The current public health crisis has caused the cancellation of weekend dance events, but it is also causing changes to the way event directors plan for and design their events. To better understand the thinking and decision-making of event directors, Eric sat down with three of them. First, Eric chatted with Lauren Wood, Event Director of All Star SwingJam, which was one of the first events to cancel in March. They talked about Lauren's decision to cancel and her thoughts about changes for...

At a time when dance professionals are unable to do in person what they do best - dance, perform, and teach others - our champions have been forced to think about how to sustain their livelihoods. Eric spoke with two professionals who are using Patreon to share their art and their wisdom and stay connected to our community. First, Eric spoke with Alyssa Glanville, who shared her emotional response to the outbreak as well as her approach to providing her followers with an inside look at her...

The current public health crisis has left many of us with a whole mix of emotions, sometimes all in one day. We are experiencing a global shift in our day-to-day lives, our understanding of the world, and our thoughts about the future - not to mention the uncertainty of both what is happening now and what is yet to come. To help us grapple with our thoughts and feelings during this stressful time, Eric invited Dr. Divy Ravindranath back to the show. They talked about Divy's experience during...

When the outbreak first took off in the United States, Eric sat down with Dr. John Blaska to discuss what we knew then about the virus and its spread. Several weeks later, Eric and Dr. Blaska chat again about the public health crisis and what we have learned since then. In this discussion, Eric asks John about his own experience during the crisis, and what he is seeing in the populations he treats through his clinic. They also talk about the issue of testing - the extent of testing, the...

With the coronavirus pandemic continuing to spread around the world, we are getting more information and perspective about the severity of the problem and what it will take to resolve it. In this episode, Eric shares his own experience - his situation, his feelings about the outbreak, his relationship with dance - and he shares his own reflections on how this may affect our dance community. He talks about a timeline for a return to social dancing and to weekend events (warning: it isn't...

The current public health crisis has transformed our way of life, from our daily lives and work to our dancing and dance community. In this first special episode on the outbreak and how it is transforming our community, Eric speaks with some dance professionals about how they are feeling, how they are adapting to the current circumstances, and what they think the future might hold for our dance world. First, he spoke with Chantelle Pianetta about her reaction when things started shutting down...

We all go through ups and downs in our dance journeys, but sometimes the right thing for someone to do is to step away from the dance. At the start of this year, Catriona Wiles - champion dancer, teacher, event director, and emcee - decided to end her career in West Coast Swing. To better understand her decision, and the arc of her journey, Eric sat down with her for an honest, heartfelt, and forthcoming discussion. She talked about her start in West Coast Swing, how the dance started in the...

With a new disease, COVID-19, spreading rapidly around the globe, social and physically interactive activities like partner dancing become higher risk for transmission of the illness. More people are being infected, and more are likely to get sick in the months ahead, so it is important that we as dancers do our best to minimize our risk of exposure - and to minimize the risk of transmission to others. To better understand the virus and what we can do to protect ourselves, Eric sat down with...

In the second part of this conversation with Kelly, the conversation first shifts to a discussion of degendering competitions. Eric and Kelly share their own experiences competing in Novice in their non-traditional roles, and their views on the limitations in the current WSDC rules. Eric then asked Kelly about judging swing content at the Open this year, and she shared how she came up with the swing content app and worked to prepare for the Open. She also talked about the dancing at the Open,...

We are so fortunate to have people in our dance community who have not only have accomplished so much but continue to give of themselves to better our dance and our community. Kelly Casanova is one of those generous souls, and Eric was fortunate enough to sit down to learn from her years of experience as a competitor, teacher, and judge. In the first part of this conversation, Eric asked her about her beginnings in the swing world and what the scene was like at that time. They chatted about...

Everyone of us who dances West Coast Swing had to learn how to do this dance at some point. To get good at the dance, we need to continue to learn and develop new skills. And along the way, we need teachers who impart knowledge and nurture our abilities. Learning and teaching are such an essential part of what we do as dancers, and they can shape both our understanding of the dance and how we do it. To learn more about learning, Eric sat down with Kris Swearingen, Champion-level dancer and...

On February 7, 2015, The Next Generation Swing Dance Club hosted a fireside chat with the First Lady of Swing, Annie Hirsch. Taking place at Allegro Ballroom in Emeryville, California, the one-hour conversation was moderated by our friend, Tom Paderna, and featured special guest Kelly Casanova. Five years later, Eric is thrilled to share this rare interview with Annie, where she discussed her own experiences in swing. She talked about learning from her brother, her time as a contestant...

Champion dancer, DJ, dance studio owner, architect, musician, vocalist, and all-around awesome person - there are lots of ways to describe Larisa Tingle. So it's no wonder that Eric was thrilled to finally sit down with her to talk about a whole bunch of topics. They talked about her start in West Coast Swing, her background in music, and her experience preparing to compete at the Open. Larisa told her story of moving up through the ranks to become a Champion-level dancer, and what she...

As our community has grown in recent years, it has attracted many younger dancers - a demographic shift that has altered the dynamic of our scene. The previous generation of dancers is getting older in an increasingly younger scene, and in addition to facing changes in their own bodies, they often find themselves facing changes in their relationship with the dance. To better understand what it's like to age and mature in our dance community, Eric sat down with two good friends - Tom Paderna...

In the last couple of years, there has been a renewed interest in dancing to classic swing music, in large part due to two dancers whose improvisational demos have gone viral on social media. Torri and Maxime Zzaoui embody grace, elegance, and the beauty of swing, and their videos capture their musicality, their playfulness, and their love of the dance. Eric sat down with these two talented, kind, funny, and down-to-earth champions to discuss their backgrounds, their success, and their...

The new year is a time for reflection, taking stock, and thinking about what's ahead. So for this first episode of the year, Eric sat down with Courtney Adair to talk about her own challenges, growth, and self-development. It was a very personal and honest discussion, and she was very open and real. She talked about her first experience with meditation, why it impacted her so greatly, and how in some ways it led her to dance. She discussed her appreciation of yoga, her journey to get...

We're back! Sort of. I was planning on relaunching the show in January but how could we not do an episode about the most prestigious event in our dance world? The Open is the most prominent stage for our dance - a showcase of some of our greatest talent and a look at the state of our dance today. So I sat down with a friend of the show, Christopher Dumond, to chat about the Open, what happened there, and what it all means for our dance. We talked about his own experience competing there, the...

Many of us at one time or another have known the feeling of being "on the outside." Whether it's in our local community or at weekend conventions, it can be hard to find a group of friends to hang out with - and it can be even harder when there are others who seem to have it all. In this episode, we chat about our own experiences being outsiders. We start with a discussion of the "cool kids," our own feelings about not being one of the "cool kids," and what it's like to be "drifters" instead....

We love a good conversation with friends. So for our latest live show at Boogie by the Bay, we teamed up with the hosts of "Wine Coast Swing," Brandi Guild and Robert Royston, to chat, laugh, and drink wine! In this episode, we talk about Boogie by the Bay and what makes it special. We talk about the challenges of dealing with rejection and defeat. We discuss how Robert, Brandi, and Deborah have stayed relevant for so long. And we invited Dr. Martha Stark to come chat for a bit about her work...

We always have a great time when we get together with our audience, and our latest live show was no exception. We sat down with the fun and funny Christopher Dumond to chat about his background in dance, his rise to the champion level, and his own ups and downs in the dance world. He shared his experience with - and his passion for - music and audio production and how it has influenced his dancing. And he shared his views of the changes the US Open is making to judging this year, as well as...

Culture can be difficult to recognize or even define, and yet it permeates and shapes the dynamic of any group of people that interacts regularly. In our global West Coast Swing community, we have a culture - and many subcultures - that dictate how we think, feel, and act. In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Jennifer Parlamis, Associate Professor at the University of San Francisco School of Management, to talk about organizational culture more broadly and our dance community culture more...

Can you believe it's been one year since we released our first episode? To celebrate the occasion, we sat down to reflect upon our first year making this podcast. We discussed our favorite episodes, the challenges of making the show, and what we've learned (or not) from doing the show. We also looked ahead at the guests we hope to sit down with and the kinds of episodes we hope to bring you in the coming year. Thank you all for listening, sharing your thoughts, and joining in the conversation...

In the second part of our conversation about judging, we chat with Gary Jobst about his views of the World Swing Dance Council and how it has affected competitions. We also asked him what he thinks of the US Open, the changes they're making to judging this year, and the general topic of judging swing content. He talked with us about his judge training program and how he plans to refocus it now that he has sole ownership. Gary and Deborah debate some of the practicalities of judging and we...

When it comes to competitions, the fate of contestants lies in the hands of the judges. And when it comes to judging, few are as experienced and qualified as Gary Jobst. In the first of this two-part episode, we sat down with Gary to discuss his own background and how he got started as a judge and chief judge. We asked him what he thinks makes for a good West Coast Swing judge and what the role of a chief judge is. He talked about how he works with event directors as a chief judge and how he...