Instructors
Guy Caridi has been dancing since 1988, performing and choreographing since 1991, and teaching since 1993. He has taught and performed internationally and is well known for his respectful, sensitive, and humorous teaching style. Guy is a founding member of Seattle’s Savoy Swing Club; He and his frequent dance partner, Nancy Fry, were the first couple from the Pacific Northwest to teach Lindy Hop and Balboa. He continues as the artistic director of the Savoy Swing Club Performance Troupe. In 1999, Guy and Nancy took home trophies in the Lindy Hop and Team divisions at the U.S. Open Swing Dance Championships in southern California. In total, four of five routines choreographed by Guy were place-winners. Guy has produced many noteworthy dance events and shows in Seattle, including What Is This Thing Called Swing? with The Rhythm Hot Shots from Sweden; Swingin’ Then, Swingin’ Now! with the legendary Norma Miller; and the annual Pacific Northwest Lindy Hop Championships (1999-2006). Guy’s choreography credits for local theaters and schools include Oklahoma!; Wizard of Oz; The Music Man; Oliver!; Peter Pan; Beauty and the Beast; Seussical, the Musical; The Sound of Music; Godspell; Into the Woods; Fiddler on the Roof; Mary Poppins; and Newsies! He also choreographed and was a featured dancer in the 2012 film Camilla Dickinson.
Scot began dancing on the country circuit in 2004, and fast became one of the most sought-after leads on the dance floor. He began dancing West Coast Swing in 2008 and started sharing his love of the dance through teaching in 2014. As a past president of the Seattle Swing Dance Club and current VP, he continues to grow the West Coast Swing community with outreach programs geared toward new dancers.
Wren’s extensive training began early with a childhood of competitive gymnastics. After gymnastics, she devoted herself to various forms of dance before falling in love with West Coast Swing. She dances, teaches, competes, and judges at local, national, and international locations. As a member and former officer of the Seattle Swing Dance Club, she helps to foster the local WCS community through social dancing spreading her passion for West Coast Swing to a growing community of dancers.
Former shortstop Dean Paton abandoned the baseball diamond for the dance hall in 1994, and fell so hopelessly in love with waltz that he founded the Valse Cafe Orchestra, an award-winning ensemble committed to the art of playing music for dancers. Dean loves the traveling dances and his passion is teaching the original Viennese waltz, which some like to call rotary or turning waltz. Since 2007 he has taught at the Century Ballroom, where he produces a fourth Sunday live-music dance called the Waltz Café as well as an outlandish Masquerade Ball each January. Dean is the Dance Manager for NW Dance and manages the 1st & 3rd Saturday Night Live Dances at the Leif Lodge in Ballard.
Michelle is one of Seattle’s most experienced dance teachers, having taught full time in Seattle for over thirty years. She was Seattle’s first Salsa teacher and third Argentine Tango Teacher. She was also part of Seattle’s second wave of good West Coast Swing teachers, and taught ballroom dance at the Washington Dance Club. Michelle loves to dance and totally believes that social dancing enhances every person’s life. What truly sets her apart and makes her one of the most sought–after teachers in Seattle are some of the following characteristics:
Lilli Ann Carey began partner dancing with Living Traditions in the 1990s and then went on to teach for them for several years before leaving to start her own company, Dance for Joy! Lilli Ann loves to dance almost anything, but focuses her teaching on waltz, West and East Coast swing, Zydeco, foxtrot, one-step, blues, fusion, and a few vintage dance forms.
Claire began learning swing dance at the age of seven in 1998, and began teaching partner dance in 2008. She discovered her passion for West Coast Swing in 2010, where she has achieved multiple first placements, and competed in the All Star division.
Lara Diniz, from Niterói in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, learned how to dance and teach Forró while she attended university in São José dos Campos in São Paulo, Brazil.
After arriving in Seattle, she hoped to fine tune her proficiency in Forró by taking additional lessons, only to discover the absence of any Forró instruction! Thus began her journey to become Seattle’s first and foremost Forró instructor.
Lara continues to study other Brazilian social dances such as Samba de Gafieira, Bolero, and Brazilian Zouk, but her favorite is, and always will be, Forró.
Lara is fluid in both the lead and follow roles. She continues to dance and teach at Forró festivals around the United States.
Joe Ferreria is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and a dance instructor, choreographer, and performer, with 25 years of expertise, 15 of those years performing and teaching social dances, including Argentine Tango. In the tango scene, Joe has been taught by several legendary tango masters, and he has his proper method of teaching, always looking for the student’s progress. Joe is full of energy and likes to share this energy with everyone in the room, he believes that if everybody does the same action at the same time, the energy become one.
Margot is a Consulting Teacher and Art Specialist at Chrysalis School in Woodinville. Known for her exuberance on the dance floor, Margot is a devoted social dancer and member of the Savoy Swing Performance Troupe. She earned a BA in Elementary Education and Visual Art from the University of Washington. Margot is passionate about helping to heal planet earth in every possible way. Spending time with family and friends, especially their charming granddaughter Isla, fills her with joy.
Mark is the Director of Facilities at Meridian School in Seattle. He is a long-time member of the Savoy Swing Performance Troupe. When social dancing, if his partner is smiling, he knows he's "doing it right". Mark holds a BA in visual art from the University of New Mexico, and is a talented painter and stained glass craftsman. He and Margot have been happily married for more than 3 decades. He absolutely loves their expanding family, with a new grandchild on the way.
Jodi loves people, loves teaching, loves seeing people grow in confidence & friendship - shazaam- her deep love of sharing dance & joy on the dance floor! African dance & performance paved the way for lindy hop... And it was love at first swivel! A lindy champion, Jodi had the great honor of partnering & performing with the legendary Frankie Manning & other lindy greats, traveling & teaching internationally before she hip-jiggled into the world of Latin dances. Studies in Cuba & Puerto Rico inform her teaching of Salsa & Bachata. Next came a Love affair with the smooth dances - Waltz, Foxtrot, Rumba & Nightclub-2stp. Cajun & zydeco too -- awwwwyeeeee! Et toi! As a painter, choreography combines color & line with her love of movement & music. Jodi has created over 30 pieces for performing groups, theater, festivals, events & innumerable wedding couple dances! As a former professional baker, she burns everything--Hence, a career in dance. An enthusiastic and playful teacher, Jodi loves sharing the magic that dance brings to one's life!
Ari is well-known for his fun, energetic, and delightful classes that can't help but inspire students with a love and passion for dance. He has been teaching and performing nationally, and internationally for over 25 years; He is the co-founder and director of "Waltz Week in Vienna", “Snowflake Blues (Vienna)”, "Mexico Dance Week", “New Zealand Dance Adventure", "Harrison Hot Spring Dance & Spa Retreat", and “Waltz Fest NW”, and is one of this country's leading innovators and instructors in the areas of night club 2-step, cross-step waltz and connection, "fusion" blues, waltz, swing, and Latin.
When not dancing, Ari is a physician on faculty at Singularity University's prestigious "Exponential Medicine", and is a pioneer in the burgeoning field of "Experiential Wellness" which, among other things, uses dance movement, technique, and connection as a modality for diagnosing and treating patients.
You can learn more about Ari at www.rolluptherug.com, or www.waltzweekinvienna.com.
Lila Faria is a Seattle-based blues dance instructor and organizer with over a decade of experience dancing across the U.S., Canada, and Europe. She began her movement training as an ice skater in 2004, but transitioned to blues dancing in 2014. Her work incorporates elements from her bachelor’s degree in alternative education (NYU) as well as from her time working with Montessori schools, non-violent communication, CMX community building, positive discipline and more. Through her pedagogy, she hopes to provide her students with informative dance history while simultaneously empowering them to be their true, authentic selves.
Dillon has been partner dancing since 2007 when his friends bribed him to attend Swing dance classes with cookies, and has been teaching since 2009. He started dancing Blues in 2010 as a way to better understand connection and closeness within partner dance. He fell in love with the way two partners in a Blues dance can feel like a single form, but still retain so much individual agency and expression. As a teacher, Dillon tries to understand dance both from a cultural and historical lens, and as a means of artistic co-creation and connection. His chief joys in teaching are discussing and experiencing dance theory, and helping others find what they love about dance.
Ron Bolin also known as The Dancin' DJ, has been well-known to dancers throughout Puget Sound for many decades. He has been dancing since 1980, teaching since 1986, and DJing since 1990.
Ron started by learning Hustle from Jay and Lynn Offutt and was hooked, dancing Hustle most every Sunday throughout the 80's. Along the way, he added West Coast Swing, Jitterbug, Rumba, Cha Cha and Waltz to his repertoire of dances.
Ron began his teaching career by teaching private lessons in his home. Beginning in 1990 and continuing for many years, Ron taught classes at the Phinney Neighborhood Center. He also taught dance at various locations in Kirkland, Mercer Island, and more.
Ron sees himself as a social dancer as opposed to a competitive dancer, so his unique teaching style may differ from that of a competitive dance studio. He enjoys working with Northwest Dance Network because they encourage a variety of approaches towards dance.
Board
Karen finds her greatest joy on the dance floor and has been an active NDN volunteer and frequent attendee of NDN classes, workshops, and dances for several years. She began social dancing as a Lindy Hopper in 2015 and has been adding as many dances to her repertoire as she can. Karen learned about NDN while chatting with some fellow dancers during the break at a waltz workshop, and she immediately put NDN’s Seabeck Dance Camp on her to-do list. When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down dance venues, Karen kept engaged with NDN’s Zoom classes and knew she had found an incredibly special dance community bound by fellowship, love of dancing, and commitment to maintaining a thriving social dance scene in Seattle. In 2022 and 2023, Karen was finally able to attend Seabeck Dance Camp, and now she is eager to do her part to continue NDN’s mission to inspire the art and joy of non-competitive social dance by joining the NDN Board.
When she is not on the dance floor, Karen can usually be found behind her computer with a mug of coffee, working on building information models or researching building codes as a licensed architect. She also brings to the Board her experience as a former attorney and previous member of the Board of Directors for the Washington Appellate Project public defender agency.
Bev served as an NW Dance Network Board member from 2011 through 2018, including four years as President. She served as a consultant to the Board during 2019 and returned as a Board member in 2020. Bev started dancing in 1998, as a Lindy Hopper. Since then she has enjoyed learning a number of other dances and has built a community of friends around dance. She brings to the Board over 20 years of professional experience in volunteer and board management, group development and outreach, grant writing, strategic planning, and consensus-building.
Bob started dancing in the summer of 2018 after attending a Gator Boy Productions Zydeco dance and learning of NW Dance Network. He attended a dance the following week and this started his real enthusiasm for dancing with NW Dance Network. He has taken numerous classes in Swing, Waltz, Foxtrot, Zydeco, and various workshops. He has found the instructors very competent and has enjoyed the positive social environment at the classes and the dances. As he has become more experienced (thanks to the great classes and encouragement by instructors and partners), he finds he really enjoys the many dances offered in Seattle.
He recently retired from a career in the accounting/finance field, having worked in both manufacturing and non-profit organizations. He is pleased to have time to offer his professional skills as Treasurer and to be part of an organization of positive, enthusiastic dancers. He also looks forward to improving his skills and enjoying much more dancing as well as helping the organization grow.
Harold is excited to be a member of the NW Dance Network Board. He has been involved with the NW Dance Network community since 2014. He started with ballroom dancing then became more active in other forms of social dance, especially through the Dancing ’til Dusk summer dance series. He has really enjoyed expanding his dancing skills through NW Dance Network and through other dance opportunities. He brings the experiences he’s gained doing legal work on other non-profit boards and through his work as an attorney to serve the needs of the NW Dance Network community so it can continue to thrive.
Karen appreciates the opportunity to support the dance community and has served on the Board for NW Dance Network since 2012. Formerly, she was Dance Chair for the Seattle Singles Mountaineers (2005 – 2010) and won the Mountaineer Volunteer of the Year Award in 2006 for running their Rock and Roll dances. Karen was the 2019 New Year’s Eve Dance Coordinator for NW Dance Network and a frequent photographer for NW Dance Network dances and Seabeck Dance Camp. Karen has been dancing in a broad range of styles since age five, including Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern Improvisational Dance, Swing, Lindy Hop, Hustle, and Latin Dance. She performed for three years with USA Dance-Seattle and was in shows that toured around Washington state: “A Chance to Dance” and “Take The Floor And Dance.” She choreographed and performed dances for Dare to Dance Seattle at The Broadway Performance Hall in 2013 and 2014 and in a virtual show in 2021. Karen holds degrees in Broadcasting/Visual Design and Psychology, and she also has experience in dance photography and videography. She has been a photographer for Camp Jitterbug for three years. Recently she has been hiking and doing more nature and landscape photography and her photos have been published in calendars.
Mary took salsa and zydeco lessons in her 20s. After a multi-decade break, she began taking Zydeco lessons again and was impressed by classmates who could easily switch from Waltz to Swing to Zydeco to Cha-Cha without missing a beat. She discovered that many of them had picked up those skills through classes at NW Dance.
Mary took a whirlwind of dances, workshops and dance classes with NW Dance. She appreciates the supportive learning environment that allows people of any age to experience the joy and magic of dance. Her favorite annual events are the Boogie at the Barn Dance and Dance Camp at Seabeck.
She hopes to make contributions to the board using leadership skills developed in management positions in public and private sector work. She also brings experience as a former board member of the UW Law School Alumni Association and a previous trustee for the Music Center of the Northwest.
Staff
As Office Manager, Tiffy Daud manages inquiries to Northwest Dance and provides support to our classes, workshops, and other events. She began her love of dance as a tap dancer in childhood. After discovering partner dancing, she developed a particular love for swing dancing, including East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, and Lindy Hop. Come say hi to her on the dance floor!
Tiffy also works as a Programming Assistant for GeekGirlCon, an organization that empowers women and girls to pursue their passions—whether they love science and technology, comics, literature, gaming, or anything else.
Martin started his editing career at age 12 as a proofreader in his dad’s typography business. He holds a BA in journalism and has done publication work for Group Health, Microsoft, Amazon, drugstore.com, the Swedish Club, Thalia Symphony, Public Health Seattle–King County and the University of Washington. A violinist and mandolinist, he’s more comfortable on the bandstand than the dance floor, but is excited to be part of Northwest Dance Network’s dedicated team.
Luann Ferguson has loved being a part of the Northwest Dance community since 2011 as a participant in dances and classes. She loves the people and spirit that she came in touch with at Seabeck Dance Camp in 2011. In 2015, she took a more active part by becoming the accountant for the organization. Accounting and dancing have been a big part of her life since she was a teenager; now she has a place to combine both talents. Luann is a CPA with her own practice and brings fresh ideas as well as experience. Her closing comment, “See you on the dance floor.”
Dean Paton manages our bi-monthly dances. He abandoned the baseball diamond for the dance hall in 1994, and fell so hopelessly in love with waltz that he founded the Valse Café Orchestra, an ensemble committed to the art of playing music for dancers. He teaches waltz and foxtrot classes regularly at Seattle’s Century Ballroom.
Volunteers
Gayle McKool coordinates our Dancing for the Ages outreach program, which brings social dance to elderly people living in group settings. Gayle has been an active volunteer her entire life and relishes the many volunteer opportunities our organization provides. She relocated from Texas six years ago and loves life here in the Northwest. She began her social dance experience with ‘Mrs. Smith’s Cotillion’ in junior high and after that awkward beginning didn’t partner dance for decades. She resumed partner dancing 11 years ago and has been joyfully pursuing many dance styles ever since. She particularly enjoys Cajun and zydeco, East Coast swing, waltz, two step and most recently, Carolina shag. Contact the DFA Coordinator.
Don was voted the Seattle Dance Sage. He helps with special events and spreads the word on the joys of partner dance. His mum made him take dance lessons when he was a teenager and he’s been grateful ever since. Don was Executive Director of Northwest Dance from 2004 to 2009. His approach to dance emphasizes cooperation with and connection to his partner. He loves to encourage all ages to glide across the floor and feels that, above all, building community is what makes Northwest Dance special.
Dancing is in my blood - my parents met through a college dance group, and some of my earliest memories recall the community folk dances they organized and lessons they taught. My wife Kathie Kelly and I took up social dancing to learn new skills together as our own kids left for college. We learned many varieties of dance and love all flavors particularly West Coast Swing, Salsa, Bachata, Nightclub 2-Step, Rumba, Foxtrot, Waltz, Contra dance. (We're working on Tango). NW Dance has inspired us over the years, with lessons for many styles of partner dancing, from the very basics to cool moves, and the dance events. Photography and drawing have become co-mingled with dance for me. I have been lucky enough to help capture and share group and individual photographs at NW Dance and other local dance events. Most recently I am making drawings that express parts of the Seattle dance scene. Catch me at instagram.com/petershawseattle and petershawphotography.com.
Kathie retired from the U of Washington in 2016 after a career in Oceanography and climate change research and education. She transitioned to writing and directing films, including an award-winning climate fiction miniseries and several fiction films incorporating dancers. Kathie and husband Peter have been partner dancing for more than 20 years.
As the Dancing for the Ages Coordinator, longtime area favorite performer and social dancer Dina Blade brings her infectious energy and enthusiasm to the program with lots of exciting monthly events in the works. She is assisted by Gayle McKool, who recruits and coordinates the volunteer dancers. In order to participate, simply sign up for the program to be notified of upcoming opportunities. Dances usually last 1-2 hours and most often involve dancing to a live band. No experience or long-term commitment is required. Just come, have fun and share your joy! Insert link to sign up.
Pam retired in 2017 from the UW Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship in the Foster School of Business. She is now 1) re-learning Spanish, 2) taking piano lessons, 3) dancing (of course!), 4) volunteering for environmental and social justice organizations.
Prior to that, Pam worked in the UW Retail Management & External Program and has owned and operated retail stores in the Seattle area. She has worked with boards in the non-profit sector including as Development Director for Gilda’s Club Seattle, and Executive Director of Northwest Soccer Camps. She has served as a board member for the Environmental Education Association of Washington (E3); Salish Sea Cooperative Finance, and the Girl Scouts of America. In addition, she has worked with volunteers, including PTA’s, Capitol Hill Youth Soccer, etc.
Pam has 3 grown kids, 6 granddaughters, loves to ski, hike, spend time at the family property on Dabob Bay, travel, read and garden. Fun fact: in 1971 she worked in D.C. for the Youth Citizenship Fund (Common Cause) as an ‘under 21’ lobbyist for the 26th Amendment to the Constitution. “If you’re old enough to fight for your country, you’re old enough to vote.”