Growing up self-conscious I told myself (and others) I can't dance. As a challenge to myself and a recommendation from a friend I signed up for the Four Corners West Coast Weekend. The community was so welcoming and I had so much fun I have considered my self a Westie ever since.

If you ask Nolan his greatest passion in life, he would say it's sharing his love of dance with others and helping them experience the joy and healing that comes from it. He's ecstatic to be helping teach the West Slope Westies, because WCS is the embodiment of the gaiety he finds in dance.

Nolan has been dancing since 2014, learning from world-renowned instructors and competing in west coast swing, latin, ballroom, and country-western styles. He has competed in the WCS Rising Stars Tour; has been a pro for the Pagosa Springs DWTS for five years (and is a 2× Mirrorball Trophy winner); was part of a WCS troupe intermission show for the Durango DWTS; is a co-owner of Legacy Dance in Cortez; and is heavily involved in as many local dance associations as possible.

Cassidy has been dancing for the past seven years in a mix of Ballroom, Latin, and Swing dances, and has been co-owner of Legacy Dance Studio for the past five years. She and her co-owner/brother, Nolan, have been working to bring the joy of dancing into the surrounding communities, one rock step at a time.

Working alongside her brother, Nolan, Cassidy has traveled across the US to train under experts in West Coast Swing, learning as much as possible to bring back and share, as well as regularly competing in Rising Star routines. She is super excited to be a part of Durango's Westie community to help encourage others to fall in love with the dance as she has.

Jenny Mason is a children's author by day, a 3nd-degree black belt martial artist by night, and a West Coast Swinger everywhere else in between. After stumbling upon the WCW crew cuttin a rug at a local bar in 2018, she was obsessed with the stretch-boing dynamics of the dance. She loves discovering the many surprising overlaps between dancing and Aikido -- both of which require connection and poise to generate movement.

Nash (James) walked in for beginner West Coast Swing class. Two weeks later he went with us to a national West Coast Swing dance event in Denver. His life has never been the same. He was hooked! He helped broker an arrangement with the social dance club at FLC for us to teach West Coast Swing.

Autumn started social dancing in high school. Who knew an East Coast Swing class through the community college with a group of friends could spark a lifelong passion? Autumn later found her way into a ballroom and even competed...though you'll need a VCR to view the proof. When Autumn got to college, she found the local West Coast Swing community and was hooked! Autumn moved to Durango in 2015 and is honored to be a leader in its truly impressive local dance community.