West Coast Instructors

Elizabeth was raised in the greater Seattle area and moved to Bend three years ago. She’s been dancing since middle school: Irish, Ballet, Jazz, Tap, and now West Coast Swing. She loves spending time outdoors with her dogs and bringing her passion for dance to Central Oregon! Her and her partner, James, travel to WCS conventions across the west coast to grow as dancers and expand the community. Elizabeth is excited to teach dancers of all skill levels how to grow in technique and in their own personal style.

Born and raised in Bend OR, James was always interested in dance from a young age. Most recently started learning country swing and quickly discovered West coast. He currently competes at events, travels across the northwest and California with his partner Elizabeth to workshops to expand his knowledge of this dance. You will also see him regularly at The Space as a teacher and DJ.

 Chuck Brown is a current Champion-level dance competitor with over 25 years of experience. He is recognized as a top international dance instructor/coach, head judge, NASDE Circuit and US Open Certified Primary Judge, DJ, event promoter, community builder and business consultant.  Read his full bio here.

With a history in individual sports and drumming, Joe was surprised to see how well these seemingly unrelated activities translated into dance. In 2017 he started west coast swing and his life was forever changed! Now an active member of the Oregon West Coast Swing community, Joe continues to improve his dance while also showing others that they too can learn to dance, regardless of their stage in life or previous experience!  You can reach Joe at: jjcmeier@gmail.com 

Dance is more than just a hobby for Ashley, it’s a lifeline. She started dancing when she was 18 at a little country club in San Diego, CA and from that moment she was hooked. She danced country for about 6 years before starting a family and stepping away to raise her two children, Tristan and Ariana. She couldn’t stay away forever though, and found herself walking back into a country dance hall in Bend, OR in 2015, and there she found West Coast Swing. Since then, she's been studying WCS and is excited to share everything she has learned so that others can experience the joy and community that comes with this amazing dance. 

David Leach, better known as Dale Blackheart was born and raised in  Baltimore, MD. Having over 15 years combined of ballroom culture,  contemporary arts and club kid history he has brought VOGUE to Central Oregon. Teaching the elements of the dance art form from elementary levels to advanced is just one aspect of his most recent 6 week series  workshop.

Jessica started dancing at a young age, which has led to 20 years of experience. She has the most background in hip hop and jazz. Jessica has coached a high school dance team for 2 years. Then went on to teaching after school dance programs to elementary school kids for a  year. She then took a break from dance to start a family, but her love for dance never went away.