Ariel Peck is a professional dance instructor who started dancing when she was 10 years old. She trained in ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip-hop, and tumbling. She joined a professional dance company and was principle dancer and choreographer in Infusion Dance Company, and later helped found Infusion School of the Arts where she taught ballet, jazz, hip hop and tumbling. In 2014 she took her first West Coast Swing class which shifted her career path as she fell in love with a new dance journey. Since then she has traveled and competed professionally across the nation and internationally and quickly progressed through the ranks.

Ariel now loves to travel teaching WCS with the Body Language Curriculum and has a passion for teaching people how to speak the language of WCS. With her combined dance experience in solo and expertise in WCS, she wants to help dancers unlock new skills and building their confidence to be able to have more magical social dances.

What He Does:
Jesse teaches the Body Language of West Coast Swing. He offers Adventurers, Thinkers, and Creatives an inclusive, consent-focused dance environment where they can pursue joy, personal development, and expressive movement. He is actively working to reshape WCS education by reestablishing physical connection—both to oneself and to one’s partner—so dancers can rediscover the joy of community, movement, and music.

Passionate about the Kinetic Dance Languages, Jesse travels nationally and internationally as an instructor, judge, and competitor. If someone’s dance journey is missing improvisation, passion, or efficiency, Jesse is always open to a conversation about how to help them evolve.

Why He Does It:
Dance is Jesse’s safe space and his purest form of creative self-expression. Sharing his love of swing dancing with both his home Kansas City community and dancers around the world gives him a deep sense of purpose. He looks forward to helping more people experience the positive, uplifting environment of the WCS social dance floor.

Jillian is a genetic counselor by day and a dancer by night. She enjoys getting the chance to express her creative mind after days full of science. While west coast swing is her current (and forever?) love as of 2019, it is not her first dance style. A background in lindy, blues, east coast swing, and ice dancing paved the way for her appreciation of partner dancing and the interplay of leading and following.

She has been teaching west coast swing with Ben Dobson as Suede Soul since 2022 and organizing community events/workshop weekends since 2023. As a teacher, Jillian loves the detail-oriented side of dancing. She believes establishing a solid, technique-focused foundation first allows for greater sensitivity and creativity later leading to a richer partnership experience.

Ben works as a mechanical engineer when not dancing. West coast swing is his first and currently only (real) dance style. Past experiences like showing horses and playing soccer help inform his own dance theory. He appreciates exploring the analytical side of dance and bending the rules to create the dance he wants.

He has been teaching west coast swing with Jillian Carroll as Suede Soul since 2022 and organizing community events/workshop weekends since 2023. As a teacher, Ben likes to dive into the physics of dance, breaking concepts down into their most fundamental components. He believes in helping dancers acquire the tools necessary to create their own personal brand of art.

Britney has been dancing for as long as she can remember. Rather than studios, schools, or companies, she intrinsically found her way into dance as part of her culture. Like a language, this type of movement has been passed down through the diaspora and part of her family for centuries. 

Most of Britney’s childhood consisted of rehearsing choreography she’d see on television and in music videos. At age ten, she competed in cheer. By fourteen, she joined a drill & step team, and in college she took a class on modern dance.

In 2015, Britney was introduced to West Coast Swing, where she found a love for partner dancing. Now, Britney practices consistently to refine her skills within this artform, and she is passionate about studying competitions and learning how different people move their bodies within the dance. She competes at the WSDC Advanced level and travels nationally whenever she’s not writing books. 

Ella officially began her dance journey with solo performances in high school, where she first discovered her passion for movement and expression in public. Post high school, a random fun night at a local country bar in Houston with friends made Ella fall in love with Two Stepping among with couple other country dances. Then during her time studying in Austin, she focused on country dancing with an emphasis on acrobatics and performance, blending technical skill with showmanship. Later, while living in Dallas, Ella dedicated herself to the love of her life: West Coast Swing, and started taking it very seriously.
A chance encounter with Jesse and Ariel at a dance event redirected her path and brought her to Kansas City in 2024 to take the leap into a professional West Coast Swing career. Drawing from her athletic and musical background, Ella specializes in tricks, dips, and balance-driven movements. She loves exploring creative shapes and different outcomes in West Coast Swing. So if you ever feel stuck in your dancing, she’s the perfect person to help you think outside the box and rediscover your flow.
This dance provides the freedom for her to express and create, she hopes to inspire others to love dance and move the way she was inspired when she was younger.

Zoe has been doing West Coast Swing for two years, finding an instantaneous love for the genre.

After a year and a half of hip-hop training, Zoe’s spark for swing was lit instantly upon finding it, and became an all-consuming passion. Going to her first competition just three months after starting, she has been a dedicated competitor, student, and lover of the art.

That love was expanded when creating her first routine less than a year into her journey, with routines becoming something core to her experience in the dance. She has a drive for expanding the visibility of routines in the improvised space of West Coast Swing, being a vocal advocate and supporter for all those who wish to try them.

Zoe believes deeply in self-care in dance, and understanding your own limits. Our bodies allow us to experience this wonderful dance, and listening to them when they need rest ensures that we can always experience it to the fullest.

Her focus in teaching is a deep understanding of fundamentals, while still exploring opportunities to push artistic boundaries.

Roni has been dancing for 5 years. She started off dancing in country bars with her sister and best friend when she turned 18. Ever since then, dance has always been apart of her life. She started dancing WCS in Dallas and Oklahoma, but really fell in love with it when she met her now husband at one of Kris Swearingen’s monthly dances.Since then, It’s been all in on WCS; about two years ago.

She is a very technique driven teacher and loves to invite creative styling to her lessons. Her country routes run deep, so any time you hear a country song come on at a social, you can find her in the DJ booth playing it or on the floor dancing! When she’s not dancing, you can find her hanging out with friends and watching the best trash TV.

Christa Kiesling is a passionate intermediate West Coast Swing dancer and instructor who joined the Cabaret Arts & Social Theater in August 2025. She began learning East and West Coast Swing in 2018 at Truman State University and attended her first WSDC event—Midwest Westie Fest— after winning a free pass at Black and Gold Swing. In 2019, she joined the university’s East Coast Swing performance team, where she explored other dance styles such as Lindy Hop and Charleston. Christa taught Swing Dance at Truman for three years while completing her bachelor’s in business management with a minor in communication. In March 2024, she began traveling to compete in West Coast Swing. Then, bringing her passion home, she taught West Coast Swing at Jefferson City High School during the 2024–2025 school year.

Christa is also a self-taught hoop dancer of over 13 years. Inspired by America’s Got Talent, she began learning to hula hoop by watching videos on YouTube. Aspiring to grow as a performer, she spent nine years in competitive and non-competitive cheerleading building her tumbling skills and stage presence. Over time, she refined her hoop dance style by blending circus-style tricks with dynamic stage movement, acrobatics, and expressive choreography. She has won first place in seven talent competitions, appeared in over 20 showcases and community performances and performed professionally at local events.

In 2024, she began teaching hoop choreography classes to students ages 5 to 55+, inspiring dancers of all ages and abilities to explore movement and expression. Known for her energetic and supportive teaching style, Christa creates a welcoming environment where everyone can learn, have fun, and fall in love with dance while emphasizing clean technique, exploring personal style, and experimenting with musicality. Outside of dance, Christa enjoys writing humor articles on Medium, doing arts & crafts or playing guitar and piano.

Lydia began dancing at a young age and spent her childhood performing and coercing her siblings into performing dances that she choreographed for their parents. She took her first dance class when she was 3 years old and continued solo dance training with a focus on ballet through performing, teaching, and choreographing until age 19.

Lydia discovered West Coast Swing in 2018 and developed a great love for the dance. She is passionate about sharing dance through teaching and through social dancing as a follower and leader. When not on the dance floor, she works as a physical therapist helping people rehabilitate from injury and return to the activities (like dancing) that bring them joy!

Jodi first discovered West Coast Swing in a college dance class while in pursuit of a musical theater degree a few decades back. It was the first dance class where the hard-core “super dancer ex-Fosse pros” were asking some students for tips on dance moves. He immediately had to know more! Where did they learn? Could he go with them? OooOoo—this dance has a living culture!

West Coast Swing quickly became a lifelong obsession for Jodi. From dance culture and etiquette to inspiring new dancers to stay, each new thing learned inspired him to dig in deeper and find more.

As a new father, Jodi focuses these days on the joy of sharing this dance and its associated culture through teaching. Outside of dance, you’re most likely to find him either at ReviveKC or hosting some kind of social gathering.

Always find the love in everything you do. The shortest distance between two people is a smile—followed by a dance invitation.

Roberto has been dancing for over 12 years, beginning with salsa and bachata before discovering West Coast Swing in 2017 at the University of Missouri. What started as a fun college club quickly became his biggest passion. After several years focused on social dancing, Roberto began exploring the WCS competition circuit in 2023.

As an instructor, Roberto emphasizes strong fundamentals, believing they are the foundation of the world’s best dancers, while also encouraging musicality and creativity to keep the dance expressive and fun. He enjoys dancing across all WCS music styles, with a special appreciation for slow contemporary and blues.

Roberto loves the challenge, growth, and welcoming nature of the WCS community and is grateful to be part of it. Outside of dance, he enjoys playing tennis, a sport he’s played since childhood and which originally brought him to the U.S. on a college scholarship.

Kris is our amazing technical asset for the website and helps keep it updated with new features and changes regularly. But even better, Kris is also a dancer!

Kris is always happy to step out and share a song with you. He thrives on helping others find not only the ability to dance well, but the ability to find the greatest amount of joy in doing so.

Kris has a background in ballroom and swing, and a tenure as a former Kansas City Swingster. As an analytical thinker, he excels in taking hard-to-grasp concepts and breaking them down into smaller parts that are easier for a student to digest.

Danny took a chance and tried out his first West Coast Swing class (and first dance class in general) in August of 2023 and hasn't looked back.
His love of the community that embraced him has lead to him taking an active role in helping organize and shape the Kansas City community alongside the instructors. He is administrator of the community Discord server he started, as well as keeping the website updated alongside Kris and managing the social media accounts with Olivia.
He uses his love of technology and automation to find new and creative ways to help out anywhere that it is possible. And he enjoys bringing the vibes occasionally as a DJ.