Phrase Change Podcast

Born and raised in the Midwest, Joel found a love for dance early in his college days and quickly became hooked on growing as a dancer and competitor. Aside from having amazing hair, Joel Torgeson is now one of today’s rising stars in West Coast Swing. Joel provides a youthfulness and vigor to his dance … Continue reading "026 Phrase Change Podcast – Joel Torgeson"

Kay Newhouse has helped grow and shape the WCS community through her hard work and compassion. In addition to working as an event director for Mad Jam, DCSX, and Swing Fling (Dance Jam Productions), Kay has helped establish safe and friendly dance communities. Through her work with Dance Jam Production, Kay produced the Code of … Continue reading "025 Phrase Change Podcast – Kay Newhouse"

Koichi Tsunoda has traveled all over the US honing his skills as a DJ to become one of today’s most popular WCS DJs. Whether playing music for competition or late night socials, Koichi’s set is always innovative and refreshing. Koichi defines his approach as a  “westie geek who DJs like an engineer”. His latest project, … Continue reading "024 Phrase Change Podcast – Koichi Tsunoda"

Recorded at Wild Westie 2019, we sat and talked with Jason Wayne on his history in WCS. Jason shares his views on the dance as well as who he studied as a dancer that inspired the footwork and style he is known for today. We hope you enjoy this episode and be sure to check … Continue reading "023 – Phrase Change Podcast – Jason Wayne"

In this episode, we sit down with Champion level dancer Arjay Centeno to learn about his dance journey and life as a traveling instructor and family man. Arjay found his love for music at an early age and traveled the world as a classical violinist before transitioning into dance. He discovered West Coast Swing during … Continue reading "022 Phrase Change Podcast – Arjay Centeno"

We are excited to share this episode of Phrase Change featuring Alyssa Glanville! Alyssa started her journey in West Coast Swing at the age of 15 when she started ballroom. She quickly fell in love with the dance and its creativity drawn from other dance styles. Having trained in Lindy and Folk dancing prior to … Continue reading "021 Phrase Change Podcast – Alyssa Glanville"

His strengths – Contemporary and falling on the floor His Weaknesses – Blues and falling on the floor Chris Dumond joins us again on Phrase Change and shares his experiences from the 2018 US Open as well as his expertise in how he created the music used in several routines. We also talk with Chris … Continue reading "020 Phrase Change Podcast – Christopher Dumond"

Estelle Bonnaire is a multi-swing dance savant and one of the leading west coast swing instructors, dancers and judges coming out of Europe. She has a deep passion for growing her dance knowledge and sharing her love of WCS with dance communities around the world. Her joyful personality and ‘choose happiness’ attitude, have made her … Continue reading "019 Phrase Change Podcast – Estelle Bonnaire"

Malia San Nicholas began her passion for dance and performing arts at the age of two when she started her formal training in classical ballet. She performed in lead roles in The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, and Cinderella. she also began studying tap, jazz, contemporary and has a background in gymnastics, American ballroom, … Continue reading "018 Phrase Change Podcast – Malia San Nicolas"

This special episode of Phrase Change features the Routine lecture panel recorded at Wild Wild Westie in 2018. We want to thank Ben McHenry, Cameo Cross, Glenn Ball, Taletha Jouzdani, Austin Scharnhorst, and Kali Casas for participating in this panel and this episode. We would also like to thank the amazing event directors of Wild … Continue reading "017 Phrase Change Podcast – 2018 W3 Lecture Panel – All Things About Routines"

Brandon and Kristen Parker are two premier dancers and instructors out of Houston, TX. Beyond being All-Star/Champion-level dancers, they have contributed immensely as community leaders to the Houston scene, as well as bringing together Texas as a whole. Please enjoy this episode as we discuss their passions outside of dance with essential oils, their backgrounds, … Continue reading "016 Phrase Change Podcast – Brandon & Kristen Parker"

We are excited to bring you our long overdue episode of Phrase Change recorded in April of 2018 and featuring the multi-talented Tara Trafzer. Whether it’s dancing, teaching, judging, or sharing her unique history facts on the microphone, Tara is one of the most inspiring leaders in our community today. In this episode, Tara shares … Continue reading "012 Phrase Change Podcast – Tara Trafzer"

In this episode, we sit and talk with legendary dancer Carlito Rofoli. His smile and charisma inspires and brings joy to so many dancers. Aside from his history in West Coast Swing, Carlito shares how much joy the dance community has given him over the years and explains why you can always catch him late-night … Continue reading "015 Phrase Change Podcast – Carlito Rofoli"

This episode of Phrase Change features Champion level dancer Demetre Souliotes. Join us as we take a deep dive into Demetre’s dance history and how he started in West Coast Swing. He also shares his personal views on the history of WCS, teaching, and his love for the dance community. His passion, leadership, and infectious … Continue reading "014 Phrase Change Podcast – Demetre Souliotes"

This episode of Phrase Change features multi-talented dancer, DJ, and emcee, Victor Loveira. Working many premiere WCS events as a DJ and emcee, Victor provides us with a look of what goes on inside the DJ booth. From providing music during competitions, to late night social dancing, learn about the prep work required from the … Continue reading "013 Phrase Change – Victor Loveira"

In this episode of Phrase Change, Christopher Dumond shares his experiences from competing in Juniors to moving up and competing alongside his friends in the Champions division. Having trained with the Schwimmer’s from an early age, Chris offers a unique perspective on how his hard work has helped him build a career as both a … Continue reading "011 Phrase Change – Christopher Dumond"

We are excited to bring you our 10th episode of Phrase Change featuring the legendary Robert Royston. In this episode Robert shares his history in swing and how his hard work ethic helped him achieve multiple titles in dance and build a career in the music industry. https://www.robertroyston.net

In our 9th episode of Phrase Change, we chat with WCS All-Star dancer and choreographer, Ariel Peck. From her knowledge of dance and music to her photography business, Ariel shares her passion for expressing her artistic attributes. http://www.ari-photography.com https://www.instagram.com/ariel.peck/?hl=en

This episode of Phrase Change features our 2017 US Open Classic Champion, Susan Kirklin. Join us as Susan talks about her dance background, her perspective on routines and competition, and her career as a studio owner and teacher. For more episodes of Phrase Change, please find us on iTunes or Stitcher. You can also follow … Continue reading "008 Phrase Change – Susan Kirklin"

Bryn Anderson began her dance journey at an early age and quickly fell in love with WCS. Through the love and support of her family, Bryn grew her passion for music and dance to become a Champion level dancer. For more episodes of Phrase Change, please find us on iTunes or Stitcher. You can also … Continue reading "007 Phrase Change – Bryn Anderson"

Thanks for checking out our 6th episode of Phrase Change. This episode features Champion dancer and instructor Kris Swearingen. We discuss topics including routine prep, partnering, and his perspective on the dance. Background noise provided by Stephen White https://www.facebook.com/kris.swearingen.7

This podcast episode features an interview with Anyssa Olivares from Houston, TX. Anyssa shares what it was like to grow up in the WCS community competing in the Juniors division and her journey to becoming a Champion. Links: https://www.facebook.com/Swingfusion41/?pnref=about.overview

In our 4th episode of Phrase Change we talk with champion level dancers Diego Borges and Jessica Pacheco about their experiences in WCS and what it’s like to prepare a routine for the US Open. This podcast episode was recorded during downtime at their workshop weekend at Texas A&M College Station. While recording, we did … Continue reading "004 Phrase Change – Diego Borges and Jessica Pacheco"

Glenn is a Champion level dancer with a diverse background in multiple styles including ballroom and hip hop. As a dancer, instructor, and choreographer, Glenn has performed with artists such as Taylor Swift, Mariah Carey, and Ne-Yo and recently placed 3rd in the Showcase Division at the 2017 US Open with partner Kellese Key. In … Continue reading "003 Phrase Change – Glenn Ball"

In our second episode of phrase change, we talk with Mike Topel about his career as a dancer, instructor, and event coordinator, in addition to his views on Degendering West Coast Swing. We hope you enjoy! Please feel free to leave us a comment, as well as, like and subscribe to the podcast. http://miketopel.com https://www.facebook.com/AustinCityDanceClub/ … Continue reading "002 Phrase Change – Mike Topel"

Summary: In our first episode of Phrase Change Podcast, we chat with WCS champions Stephen White and Sonya Dessureault to learn about their journey and experience in the dance. Links: https://www.facebook.com/RandomBlues https://www.facebook.com/sonya.whitewhite