Vintage Swing Spokane

Story of How I Started

I began dancing somewhere in 1996 in San Francisco where I grew up.  I had two been invited out to separate events by different people.  The most memorable was a trip out to the Transmission Theater with a friend I played volleyball with.  We went to go see a band called Lee Press-on and the Nails.  They were Goth and Swing.   How could you go wrong??  The Band leader was very Cab Calloway in his performance and  I got to learn the Charleston.  I was bitten by the bug.  

Soon I began taking lessons from local instructors, like the Fabulous Juan, Johnny and Cari, Micah and Jenna, Paul and Sharon, and Rob and Diane.  Nearly from the beginning had a partner.  We became members of local performance teams: The Heretics of Swing and The Swing Cats Rhythm Review.   These opportunities to learn and practice were complimented by the countless workshops and dance camps I attended.  I was fortunate enought to be able to attend the highly regarded Herrange Dance Camp four years in a row.  Over time, I progressed and was able to give back to my community by performing and teaching.  

At the time I was able to go out social dancing seven nights a week at venues across town with lots of fantastic local artists like Indigo Swing, Stompy Jones (Fromerly knows as Little David's Swing Session), Lavay Smith and her Red Hot Skillet Lickers.  I would work in the mornings, rehearse with the team or my partner in the evenings, then dance until my feet fell off at night. 

This is when I took on the name "Swing Alleycat."  For about a year or so I had moved out from a roommate situation and was saving money by living with my grandparents.  My grandmother described my activities as "trapesing about" and "carrying on" like a  "g. d. alleycat."   I am sure you can figure out what the "g" and the "d" stand for.  

I began working on projects that were more my own than someone else's.  One of the first and very memorable of those was an invitation by Chris Lee to help coach a team in Sacramento. I was fortunate enough to have been able to work with some fantastic kids there.  We performed at the Arco Arena as part of the halftime show for the Kings.  Later I moved to Seattle and helped form the team called Zah Zuh Zay.   I then came to Spokane where I currently teach and organize Lindy Hop events.

Workshops

Monsters of Swing

Boston Swing Weekend

Monterey Swing Weekend

Whitworth Workshops

Eastern Washington University Workshops

Gonzaga University Workshops

Mead High School Swing club lessons

Spokane Swing Club Workshops & Lessons

teams

Triple Threat- Coaching Consultant ('12-'14)

Swing Devils- Coach/Dancer ('04 - '06)

   Seattle

First Night- Coach ('03)

Zah Zuh Zay- Founding Member ('00-'01)

   Pacific Northwest Lindy Hop Champions

Sacramento Team- Coach/Dancer ('00?)

   Sacramento Kings Game

Swing Cats Rhythm Review- Member ('97 -00) 

   Catalina

   Camp Hollywood

   Monterey

   Dance Through Time Show

   Ethnic Dance Festival audition

   Norma Miller's 83 Birthday- Oakland

Heretics of Swing - member ('97-'98)

2010 - present