We all start somewhere.

My West Coast Swing journey, like so many others, has been influenced by hundreds of people in the WCS community.

Regular weekly classes, social dances, events, performances and our WCS relationships with other dancers take us on a personal journey of growth.

This is my journey in WCS. It’s a record for transparancy in the community more than anything else. But it’s also nice to look back and remind myself of the all the cool things that have happened since I discovered WCS.

Timeline

July 5, 2020

First Class

I had taken some Salsa lessons with Dance Amanda but the music didn’t make me want to get up and dance. Amanda recommended WCS and once I watched this video, I was hooked.

Oct 6, 2020

Keep Growing

Keen to learn more and get better at WCS, Amanda recommended I attend Magnetic Dance classes on Tuesday nights – mainly with the benefit of more social dancing to put into practise what I was learning.

Apr 8, 2021

First Private Lesson

I didn’t know it at the time, but my first private lesson with Amanda Nullmeyers was the beginning of a great working relationship. Amanda has been instrumental in my growth to this day.

Jun 4 , 2021

First Event – Swingsation

I decided to join the MD crew and travel to my first WCS event – Swingsation.
Results:
1st in Newcomer Jack and Jill
2nd in Novice Jack and Jill

Sep 18, 2021

First ProAm – Training Begins

One of my dance friends, Alan Moody, convinced me to do a ProAm with Kim from Magnetic Dance. We chose our song and began working on Choreo this day.

Sept 22, 2021

Accelerated Growth

After Swingsation I decided to commit some more time to learning WCS. So I added a third weekly class at JRDA’s with Juan and Stephanie. This also gave me more time to train and dance with Courtney who had become a frequent practise partner and a future Strictly partner.

Nov 19, 2021

Simply Adelaide

Performed my first ProAm with Kim – oh boy… the nerves! But it was awesome and the audience was so terrific – they cheered and clapped so loud it was difficult to hear the music! Kim was also 4 months pregnant and was a champion to continue to train and perform like she did.
Results:
2nd Novice J&J with Jane
2nd Novice Strictly with Courtney

Apr 25, 2022

Second ProAm – Training Begins

With Kim having her first child she was unable to train and perform a new routine. Amanda and I discussed the possibility and both agreed it would be cool to learn a choreo and we were fortunate to have the routine created by Jakub and Emeline.

Sep 22, 2022

Best of the Best

Performed our ‘Intrigued’ routine in my first and only ProAm competition, and won! The adrenaline was very real 🙂
Results:
1st in ProAm with Amanda
1st in Sophisticated J&J with Amanda
1st in Novice Strictly with Courtney
5th in Novice J&J with Alessandra

Nov 4, 2022

Simply Adelaide

This was the first time I’d returned to an event. It’s so much better the second time! Getting to know the other dancers better and continuing to build relationships with them all is half the fun. Amanda and I got to perform our winning routine again and this time, it was flawless.
Results:
1st in Novice Strictly with Courtney
3rd in Masters J&J with Marsha
5th in Novice J&J with Janice

Feb 10, 2023

WesterOz

This will always be a special event as I graduated into the Intermediate Division.
Lots of highlights, drawing David in J&J and coming 1st plus dancing a spotlight with Emma Collyer in the invitational was amazing.
Results:
1st in Novice J&J with David

Apr 20, 2023

Asia Open 10th Anniversary

AOWCS was my first international event and it was a blast – plus I got to meet two of my favourite WCS Legends, Semion and Maria. My choice to go to AO was to meet Semion and Maria plus have private lessons with them. They also made time to review our ProAm (which they choreographed for us) which we were to perform in 3 weeks time. The final adjustments we made as a result of their input took it to the next level. They are two of the kindest people in the WCS community and amazing teachers.

May 12, 2023

Swingsation

Amanda and I performed a new ProAm routine ‘Sucker’. We only had one event to perform this routine as Amanda decided to take time off from events so she could travel the world with her fiancé. Fortunately we performed at our best and were really happy with the outcome. My focus at AO and Swingsation was all about this routine, so the competitions took a back seat.
Results:
9th in Intermediate Strictly with Courtney
Alt in Intermediate J&J

Oct 27, 2023

Simply Adelaide

The decision to focus on competition and social dancing (little to no workshops) at this event gave me a very different experience. With no more routines to train, I spent 12 weeks focusing on getting ready for competitions… and it worked.
Results:
2nd in Intermediate J&J with David
1st in Masters J&J with Sharon

May 11, 2024

Swingsation

I was lucky to make it to Swingsation this year – due to a change with family reunion dates. Confirmed my tickets & flights 2 weeks out, so no real preparation or training. Very happy to make finals in the J&J comp and got paired with Sol who I had never met before. I had a lot of fun in the Strictly comps with someone I hadn’t met before also and even though we didn’t make finals, we were happy with our Alternate ranking.
Results:
10th in Intermediate J&J with Sol
Alternates in Intermediate Strictly with Lauren