has been great exercise and has provided fantastic social opportunities-and it was the Dance It! program that made this possible."

- Chase

"Learning to swing and salsa at school was so much fun. The Dance It! teachers are professional and energetic. Now that I've learned the basics I feel confident going out to dance in Seattle and want to learn more."

- Ilse