Sarah Riddle has been dancing, teaching, and performing Latin dances since 1997.  Her lifelong training in Ballet, Contemporary, Modern, Cabaret, and Jazz, have deeply influenced her style of Latin dance, teaching, and choreography. A former member and co-director of Portland's first Salsa dance company, Sabor Latino, and one of Portland’s early Salsa dancing pioneers, Sarah has studied, performed, choreographed, and taught all over the world. Her training in Caribbean based social dances is vast (LA style Salsa, Puerto Rican, Columbian, Casino, Afro-Cuban, NY Salsa on '2', Classic Mambo, Forro, Kizomba, Boogaloo, Plena, Bomba, and even Samba) making her approach to dancing and teaching not only well researched, but thorough. Sarah is a former PCC faculty member in the Humanities department teaching World Dance: History of Salsa, so if you have an interest in the history of Salsa, she loves to talk about it! That being said, her Salsa classes are taught on 1, and Cha Cha on 2, incorporating bits from all the other types of Latin dance out there, so that students are well informed of what they experience in the social scene, and in their travels! Don't know what on 1 or 2 means? Don't worry, she'll explain it in class ;) Her wedding prep and Partner 101 classes pull from her experience with other dances, such as Swing, Tango, Waltz, Zydeco, and NightClub 2-Step.  She does not teach ballroom, or competitive dance. Her style of teaching is 100% client based. Sarah is able to articulate not just how the dance and music work, but why, and how to make it yours. Her classes are upbeat, fun, sometimes analytical, and full of dancing (not just demo). The material is dance-floor appropriate, meaning you can actually use it in a social setting. She applies a no-scold policy to all of her classes, so don't be afraid to make mistakes. She also spent 10 years as an early childhood educator, so you can be sure that she will cover all styles of learning in her approach to teaching, and with supernatural patience.

Anjali Hursh (aka DJ ANJALI) has been studying dance her whole life.Her first dance teacher was her Indian Mum who trained in Kathak (North India Classical dance) as a student of the famed Gopi Krishna.Anjali herself studied Kathak with S. N. Charka & Santosh Vyas. She also spent years as a student of Jayanthi Raman, learning & performing Bharata Natyam (South Indian Classical dance.) As DJ Anjali she introduced Bhangra & Bollywood to Portland night clubs in 2000. Since then she has been a passionate promoter of both Bhangra & Giddha (Panjabi folk dances),performing at clubs and festivals in Portland & all over North America. Informally teaching Bhangra for many years, Anjali started offering proper classes at The Viscount in early 2013. As a dance teacher you will find her approachable, friendly, and eager to talk about Desi (South Asian) dance. With a background in Jazz, Ballet & Modern, she combines a sense of humor & fun into her high energy dance class!

Colin Livesey's interest in dancing dates back to hip hop and club music he listened to in high school and college, but it wasn't until he discovered Swing that he truly found his passion. He took his first Lindy Hop class at the Viscount in 2003 :) Since then he has traveled around the world to learn from the international rockstars of Lindy Hop and share this incredible piece of American culture with other Swing addicts. Colin is energetic and enthusiastic in class (to say the least!), and loves the challenge of adapting the material to each student's unique learning style. As an avid social dancer, Colin focuses on the importance of the connection between the partners and the music, and he believes that Lindy Hop is a conversation about rhythm! Even his teaching technique is rhythmic, using song to teach phrasing. So come on out, start learning the language, and join in the fun!

Dawn Matarese is our Mindbody Maven, our Royal Registrar, and one of Sarah’s favorite dance partners. When she isn’t co-teaching Partner 101, Dawn keeps our website up to date and our enrollment system as easy to navigate as possible. She is the masked face with the groovy glasses that greets you all at the front door, checks you in, and answers your questions. Dawn is also the kind soul who used to check your proof of vaccination and remind you to wear a mask when you arrive. Be sweet to her! That is a tough job, and we are forever grateful for her tireless service.

Emily Moore has been an avid dancer since she was three years old. Growing up in a Norwegian and German folk dance community, she discovered her passion for dance. She started swing dancing as a teen and instantly fell in love! Since then she's been performing, competing, teaching, deejaying and just dancing for fun as often as possible. Emily loves teaching, especially Balboa. She loves that the subtlety of Balboa allows her to dance all night without breaking a sweat almost as much as she loves the fashion ;)

“I dance because it calms my mind, it strengthens my body, and it creates a space for connection and healing.” As with Yoga, Iñaki Torres believes in a universal union that can be created through dance movement, especially partnered dancing. Although dancing might not bring you enlightenment, Iñaki believes it can create a beautiful union between your body and mind, the person you are sharing a dance with, and music. He also feels that it allows you to be creative and attuned to your own self-expression. Dance is a language everyone understands, and thus creates a perfect environment for diverse socializing.

Iñaki is one of the most recognized figures in the Portland Bachata movement and his excellent instruction, as well as his good humor and big heart, have garnered him a solid following in and out of the Portland area.

Students find that his classes are rich, energetic, welcoming, and rewarding.

Jennie Fremont has been active in movement arts her whole life, starting from her days as a gymnast as a child and adolescent. She became interested in salsa after a trip to Latin America in 1998, and since then it has become her passion. She has danced and studied on 1 and on 2 salsa, but her favorite is Cuban salsa, otherwise known as Casino, or Casino Rueda when danced in a circle. Music and dance from Cuba has been her primary focus since 2006, during which time she has studied and taken workshops with Donna Oefinger of Axe Dide, Mike and Simona of Rumbanana, Kati Hernandez, duane Wrenn, and many others. She has also studied a variety of Latin and Afro-Caribbean dances such as son, rumba, samba, samba reggae, reggaeton, and folkloric dances from Cuba and Brazil (Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian). Jennie’s teaching style is clear, direct, humorous, and energetic. She values her formal studies as much as her 16 years of social dancing to create classes that emphasize not only technique, but also musicality, rhythm, and of course, fun and individual self-expression.

Kathy Wu is a dancer, performer and instructor with over 20 years dancing experience. Her training includes classical ballet and competitive Latin ballroom. Kathy began dancing salsa in Los Angeles and has had the opportunity to dance on teams directed by world champions Cristian Oviedo, Anita Santos Rubin, and Yared Martinez. Her Portland ladies’ teams include collaborations with artists all over the world including a funky Cha Cha by Sharon Pakir and Latin fusion choreographies by Franco Rocha and Brenda Liew. Her diverse training allows her to work and dance in many different styles and apply her knowledge to improving ladies' technique and styling.

Jeff (he/him) & Leah (they/she) Velez  have been dancing together since they were in high school ballroom club in 2005. Their first dance instructor, Mrs. Ursula Levy, a nurse and holocaust survivor, taught them the power of healing and connecting through dance and music— to grow empathy and create art together. They both grew up dancing Urban Bachata in Chicago, but they have fallen in love with Traditional Style through their training with Alex and Desiree’s Academic Network of Dance. Previously, they taught, coached, trained, and performed with Salseros Dance Company in Eugene. They're passionate about learning together with their students, and bringing their joy of movement, connection, and music wherever they go.  

Melissa Roane, though too modest to admit it, is one of Portland’s most important figures in Vintage Style Swing Dances. She has been teaching at the Viscount Dance Studio since 2003 and has taught, deejayed, and performed at various events around town. Her approachability, knowledge, fun classes, and dance style have garnered her a solid following and place among the Portland’s great swing instructors. Melissa loves the energy, connection, and pulse of Swing and especially enjoys the improvisational aspect of the dance. She continues to inspire new and seasoned dancers alike. Be sure to catch her Swingercise and Retro-fit classes too!
Our darling Melissa moved to New Orleans in June of 2023, but we plan on having her join us for occasional workshops via Zoom, or in person, in the future!

Rod Young’s passion for swing dancing grew out of his interest in 1930-1940’s Jazz (Swing Music). In 2008, after hearing and seeing such amazingly fun music and dance, he was finally compelled to start dancing himself, and before long, Rod was out on the dance floor several nights a week. It wasn’t long before he was teaching and DJing various swing nights around town. This love has lead him travel to other cities several times a year in search of awesome teachers and top quality music. His desire to promote classic swing jazz and dance motivated him to join the board of the local non-profit swing organization, The Portland Lindy Society (PLS) in 2010. As the current President of PLS, Rod is able to put a lot of time and energy into bringing some of the best jazz bands in the country to Portland.

Rod loves teaching all levels of dancers, he is a patient and conscientious instructor so whether you want to take your swing dancing to the next level, or you are just getting started you will get a lot out of his fun classes!

Sanchéz is amazing! More later…