DanceTime Global culled dozens of West Coast Swing videos from 2013 & 2014 to find these West Coast swing performers and competitors. The dancers represent many different countries from around the world including Brazil, England, France, Canada, Australia, Russia and the United States (read about West Coast Swing here).

Benji Schwimmer & Torri Smith

Benji Schwimmer is a 9-time US Open Swing dance champion, and winner of the season 2 of Fox channel show So you Think You Can Dance and the Feather Award. His choreography and artistic directing include American Idol, Dancing With The Stars, America's Got Talent, MTV, HBO, and numerous other ventures. His acting credits include Lifetime's Holiday Spin, Leading Ladies, Love N'Dancing, and Full House. Currently, he competes and performs with his partner, Torri Smith.

Torri Smith has been dancing since she was 3 years old with concentrations in ballet, jazz and tap. She was introduced to West Coast swing as a child and began competing at the age of seven. Her early awards include Young American Division and Young Adult divisions. She also competed in International Latin, winning the Junior II division in 2005. She partnered with Brennar Goree to win titles in the US Open Young Adult division and won the National Shag Dance Championships' as Best Overall Juniors. She has won 1st place in the US Open Swing Championships showcase division with her partner Benji Schwimmer numerous times, and in the 2010 Classic division with Brennar.

@ French Open West Coast Swing 2014
Benji Schwimmer on IMBd or Torri Smith's Facebook

Ben McHenry & Cameo Cross

Ben McHenry travels in the West Coast Swing circuit competing, performing and teaching worldwide with his partner, Cameo Cross. They are among the top dozen West Coast Swing competitors globally, and recently placed 3rd in the US Open Classic division.

Cameo Cross graduated from the University of Arizona with a BFA in Dance then joined the River North Dance Company in Chicago. Her parents are National Swing Champions and Cameo won the National Junior Swing Championship in 1996. She has continued competing on the West Coast Swing circuit and is a recent US Open Swing Champion. She has trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, modern, tap, and swing dance. Currently, she is traveling in the swing circuit and competing with her partner, Ben McHenry.

@US Open Swing Championships 2014

Ben McHenry & Cameo Cross Contact Info

Ben Morris & Jennifer DeLuca

Both a Champion Lindy Hopper and a Champion West Coast Swing Dancer, Ben Morris began swing dancing at the age of 12 and is now a 2 time World Swing Dance Champion, 3 time U.S. Open Swing Dance Champion, Spirit of Lindy Hop award winner, a California Swing Dance Hall of Fame award winner, and a featured dancer in the movie Love N’ Dancing and the LeAnn Rimes Music Video “Swingin.” A graduate of UCLA, he currently lives in Orange County, California, running his weekly dance Swingin the Blues and regularly guest teaching at several local colleges during the week. On the weekends, Ben travels all over the world both by himself and with his partner Jennifer Deluca, to teach, compete, judge, and perform. He is known for his fun dance style, infectious personality, and enjoyable workshops.

Jennifer DeLuca began dancing at the age of 5, studying under the Royal Academy of Ballet until the age of 13. After a complicated foot operation that forced her to give up Ballet, she followed a new path to ballroom dancing. Soon after transitioning to partner dancing, she was introduced to West Coast Swing and never looked back. She has gone on to share her love of swing dance with fans across the globe, inspiring dancers around the world with her funky yet graceful style. Jennifer is now a Champion West Coast Swing Dancer, having won several Classic division titles and having taken 2nd place in the 2007 NASDE Tour. She travels globally, teaching, judging, competing and performing alongside her partner, Ben Morris, as well as conducting her own line of ladies' styling and movement intensives. Although abroad most weekends for work, Jennifer enjoys her weekdays at home in Orlando, FL with her husband, taking a special interest in end of life care and currently volunteering for a local Hospice Care Organization when the time allows.

@US Open Swing Championships 2013
Ben Morris Website & Jennifer DeLuca Website

Clint Glasgow (Australia) & MacKenzie Goodmanson

Clint Glasgow is from the Gold Coast of Australia, where he is among the most successful Modern Jive Leaders and West Coast Swing competitors. He is the current Australian Open Champion in the Adv/Allstar J&J and Classic Divisions. He was a finalist with Mackenzie Goodmanson in the US Open and SwingDiego competitions 2012-2013, as well as 2013 Pro-Am division champion with Elysia Somerfield. He was the first Australian to finish in the top 20 male leaders in the National Association of Swing Dance Events (NASDE) rankings and achieved the highest placement (2nd place) for an Australian in the NASDE classic division.

In 2014, Clint placed in the top five in Allstar J&J at Seattle Easter Swing, Swing Diego Open Strictly & Adv/Allstar J&J, Classic at the SwingTime in the Rockies, Open Classic & Adv/Allstar J&J in the Australian Open and at the US Open Allstar J&J. He is the principal of Anarchy WCS on the Gold Coast and event director for the longest running WCS event in Australia, the Best of the Best WCS. He has won numerous awards in Modern Jive and travelled across the globe teaching, competing, judging, performing, and choreographing.

Mackenzie Goodmanson started dancing at a young age, growing up in the world of gymnastics. Her parents were both gymnastics coaches. Mackenzie was drawn by rhythmic gymnastics, which includes dance training. In college, she studied many forms of dance including ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, and eventually West Coast Swing; training with Arjay Centeno. In recent years, she has partnered with Clint Glasgow and competed in various West Coast swing competitions worldwide. She also started a Teen Swing for juniors in West Coast Swing training class to encourage young people to get involved in West Coast Swing. She hope to establish a junior performance team to compete at various West Coast Swing events and one day the US Open.

@US Open Swing Championships 2013
Clint Glasgow website & Mackenzie Goodmanson website

Diego Borges & Jessica Pacheco (Brazil)

Diego Borges lives in Fortaleza, Brazil. He graduated from the Federal University of Ceara, earning a degree in Physical Education, and received a Masters in Teaching Dance from Faculdade Nordeste. Diego was the first Brazilian to win an official WCS competition (at Swing Diego) and is the only Brazilian WCS lead to compete at the Champion level. Along with his dance partner, Jessica Pacheco, he promotes the Brazilian Open Swing competition. He travels globally, teaching, performing and competing in West Coast Swing.

Jessica Pacheco lives in Fortaleza, Brazil, and has studied Accounting at the Federal University of Ceara. She is one of the best known West Coast Swing dancers from Brazil that competes globally. She has placed or won in numerous WCS competitions around the world. Currently, she is an Allstar West Coast Swing competitor, and won the US Open Allstar J&J in 2013 with her partner Diego Borges. They travel worldwide, teaching, performing and competing in West Coast Swing, Zouk, and other Brazilian dance genres.

@West Coast Swing Brazilian Open 2014
Diego Borges & Jessica Pacheco website

Gary McIntyre & Susan Kirklin

Gary McIntyre is a UCWDC World Champion, and toured with the original Broadway show, Swing, as dance captain. He was a choreographer for the film Brokeback Mountain, a dance double to the lead actor in Love 'n Dancing, and also appeared as a dancer in the movie Shall We Dance.

Susan Kirklin is a U.S. Open Swing and Cabaret Champion, and has won many awards in Country Western, Ballroom dance, and West Coast Swing.

Together they compete, perform, and teach in three different dance arenas: Country Western, Ballroom, and West Coast Swing. They have been finalists in World Professional Smooth dance, UCWDC Classic Masters World Champions, and West Coast Swing Classic and Show division champions. They travel in the West Coast Swing circuit and have won too many awards to list them all here, but here are a few: In 2013, America's Classic Champions, US Open Swing Dance Cabaret Champions, US Open Swing Dance Team Division Champions and many more awards going back to 2008 and beyond.

@MADjam 2014
Gary McIntyre & Susan Kirklin website

Jordan Frisbee & Tatiana Mollmann

Jordan Frisbee & Tatiana Mollmann have been a successful partnership for nine years. They are 11-Time US Open Champions, 6-time NASDE Champions, and Multi-Grand National Champions, as well as dominating the Classic Division throughout the past 6 years. At the UCWDC World's event they were given the Star Award for the Couple with the Most Impact on Swing, and Jordan won Best Swing Choreographer. They have won Swing Couple of the Year for 5 years straight.
Jordan & Tatiana won Fox TV's, 30 Seconds to Fame, appeared twice on CBS TV's Star Search, danced in the motion picture The Polar Express, won America's Best Dance Couple on ABC TV's Good Morning America, and had speaking roles and danced in the movie Love N' Dancing.
They travel 47 weekends per year, competing and teaching packed workshops all across the United States and Internationally. They are Certified Teachers in the Golden State Dance Teacher's Association.

@US Open Swing Championships 2014
Jordan Frisbee & Tatiana Mollman website

Kris Swearingen & Rebecca Ludwick

Kris Swearingen's passion for performing started at a young age. At 14, he began acting at the Kansas City Renaissance festival. He continued acting through high school and as a senior he had a role in a West Side Story production. During this period he was introduced to West Coast Swing dancing. Kris also earned a degree from Emporia State University for teaching High School and Middle School English. Kris uses his expertise in the world of education and his extensive training from the world's greatest West Coast Swing dancers in his teaching. He attended his first West Coast event in March of 2007. Since then he has taught, competed and performed in competitions nationally. Some awards include: NASDE JnJ Tour Champion 2013, SwingDiego Open Strictly and Adv/Allstar JnJ Champion, Grand Nationals Adv/Allstar JnJ Champion, and Swingtime in the Rockies Allstar JnJ Champion.

Rebecca Ludwick started dancing at the age of two, training formally in ballet, jazz, and modern dance. She has taught and performed professionally for the last ten years with the Washington National Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera and most recently with the Kanye West tour. Eventually, she was introduced to the West Coast Swing and now performs, teaches, and competes across the United States in the Champion/All Star division and in Classic with her partner, Kris Swearingen. They have won numerous awards including the Golden Ticket Tour Finals Champion, and Swingdiego Adv/Allstar JnJ Champion.

@US Open 2014
Kris Swearingen & Rebecca Ludwick

Kyle Redd & Sarah Vann Drake

Kyle Redd and Sarah Vann Drake are 5 time NASDE Champions, hold 11 US Open Titles and are 8 time Grand National Champions. As a partnership, they have been teaching, competing, performing, judging, and choreographing all over the world for 12 years. They are the only couple to hold a US Open Swing Dance Championship title in both the “Showcase” and “Classic” divisions. Kyle Redd and Sarah Vann Drake have dedicated their lives to promoting and passing on the art of West Coast Swing. Their energetic and enthusiastic teaching style has been entertaining audiences since 1997. Over the years, Kyle and Sarah have brought a unique and light hearted style to this ever-changing dance.

@US Open Swing Championships 2014
Kyle Redd & Sarah Vann Drake website

Lee Easton & Fabienne Henshall (England)

Lee Easton & Fabienne Henshall live and work together in Enfield, N. London. They have been dancing together for 6 years. Both Lee and Fab started dancing at a young age and have a wide background in many different styles of dance. They feel that West Coast Swing is the best fit for all of their dance knowledge and skills. They have won 15 World Championship titles and more recently were finalists at the US Open Swing Dance Championships in 2010 through 2014. They teach, perform, judge, choreograph, coach, emcee, deejay, and have been instrumental in developing West Coast Swing worldwide.

@US Open Swing Championships
Lee Easton & Fabienne Henshall website (England)

Maxence Martin & Virginie Grondin (France)

Maxence Martin Perso lives in Paris, France. He has studied banking at the Groupe Sup de Co Montpellier Business School and travels the world competing and performing in the West Coast Swing circuit as an Allstar/Champion. He has won many awards at various competitions worldwide.

Virginie Grondin lives in Lyon, France. She studied at Saint Exupery, Universite Lyon and travels globally competing and performing in the West Coast Swing circuit in the Allstar Champion division.

@US Open Swing Championships
Maxence Martin Facebook & Virginie Grondin Facebook (France)

Myles Munroe & Tessa Cunningham Munroe (Canada)

Myles Munroe and Tessa Cunningham Munroe are Canada’s West Coast Swing Champions and the highest ranked international dancers on the NASDE circuit, consistently placing 1st or 2nd in the Showcase division and placing 2nd at the US Open from 2011-2013. Myles 26 years of diverse dance training includes 6 UCWDC World Championship titles, and Tessa brings a professional coaching career to the partnership, with university degrees in both Kinesiology and Education. As performers, they are known for their cutting-edge, artistic choreography, innovative and high-risk acrobatics, and enviable musical expression. They are ambassadors for modern, authentic West Coast Swing: teaching, judging, performing and competing 40+ weekends a year, all over the world.

@US Open Swing Championships 2013
Myles Munroe & Tessa Cunningham Munroe (Canada)

Kellese Key (& Diego Borges)

Kellese Key is an energy consultant for National 1 Energy and President of Swank: The Ultimate Partner Dance Workout program. She lives in Frisco, Texas and competes, performs and teaches West Coast Swing. Kellese travels globally, spreading her passion for West Coast Swing, and has partnered with many amazing leads like Benji Schwimmer.
(See bio above for Diego Borges)

@US Open Swing Championships
Kellese Key Facebook (Diego Borges, see above)

What factors influenced this list?

Generally, the West Coast Swing dancers on our list either competed or performed at well-known West Coast Swing festivals across the globe. Naturally, we had to be able to find a dance video on YouTube and some information about the dancers online to be included on this list. We probably left out some that could have included and perhaps included some that others might question, nonetheless, this is just a sample of the hundreds of amazing West Coast Swing dancers who compete and perform around the world.
DanceTime's Article "A Quick Guide to West Coast Swing Technique" includes some great videos on rolling count, contra body movement, one-track walking, action-reaction and tips to recognizing downbeats & upbeats!

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