1. How did you first discover West Coast Swing, and what drew you to become a West Coast Swing DJ?
I began learning to dance in September 2012, starting with modern jive.
However, in November, a teacher’s assistant suggested I try West Coast Swing.
I attended my first class in December, which was taught by Catriona Wiles and was the last class of the year. I continued attending weekly classes until they were cancelled in September.
After that, I learned by going to dance events and traveling to London on weekends.
In 2015, I reached the intermediate division and in January 2016, I began teaching with my partner at the time. We held weekly classes and a monthly party on Saturdays.
As a result, I had to DJ for the party after class. It turned out that I was good at it and started DJing at larger local events such as Midland Swing, Open, Detonation and Swingvitational.
The rest is history.
2. Can you share a particularly memorable or interesting experience you've had as a West Coast Swing DJ, and how did you handle it?
I have two memorable DJing experiences.
The first was at Swingvitational where Markus Smith was on staff. He came to check out the party one night and planned to leave early because he had an early class the next day.
However, I kept him dancing on the floor for three hours, and he eventually went to bed at 5 am.
My second memorable experience was at Swingtzerland 2020. I had just started my set during the peak slot on Saturday night from one till two. All the pros were behind the bar and two of them started dancing on the bar itself. Of course, I had to play “Booty Work” by T-Pain right after this, and everyone formed a dance jam circle.
It was probably the highlight of my DJ career.
3. What advice would you give to someone who's just starting out as a West Coast Swing DJ?
Be selective about the music you collect and download.
For me, the music has to make me want to move and dance. Try dancing to a song and see if it’s fun to dance to.
4. Outside of West Coast Swing DJing, what are some of your other interests or hobbies that help inspire your music selection or style?
Wait, people have hobbies outside of West Coast swing? I don’t understand. Just kidding!
In all seriousness, I’m a big nerd at heart and enjoy movies, anime, and gaming.
I also like going to the gym and working out, and using the time at the gym to discover new music at the same time.
5. Is there anything else you'd like to share with our audience about yourself or your journey as a West Coast Swing DJ?
Yeah recently, I did my first gig as a head DJ this year at Detonation Dance, which is run by Easton Swing.
Detonation was actually my first ever event, so it’s pretty cool to come full circle. I must’ve done an okay job because I’ve been invited back for next year.
I’m hoping to continue and do more competition DJing going forward.
6. Lastly, share with us any upcoming events or projects that you're excited about!
As for upcoming events, I had originally told myself that I was going to attend fewer events this year. However, I haven't been doing a very good job of that, as I've already been to 11 events.
I wasn't supposed to have anything planned after Nordic Champs, but that quickly changed and attended TLV Swingfest which was epic.
The other events I will be attending this year are German Open, Uptown Swing, Midland Swing Open, Warsaw Halloween Swing, SNOW, Autumn Swing Challenge and Berlin Swing Revolution.
There will also be a new years' event in there, but not confirmed which one yet.
As for projects, I'll be working with Easton Swing to start up monthly boot camps, workshops, and parties for West Coast Swing in my hometown of Birmingham. It's been a while since I've taught, but I'm looking forward to it.
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