Meet the dancers! Beginning in March 2008, we have interviewed two social dancers weekly at our Friday and Sunday night dances. We are introducing them here so you can learn more about the people who attend Dance Jam Productions' classes and parties. Ask them to dance next time you see them!

July 3

Linda Boulin is originally from Montgomery County and now lives on a 31/2 acre farmette in Carroll County. She has 3 daughters, a grandson a dog, horse and 3 cats.
She first began ballroom dancing 18 years ago after a divorce. She went back to school to earn a degree in agricultural resources and economics and raise her kids. About a year ago she came back to dancing and discovered West Coast Swing. Lately she is out 2 or times a week.
Linda was the executive producer for Miss Georgia USA & Miss teen USA pageant where winners went on to compete in the televised pageants. She met a lot of celebrities doing this. Currently she is self employed. She spends time landscaping her home, playing piano and has a diverse set of interests from attending symphony concerts to demolition derbys. Her "mid-life crisis purchase" was an all original red 1980 Camaro Z-28.
Neal Zarin was born in Washington, grew up in Wheaton and now lives in Montgomery Village. He attended Montgomery College and University of Maryland. He has been dancing more than 12 years. He first saw people doing pattern dances at a singles event and after giving this a try, in his words “I discovered I have some dance cells” and began 2 step lessons at the Junction nightclub in Rockville. At one time he was social dancing 7 nights a week and attending many national conventions, but lately he is out twice a week.      Following 8 years working the private power industry, Neal's been at the Navy for 27 years as a project engineer. He rode sea trials for 4 days on USS Jacksonville (attack sub) and 8 days on the USS Michigan (boomer). "It was awesome!"       Neal is divorced, has a brother, sister, father and 2 adult children in the area. He has 6 fresh water tropical fish tanks, 2 hermit crabs and a a green thumb for raising plants. He is a certified scuba diver and has dived Grand Caymans, Curacao, Aruba, St Marten, St. Johns, and Hawaii (Kona). We asked him what other interesting things would could share with our readers and he offered the following: Went to Russia for 12 days in 2003 and had a blast, very interesting experience. "I have Ukrainian blood"; Volunteered  6 years for Lighting of the National Christmas Tree (Pageant of Peace); Volunteered at the last 2 Illinois Presidential Inaugural Galas; Volunteers and takes pictures at all the Dance Jam Productions special events.

June 13

Jean Albaugh grew up in Annapolis, MD where her dad was an English professor at the Naval Academy. She started dancing 12 years ago for exercise during cold weather months. She first learned Carolina Shag which she abandoned when she discovered West Coast Swing, Hustle 2 step and Waltz. Hustle is her current favorite. She works is an appraisal office manager and travels to Florida a week each month to maintain two houses. She stays in shape with a many active sports. In Maryland she either bikes 20 miles, runs 5K to UB40 on a treadmill or runs up and down a very long, steep hill 20 times. She won the annual Mothers' Day Assateague/Chincoteague 5K race 5 years in a row. This year she says she is hooked on dance weekends and plans to attend 5 events in our region. Jean recently adopted two 6 month old Weimaraner puppies after her 16 year old Weim died last December.
Ken Davidson is originally from Shippensberg, PA and now lives with Gloria his wife in Reisterstown, MD. He has bee dancing 20 years, started with Ballroom then country and now swing. He dances 2 nights a week. He is a retired high school physics & chemistry teacher with a masters degree in education. Two of his students competed at the International Science Fair. He plays tennis 2-3 times a week and spends many weekends at a cabin in the woods with his wife to relax and unwind. He says he loves to eat all flavors of ice cream.

June 5

Christina Henderson is a native of the area. She lives in Colombia, MD and has danced for 12 years. She began with line country dancing, then learned 2 step and Hustle.  She joined the University of Maryland's ballroom dance club in college. Today she social dances once or twice a week. She is a microbiologist at the NIH. Besides dancing Christina likes to spend time with her family. She enjoys live rock music and follows a band called Faded Image. She has sung onstage with them a few times and plans to take singing lessons in the future. She loves all music but especially classic rock. Her favorites are the Steve Miller band and Fleetwood Mac. She recently traveled to Europe for a month and her favorite candy bar is a Zero bar.

Michael Bruno originally from New York now lives in Baltimore. He learned waltz 10 years ago in Florida and soon discovered Hustle. When a work contract brought him to Baltimore 6 years back, he discovered West Coast Swing and Kirsten, his girlfriend of the last 5 years. They normally social dance twice a week. Michael served in the US Air force where he trained as a pharmacy tech. Today he works as a software engineer specializing in avionics. Michael has been playing ice hockey since high school. He plays several times a week on a team called Hook & Ladder. In 1981 he was a winner on TV's "The Newlywed Game". He has 3 sons and a grandson. He rides a motorcycle. On a recent vacation Michael & Kirsten rode in a hot air balloon over the grand canyon. 

May 28

Joel Halsband is from Pittsburg, PA. He recently bought a townhome in Gaithersburg, MD where he has lived for many years. His first dance experience was Cha Cha in eighth grade. He went on to choreograph dances in his high school's musical Oklahoma. After school Joel discovered Hustle and entered many radio sponsored dance contests. Today he still competes in social Hustle competitions and with a choreographed routine. He's been a member of DC's Just Hustle dance team for 7 years. He dances 5 nights a week and also enjoys Hip-Hop, and West Coast Swing. He was recently featured in a Washington Post article about the 30 year anniversary of Saturday Night Fever. Joel earned a BS in Psychology and runs a video store. In high school he played on the football team and he joined the golf team in college. Today he enjoys golf, tennis and playing bridge. His favorite food is grilled chicken. Joel has a son, an older sister and an identical twin brother 15 minutes older than himself.

Robin Stocksdale is a native of Baltimore. She has been dancing 9 years. She began with East Coast Swing and later became a serious competitor in the country pro/am divisions with her coach Dean Garrish. She also social dances 2-3 nights a week. Robin has degrees in sociology, Spanish and social work and is the manager of counseling services at hospice of Baltimore. She lives with her dog and 2 cats, enjoys gardening and street festivals. She likes to travel and says Hawaii is her favorite destination. She lived in South America while in college, has been horseback riding in the Andes Mountains and loves Mexican food. She works out 5 days a week doing Yoga, weights and ellipticals.

May 22

Shawn Brennan was born in Baltimore and now lives in Bel Air. He started dancing Hustle and Ballroom more than 30 years ago. He stopped dancing when he got married and returned years later in the mid 90’s after he divorced. Today he dances about 4 times a week mostly Hustle, Salsa and West Coast Swing. He competes in J&J, Strictly and Pro-AM contests. He has been a member of several swing dance teams and competed at the US Open. Has been dancing with on the Capital Swing team for 6 years. When he's not dancing he operates a dental practice in Rising Sun, MD. He likes to travel to the Eastern Caribbean. We discovered that he played clarinet in 5 piece German band called an Oompa band" and that he has played Saxophone for 30 years. He owns a Sax autographed by Kenny G. You can usually find Shawn cruising very fast on I-95 in his corvette headed to all the DC & Baltimore dance venues.

Donna Lee Archer was born in Lebanon, PA and now lives in York. She discovered country line dancing in 1995 in search of a place to show off her red cowboy boots. There she saw West Coast Swing and has pursued that ever since. Today she dances once or twice a week, often at Baltimore & DC venues. She is an expert seamstress and loves to cook and bake. Her baked goods have won awards at the local fairs. She makes stained glass and is currently remodeling her home. She is married with two grown sons. Donna majored in art in college and she traveled to Italy to enjoy the art. She was especially taken with the statue of David. It brought her to tears when she saw it.

May 15
 

Jason Henry from Latrobe, PA now lives in Westminster, MD. He started 2 Step lessons  two years ago. 6 months back he discovered west coast swing which he says is his favorite. He's normally dancing twice a week. In between he works as a mechanical engineer and is completing a masters degree in Business Administration. Jason enjoys all types of outdoor activities including rock climbing, playing tennis, and riding motorcycle. He is also very proud of his superfast 2004 yellow Mustang Cobra. He takes it road racing and drag racing. Jason loves to eat Sushi.   

Tracy Gauthier a MD native from Silver Spring, now lives in Colombia. She was a serious figure skater in her teens and then discovered the Hustle and later Ballroom dancing. She took a long break from dancing to raise a family then returned to social dancing a few years ago when she had more free time. West Coast Swing has become her current dance passion. She has recently competed in strictly swing and Jack & Jill contests. Tracy’s youngest daughter Connie is also an active WCS dancer and competitor. When she is not dancing Tracy works as an operations Coordinator for the Masters of Engineering program at Johns Hopkins. She holds a Masters Degree in Education and can communicate fluently in sign language. Tracy has traveled to many parts of Europe, has a motorcycle license and loves to eat Baskin Robbins Jamoca ice cream.

May 8th

William Hopkins originally from Rockville, now resides in Colombia, MD.  He began dancing more than ten years ago for a social outlet.  He first learned East Coast Swing, then Zydeco and eventually found Shag & West Coast Swing. Lately he is dancing 2 or 3 times a week. Bill has competed in strictly, jack and jill and Pro-Am in both the Shag and WCS circuit. When he's not dancing he works as Psychologist. Since college he has remained active in sports playing softball and football. He also enjoys working out, reading and eating at ethnic restaurants. He told us his favorite food is Indian. 
Lisa Jane Sanderoff is originally from Bethlehem, PA now lives in Baltimore. She started dancing to help get through a difficult time in her life and try somthing outside of her comfort zone. She started with Salsa then discovered West Coast Swing. She told us she has made some fabulous friends in the classes and at social dances at the Promenade. Lisa works as a pharmacist. At home she shares her life with her 3 children and their 170 lb Newfoundland "Griffin". On the nights she isn't dancing she likes to workout and see Indie rock concerts. She also like to ski, travel, and complete crossword and sudoko puzzles. She has taken up rock climbing hopes to climb in Sedona National Park oneday. 

May 1st

Keith Allen Stremmel from Spring Grove, PA now lives in Hanover. He started line dancing 10 years ago to meet women. He has tried many styles of social dancing since. In 2006 he received a Certified Dance Junkie Award at MADjam. Lately he dances about twice a week. His favorite is West Coast Swing. He is a successful competitor and is currently rehearsing a choreographed routine to debut this spring. By day, Keith makes cutting dies for a living. Besides dancing he told us he enjoys disc golf, fishing and writing fantasy. He has two books in progress and takes part in Civil war re-enactments. Keith studied karate, kickboxing and Iron Tiger Kung Fu. Last fall Keith spent 3 weeks in New Zealand.
Holly Lynn Kirby originally from Pittsburg, now lives in Parkville, MD with her husband and children ages 3, 5, & 6. Holly did ballet & tap as a child, then studied and competed Irish Step dancing as a teenager. Now she social dances about twice a week, her favorite is Cha Cha. She recently learned and performed a 2-step routine in 3 weeks. Besides dancing and being a mom, Holly occasionally works as a respiratory therapist. She competed as a body builder for 3 years and told us she can still bench 185 lbs…twice.  She loves sushi, funnel cake and scrambled eggs (not necessarily in the same meal). We asked about her accomplishments and she told us in 1991 she ran the fastest mile in her high school (4:58). For an interesting hobbies she told us about auditioning for American Gladiators and racing mountain bikes on the the Dirt Rag team in Pittsburgh. She also claims to speak fluent "Pittsburgheeze"


April 24

Nick Frigo moved to Annapolis 2 ˝ years ago. He is originally from Chicago. His first dance experience was east coast swing as a high school junior. Later he tried line dancing and country couples dancing while living in NJ. His first taste of West Coast Swing was mid 80's when he saw Hutch in action at the Spanish ballroom. Now it's become his favorite and he's out dancing 3 nights most weeks. Nick earned a Ph. D. at Cornell and works as a Physics Professor at the Naval Academy in Annapolis. His Optics research has led to 38 patents. When he's not working or dancing he enjoys reading and hiking. He is a 3rd level black belt and has coached three students to 1st level Black Belt. Every summer he travels to Italy to indulge a passion for Renaissance art. He spends hours museums and is learning Italian. His favorite food is sushi. He makes a fantastic Biscotti and claims he can makes a convincing galloping horse sound. Nick asked us to to pass along his thanks to the followers in our west coast swing community for being so patient with him as he works on his “7” count moves. 
Gloria Davidson is originally from Hanover, PA and now resides in Reisterstown, MD. She took up dancing with her husband Ken. They began with social Ballroom, then county where they discovered West Coast Swing. She and Ken go dancing 2 or 3 times a week. Her favorite dance is the Waltz. She also spends time at the gym twice a week and likes to read historical fiction and plays bridge. She is a retired elementary school teacher with a Masters degree in Education from Shippensburg University. She says teaching has been a very rewarding experience for her. She also shared with us that her favorite food is crab and she is a huge fan of actor Matt Damon.   

April 10

Lorraine Louise Rohlik Originally from Cleveland, OH. now in Jessup, MD is the oldest of four siblings, 2 sisters and a brother. As a child she learned square dancing. In college she tried Modern dance. She started ballroom dancing 15 years ago and competed with her husband in Open International Standard. Today she goes social dancing 2 or 3 nights weekly and rehearses with the Capitol Swing team. Her favorites are West Coast Swing and Shag. Lorraine is a regular competitor in Jack & Jill and Strictly Swing contests. Besides dancing she is interested in Geneology and works as a budget analyst for the labor department. 5 years ago she went on an opera tour with her husband to Prague, Vienna, and Budapest and saw two operas in each city.

The best lead is nothing more than an irresistible invitation.  A pause, or a step, or a subtle turn of the hand that says “please, come this way…”  Who could refuse? - Lorraine Rohlik
Clyde William Wright Originally from Tulsa, OK. moved to DC 4 years ago. A friend invited him to a Swing dance last September. Afterwards he watched dance videos on Youtube and became immediately hooked. Today he social dances at least twice a week. West Coast Swing is his favorite and he also enjoys Argentine Tango. At his first competition MADjam 2008, he entered the Jack & Jill contest, strictly swing and pro/am. Besides dancing Clyde has a Computer Science degree, plays guitar, piano and has a passion for acting. He is a member of the British Players organization in Maryland and performs in Operetta singing Tenor. In 2005, Clyde won the lead role in an Opera Festival in England. He also wrote a novel in one month. He is currently rehearsing for 2 shows: “Act of the Imagination” which opens April 10th at the Kensington Armory and “Patience” opening in June. Clyde has a younger sister who also lives in DC.   

March 27 & April 3

William ”Greg” Alvord of Silver Spring has lived here most of his life. In college he competed in Springboard diving and went on to coach. He's led a men's reading group for over 10 years and his favorite food is Filet Mignon (medium rare with fine red wine). By day he is the Director of Statistical Services at the National Cancer Institute. He and his wife Mary started ballroom dancing 4 years ago in search of hobby to share after their youngest of 3 sons left the nest. Greg discovered West Coast Swing which quickly became his favorite. Now he dances 3-4 nights a week. Excited by his first Po-Am competition at MADjam 2007 has went on to compete in several recent Jack & Jill contests. Having studied philosophies and religions of the world, he proudly claims to having discovered the real secret to life - West Coast Swing! In his words he is "well-balanced having both feet planted firmly in the air". After his 60th birthday, he decided to start counting backwards so when he gets down to 20, he says, "they can wheel me into Cherry Hill or Promenade, with drool coming down the side of my mouth and I’ll still be working on a perfect under-arm-turn".
Dinah Elashvili has lived in Baltimore all her life. Her first dance experience was in High School doing Irish Step dancing. While attending Johns Hopkins University, she tried ballroom dancing. After graduating she returned to dancing and after a few more ballroom classes chose to focus on West Coast Swing. Nowadays she's out dancing almost every night of the week, competes as an amateur and is rehearsing with a new dance team. Besides all that dancing, she works as a medical journal editor. We asked her about other hobbies and discovered she's played violin since age 3 and studied Kung Fu in College. - Watch Out! 

March 20

Liza May Born in Boston, now lives in Gambrills, MD. When asked how long she has been dancing she replied "grmfrmumblebrgoogleseventy" (many) years. She's been active in DC's swing dance scene intermittently since the 80's. She and husband "Genieboy" have been competing on the national west coast swing circuit since MADjam 2006, where they started with Jack and Jill contests. It was so much fun they did it again in Boston, then Seattle, then Liberty, then Phoenix. Including competitions, local dances and practice at home, Liza admits to dancing every single night. Before 2006 Liza was a great cook, played first chair flute in a symphony orchestra, founded Local 1000 of the American Federation of Musicians union (traveling musicians and singer/songwriters), organized the Women's Pentagon Action, traveled the country giving speeches to important people, raised children, sewed things, lived on farms and communes, taught music, led wilderness canoe and skiing expeditions, refurbished an abandoned one-room schoolhouse on a remote Vermont hilltop, grew olives on the West Bank, had a SAG card, taught rock-climbing, delivered singing telegrams, kept bees, and maintained a respected private practice as a clinical nutritionist. In her recent words "Now, all I want to do is dance, dance, dance. Who could want anything else when there's Friday's at Cherry Hill!" - We agree, but suggest that a balanced and diverse social life including lots of dancing is best.
Brad Anderson originally from Richmond, he now resides in Arlington, VA. He spent eight years in the Army as a Senior Explosive Ordnance Disposal (Bomb Squad) Specialist. After the military, he earned a degree in Information Systems at VA State University. Brad has traveled often throughout Europe for work and pleasure. His other interests include pretty much anything with friends, running and biking. Brad’s favorite dance is West Coast Swing. In his words "If I had to describe West Coast Swing in a word that word would have to be Connection”. I really enjoy getting to know fabulous, talented people with good hearts. That connection adds purpose and happiness to my life. 

March 13

Janet Elizabeth Kenney originally from Philadelphia moved to DC 3 years ago. She started ballet at 10 years old and studied and performed through her early twenty’s. She also did some flamenco dancing. Her first partner dance experience was with Hustle before moving on to ballroom and West Coast Swing. Between ballet classes and social dancing she is often out 5 nights a week. She makes a living working for an insurance underwriter. When she's not dancing she likes reading, movies and French food. Janet has one son. She has traveled the world while pursuing a Masters degree, visiting China, England and her favorite destination is Mexico where the people are warm and friendly. 
Brian Scott Linacre originally from Morgantown, PA now lives in Perry Hall, MD.  He started country line dancing at bars for social reasons. His first dance was the Tush Push and has been dancing ever since. Now current favorite is West Coast Swing. He usually dances 3 nights a week. He works as a service manager for a forklift company and is working on dual bachelors degrees in business management and e-business. He also enjoys reading, playing golf and spending time with his girlfriend Kimmy who he credits with keeping him out of trouble. He has a cat named "Junior". 

February 28

Belinda Decastro is originally from the Phillipines. She now resides in Baltimore, MD. Belinda started ballroom dancing 3 years ago and caught West Coast Swing Fever when she attended the Promenade's Spring Showcase and was immediately hooked. West Coast Swing has become her favorite. Belinda dances at least once a week. She has 3 children and a music degree in Piano performance.  She would love to play the keyboards with a band someday. 

Jody Moscaritolo originally from Randolph, NJ now in Pikesville, MD started jazz dancing in high school and performing music theatre. He started ballroom dancing 2 years ago doing Foxtrot and East Coast Swing. He learned West Coast Swing at dance junkie weekend in December of 06 and now dances 4 nights a week. When we asked what he does when he’s not dancing he replied “I don’t understand the question.”  (This is a sign of a true "Dance Junkie"). To earn a living he manages software trainers. He has a BS from Towson in communications and computer systems. His other interests include performing with the Baltimore Improv, playing guitar, juggling. He loves to cook and enjoys music, art, movies and books. Jody has two cats Lucky and Domino.

February 21

Alina EntinAlina Entin originally from Kiev, Ukraine now resides in Rockville, MD with husband Dave Kaplan and their Golden Retriever Pup "Baci" (kisses in Italian). She discovered competitive ballroom dancing 9 years ago and worked her way through those ranks with her first and only ballroom partner. They now compete in the Pre-Champion International Standard.  She also competes in West Coast Swing. She often dances 6 nights a week. Her favorites are Foxtrot and West Coast Swing. She earned a law degree at Georgetown University and practices litigation law. When she's not dancing she reads fiction, watches TV, exercises and loves to eat sushi. She speaks fluent Russian.
Phil BradfieldPhil Bradfield originally from Lebanon, OH now lives in Rockville, MD. Phil started dancing “A scary looooong time ago” in college to fulfill a Phys Ed requirement. “I heard that the class needed guys and I thought, what better way for a Physics major to meet women!” - We agree! With the goal of learning 2-step he began country dance competitions several years back. In 2005 he earned a Worlds Champion title in pro/am division with Dawn Garrish. Phil dances 3-4 nights a week. His favorite dance is West Coast Swing. When he's not dancing he works as a “daylight seller”, enjoys visiting friend and plays racquetball. His unique talent is things he can do with his lips! - Just ask him to show you!