JustGottaDance
Social, Competitive & Wedding Dance Lessons
Group Classes and Private Lessons
Owner, Instructor of JustGottaDance (est. 2004)
Co-Owner, Instructor of A Step Ahead Dance Studio (est. 2015)
I started dancing in September 1999 as a means to socialize and meet people. After my 2nd group class I fell in love with the artistry and movement that dance incorporates and wanted to submerse myself into learning everything about partnership dancing that I could. I found classes were taking place almost every night of the week with lots of opportunity for practicing at the local clubs.
I started competing within 6 months in the Country Western Dance circuits, first dancing with my instructor in ProAm and then finding a partner and dancing in the couples divisions. Competing provided me with many opportunities to travel and take lessons from some of the best dancers and instructors in the world. The experiences, the people I met and the friends I made encouraged me to continue my dance education and to excel resulting in winning many championships and working my way from a beginner to an advanced dancer.
In 2004 I turned Pro and started teaching to pass on my knowledge and passion for dance to others.
In 2007 with my wife Colleen, we became the owners of the Wichita Dance Roundup (WDR); this is a country western dance competition on the American Country Dance Association circuit (ACDA) and has been happening in the Wichita area for 21 years. (The name has changed and it's now called Sunflower Dance Festival). Each year new milestones were set and achieved as the level of participation of dancers, competitors and spectators increased, turning WDR into one of the best competitions on the circuit.
Multiple Championships in the UCWDC and ACDA Country dance circuits.
Multiple Top Teacher Awards
3 of my ProAm students won TOP ProAm of the year (ACDA)
2001 UCWDC Div. IV World’s - 3rd Place
2006 Kansas/Oklahoma Jack and Jill Swing Champion
2006 USNDC Div. II Overall Champions
2008 ACDA Nationals Championships - Bronze Champions
2009 ACDA Nationals Championships - Div. II - 2nd Place
2010 ACDA Nationals Championships - Div. II Champions
2010 ACDA Nationals Championships - Bronze II Champions
2010 UCWDC World’s Championships - Diamond II - 2nd Place
2010 UCWDC World’s Championships - Div. II - 5th Place
2011 ACDA Nationals Championships - Div. I - 2nd Place
2012 UCWDC World Championships -Diamond II - 1st
2018 ACDA Nationals Championships - Bronze 1 - 1st
2018 ACDA Nationals Championships - Silver 1 - 1st
2018 UCWDC World's Championships -
Managing a competition and a studio, teaching and preparing students for competition, preparing for and competing as an advanced couple, teaching others for social dancing and preparing couples for their first dance to celebrate their marriage has been an enlightening experience and provided me with the experience and knowledge to assist all levels of dancers with their learning and providing them with a fun, rewarding and memorable experience.
My goals:
To teach others to dance easily and efficiently while having fun.
Continue competing in Country and expand to include Ballroom and Swing competitions.
My dance philosophy is:
Lead her Gently and she will follow you anywhere.