Monique Wright began dancing in Nebraska with the Omaha Jitterbugs in 2001. She studied Jazz dancing (via “N2Swing”) and took classes from nationally-renowned instructors. In college she minored in voice. She loves soulful vocalists like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin & Lou Rawls.
John Wright’s first exposure to swing dancing was in 2004 while on vacation in Pasadena, Calif. Years of group and private instruction followed. John’s passion is music-informed social dancing as opposed to conventional patterns or performance. His greatest emphasis in teaching is connecting to one’s partner.
John & Monique can be seen around town dancing to country, early R&B, blues and classic jazz music at various live music venues. Just about any 4-count song with a syncopated or prominent down beat can serve as inspiration. They fuse Lindy Hop, Charleston, Balboa, Blues, and other figures into their dancing.
Brian and Janell have been dancing since 1999. We took our first swing dance lessons in Wisconsin where Janell was acting and dancing in musical theatre. We were hooked. We have been traveling to weekend dance workshops for years—learning various forms of swing and ballroom dancing. West Coast swing is our absolute favorite due to the fact that you can dance it and lead it with anyone in any social setting. We come from a dancing family where our sister and brother-in-law are professional dance instructors in lower Michigan. We are always excited when we can teach one more person to swing dance in the Upper Peninsula. See you on the dance floor!