Our Instructors
- Lindy Hop: Rotating instructors from the Lindy League of Western Massachusetts, including Mark, Christine, Tricia, and Joanna.
- East Coast Swing: Anin Derouin
- West Coast Swing: Rob Olson
- Salsa: Rachel Graham
Anin Derouin has been dancing since she was three years old, when she began learning Tap, Ballet and Jazz. Her teaching career began at twelve when she was a teaching assistant and choreographer for a local children's theater company. After being introduced to social dancing nine years ago, she trained with Deborah Cohen at Paradise Dance in Northampton, where she studied with professional guest instructors such as Blake Hobby and Angel Figueroa. She has been an instructor at Paradise Dance and now teaches at Dance Northampton as well as The Wednesday Dance. Anin teaches East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Fox Trot, Waltz, Hustle, Salsa, Rumba and Cha-cha.
Anin is available for private lessons as well as group classes. She is also available for wedding dance lessons.
Rob Olson's first exposure to dance was a square dance demo and lesson in the third grade. It was not until starting country/western line dance instruction in 1993 with Vance Reed at a local bar in Springfield that he realized he liked to dance. Bill Cameron came in one night to perform a West Coast Swing demo and the dance called to him. But the opportunity to start back then escaped him.
After several years of line dance, a second chance arrived and Rob immersed himself. In 1998, Rob started training for several years in ballroom at the former Linda-Kay dance studio in Ware to develop a good understanding of the structure of the lead/ follow relationship and started applying it to WCS. In 2001, Rob briefly moved to Houston, TX. to train in WCS with U.S. Open Champion Mario Robau, Jr.
Rob then started competing regionally in 2003 and taking more workshops with several instructors from all over the country like Mario Robau, Jr., Angel Figueroa, Skippy Blair, Beatta Howe, Bill Cameron, Beth Duryea, Anne Flemming, and so many more! Rob has traveled all over the country competing in the Intermediate level WCS Jack-&-Jill division, was a top 10 finalist for the American Amateur Novice West Coast Swing Championship in 2008, a three-time attendee of the Mario Robau, Jr. West Coast Swing Intensive Training Program, and is certified to teach WCS through the Professional Dance Instructors Association.
Rachel Graham started her dancing career as a belly dancer performing extensively in the Middle-East, Europe and the US. She has taught this dance both overseas and in the US most recently at Hampshire College. Rachel has studied Salsa for five years in the Northampton area, Springfield, Boston and Hartford with many teachers. As both leader and follower, Rachel loves learning and teaching new moves and sequences and different styles. Her Wednesday classes focus on slot style (on 1) salsa. Classes include ladies’ and men’s styling, shines, and footwork as well as turn sequences. Her instruction stresses good dance posture, technique, and floor positioning, including maintaining an appropriate space and ‘slot’ on the dance floor.
Rachel's recent teaching includes a Latin Moves class at Hampshire College and lessons at a dance studio in Pelham and is available for private lessons as well as group classes.