Dance Event Promoters

Myles Munroe and Tessa Cunningham are Canada's West Coast Swing Champions, ranked in the top 5 in the world. Myles 21 years of diverse dance training includes 6 UCWDC World Championship titles. Tessa brings academic expertise to the partnership, with university degrees in both Human Kinetics and Education. As performers, they are known for their cutting-edge artistic choreography, positive youthful energy, and enviable musical expression. Their extensive teacher training and experience and loveable delivery of correct foundational technique inspires and empowers students of all levels. They are ambassadors for modern, authentic West Coast Swing: teaching, judging, performing and competing all over the world. www.canadianswingchampions.com

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One step beyond a weekend intensive, we have a success with an artist-in-residence format in communities where West Coast Swing is very new and in demand. We reside in a community or region for multiple weeks, teaching not only intensive workshops, but also guest teaching in regular studio classes and doing private coaching and choreography. The key feature of this format is the ability to reach out to the dance teachers in the community and offer teacher training in West Coast Swing. The enables the teachers to continue the mometnum generated through the weekend intensive.

Social & Approachable.

Myles and Tessa are two of the hardest working professionals you will have on staff. Their deep technical understanding and magical comedic partnership allows them to deliver new technology to students, acheive maximum retention, and make it seem like a party. On post-event participant feedback forms, they are consistently ranked at the top of the list of "instructors you learned the most from". Known for their humble Canadian character and approachability, they stay on the social dance floor till the wee hours of the morning, dancing with beginners and peers alike. They are a well-rounded "jack-of-all-trades" draw to the event: they perform, they teach, they judge, and they social dance.

For dance events offering multiple workshops by multiple Pros, we can teach a variety of topics a la carte. In this case, event directors can choose any workshop title (from the Workshop Menu below) that suits the needs of their event and fits in their workshop schedule. Our recommendation is to place technique workshops towards the beginning of the weekend, so dancers have a chance to work on those skills over the course of the event. See Menu & Descriptions below.

Modern Shape of WCS

Space: The Final Frontier – Int/Adv
Lego My Patterns - Int/Adv
Thinking Outside the Slot - Int
Dance Sandbox - Adv
Zero to Sixty and back - Int/Adv
Speed Contrast - Int/Adv
Surprise Direction Changes - Int

Elasticity & Momentum

The Squish and The Spring - All Levels
Stretch: The No-Brainer - Beg/Int.
Yo! Pitch! - all levels
King of the CASL - all levels
Ooey Gooey Yummy Squishy - Int/Adv
Newton Is My Homeboy - Beg/Int
I'm On Team Issac - Beg/Int

Footwork/Bodywork

Man in the Mirror - Beg/Int
Stride Right - all levels
Rhythm Section – Adv
Groove it or Lose It - all levels
Lower Body Lubrication - Beg/Int

Efficiency Upgrades

Physics not Fixes
You're Working Too Hard - Beg/Int
OldSkool vs. Obsolete - Int

Turn Technique

A Turn for the Better - all levels
Rotation Rotation Rotation! – all levels
You Spin Me Right Round Baby – all levels

Musicality

Show Me the Music aka Musicology - all levels
Musical Movement - Int/Adv
The Emergency Break - Int

Lead/Follow

Driver's Manual - all levels
Action/Reaction in WCS - Int/Adv.
The Conversation of WCS - Int.
The Art of Play - Int
The Art of Closed - Int/Adv
Puppetry of the...Dancer - Int/Adv
Down & Dirty Blues - Int
A Deeper Shade of Blues - Int
The "Ohhhhh" Factor - Int/Adv
WCS Charter of Rights & Freedoms
The Constitution of WCS
Make Lemonade - All levels
He Says/She Says - Int/Adv.
What NOT To Dance - Beg.
What Women Want - Int.
Leading to Please - All Levels

Patterns

Moves that Make You Giggle - Int
Dip It Good - Int.
Just Desserts - all levels
Westies Do It With Whips - Beg/Int
Nice Pass, Wanna Tuck? - Beg.
Triple F: Form Follows FUNction
Quack – Int/Adv

Mens/Womens Styling

Sensual Styling Secrets for Women
Masculine Movement Mysteries for Men
T Factor/M Factor - all levels **
T Factor Meets M Factor - all levels

Beginner Basics

WCS From Scratch - Beg

Conversion

Intro to WCS for Experienced Lindy Hoppers
Intro to WCS for Experienced Salsa Dancers

The Intensive Format

Our preferred method of teaching is the Intensive Weekend Workshop. It involves 3-5 hours of instruction per day, 2 or 3 days in a row. This format takes maxiumum advantage of our expertise: although a few patterns are taught to apply key concepts, the focus is on FUN technique, rather than patterns, which you can learn anywhere. This format allows us to get deeper and go further in explaining key concepts to students. It allows the content to follow a logical flow which maximizes students' learning. Each class is a prerequisite to the ones preceeding. Students must have at least a basic understanding of West Coast Swing. Students should be STRONGLY ENCOURAGED or required to attend the whole workshop, and should be advised to expect both theory and pracitce.

The Master Class

It is intended for the advanced dancers or instructors in your area who want an additional challange or who share more specific goals. This can be an addition to a weekend intensive or a stand-alone workshop. If it is offered during a weekend intensive, interested students must attend the Intensive in order to gain access to the Master Class in order to avoid repetition. Event promoters should regulate access to the Master Class by making it "by invitiation only". The structure of the Master Class is up to you:

1. Semi-private Critique Session: Myles and Tessa offer individual feedback.

2. Teacher's Inservice: Myles and Tessa explain their teaching methods and recommendations from the instructor's perspecitve.

3. Skill Development: Intensive instruction and feedback on a particular topic such as spins, dips, lifts or Jack & Jills

The Crash Course Format

This is designed to attract and inspire non-dancers and raw beginners to try dancing and sample different styles of Swing. The Crash Course would involve a minimum of 2 hours per group and can be Lindy Hop OR West Coast Swing, or a Lindy-WCS conversion class.