Hello There!
I like dance. You do too probably! I started when I was 15 when cute girl asked if I would partner her for a dance class. Since then, I’ve studied a lot of difference dances.
My current focus is swing and I’m spending most of my time doing Balboa and Shag right now. Of course I still like and teach a bit of Lindy Hop, but there are only so many hours in the day!
2018 to Now
My first intro to swing was a Shag was a class from Kate Elisabeth and Julie Roman in 2018 in Phoenix. Learned a bit of Balboa from Natalia Rueda, more shag from, Stephen Sayer and Chandrae (Chanzie) Roettig Gomez. I danced for and helped run the Phoenix Bomb Squad in 2019. Planned to do a lot of traveling for Shag in 2020… but ended up mostly staying indoors and practicing with Julie Roman. I love coming up with new things, but more often than not, all the things I’m “inventing” Jeremy Otth has already done. Since 2024 I’ve been putting myself out there a bit more as a teacher and competitor. In 2026 I plan to do as much as I can! I keep a Dance Accomplishments, Teaching, and Performances Log if you’re curious to see more details.
2010 to 2020 - Puro Tango
Before swing, I was really REALLY into Argentine Tango. I started casually in 2008 but really went for it in 2010 when started studying in Buenos Aires. I began working independently as an Argentine Tango teacher. In 2014 I won the USA Tango Championships with my at the time wife Stephanie Berg, and we decided to pursue dance full time (again). We taught privates and worked as instructors at UC Berkeley. In late 2015 we moved to Phoenix, Arizona.
We opened a number of studios, taught many private lessons, mentored to multiple national and international champions, and worked at Arizona State University, Empower College Prep, Arizona Opera, and Mesa Community College. Stephanie danced and acted in the Arizona Opera’s production of Maria de Buenos Aires.
Combining all the tango training trips, I’ve lived in Buenos Aires for about two years. This is why I have the Argentine accent while speaking in Spanish. My non Argentine Spanish speaking friends and family make fun of me for it.
After this video of us dancing for fun in April 2019, Steph’s health made it difficult to continue dancing together and we decided to transition into separate projects.
2004 to 2010 - Salsa, Folklorico, and Ballroom
Before Tango was Ballroom. In 2004 I started with a general partner dance class and continued by learning salsa from a local community class in Orinda put on by Tomaj Trenda. In college I joined cotillion and learned ballroom dancing from the legendary Kenji Ota and regularly went salsa dancing three nights a week. In 2009 I started working as an a new student specialist at Arthur Murray, Hayward.
Bye
Wow, thanks for making it his far! I like to research and crosstrain because while I like dance (a lot), it isn’t the only thing in the world. I go to the gym, learn about muscle attachment points, think about how urban planning and transit affects dance, and I do pay some attention to politics.
Come say hi to me at a dance event!