Your Teachers

Every hero needs a mentor... so begin your journey with our carefully chosen experts! Maria and André are one of Canada’s premier hustle dance couples with numerous first-place wins at major U.S. competition events. They and their students make frequent appearances on podiums in both west coast swing and Hustle competitions. Most importantly, Maria and André are renowned for teaching Hustle in a manner that is enjoyable and which makes it easy to dance Hustle all night long!

André Danis — In his 40s, André decided he wanted to "discover his inner rhythm": that's when he started dancing West Coast Swing, and André quickly made up for lost time to become a strong and creative West Coast Swing leader, winning top three placement at competitions including the Canadian Swing Championships, Swing Niagara and CASH Bash. He brings exceptional musicality, a flair for choreography, and martial arts training to his dancing. That and some occasional screwball comedy, guaranteed to loosen you up for dancing! Andre has taught WCS classes with Maria for years in Ottawa and they've recently been invited to teach in cities such as Montreal.
Maria Ford — Maria has danced since she could walk. She trained in contemporary jazz, tap and ballet for 13 years, as well as gymnastics and synchronized swimming. She holds 17 provincial dance competition medals, including gold and silver places for solo jazz work. Recently Maria has been adding WCS medals to her list, with a collection of wins from Swing Niagara, the Toronto Open Swing Dance Championships, CASH Bash and many others. Together with her partner André she's been enjoying travelling to WCS competitions to compete and dance. With André, Maria teaches lessons in their private home studio, SmoothStyle Swing, as well as being featured periodically as a guest instructor at Swing Dynamite and at events in cities around Ottawa.

Now check out the schedule!

Want to know what you'll be learning from these awesome teachers? Check out the schedule!