Today we’d like to introduce you to Jesse Sanchez
Hi Jesse, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Swing Crush is an annual West Coast Swing Dance event that I started with 2 friends from my local dance community – Alamea Napuunoa and JT Anderson. We all started WCS about 6 years ago and have loved the dance since day 1. After a few years of many workshops, intensives, and private lessons Alamea and I decided to start teaching leveled classes. The most recent studio we taught at was Dance Life Studio in San Antonio, TX. After helping them get their start, we handed the classes over to another dance couple, so we may focus on running other community dance events.
Swing Crush started as a WCS Workshop weekend in 2022. Glenn Ball and Emily Huang were our instructors. In 2023 we ran it as a full weekend event which included workshops and intensives from the top pros in the circuit. 2024 is the year the WSDC council permitted us to run Swing Crush as a trial event at which time we earned the ability to be pointed. Now, in 2025, competitors may compete for points! I won’t bore anyone with what the wsdc pointed system is, however, if anyone is interested, there is info on competitor points/levels on the WSDC website. And, for those interested in joining us in 2025, please visit our website swingcrush.com. We will have workshops and intensives for all levels (beginner through all-star) taught by some of the most talented dancers/instructors in the WCS world (i.e., Benji Schwimmer, Gary McIntyre, Susan Kirkland, Hugo Miguez, Stacy Kay, to name a few). There will also be multiple competitions to choose from, and social dancing every night (Thursday through Sunday). WCS dancers are known to dance from night fall until the sunrises in the morning.
I feel like some people might wonder why the name Swing Crush. There is a phrase many dancers use – dance crush. Typically not a romantic term, it usually refers to someone you love dancing with. With the event taking place in February and it being a Swing event, we made a play on the phrase dance crush – Swing Crush. Every year, we do our best to create a valentines atmosphere. For instance, we have décor such as a large red lit up heart as part of the back drop of the main ballroom. We also provide blank valentines cards that guest may decorate which are later passed out by Cupid from the anonymous sender to their “swing crush”. If anyone is interested in seeing the setup, there are videos and photos on our social media platforms and YouTube.
Also, we are always happy to answer any other follow-up questions!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Having a team definitely makes things easier. I think the most prominent struggles we had was following all the guidelines to become pointed and finding a way to pay for this event – the latter still being a difficulty.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
The 3 of us work in IT which I think keeps us grounded, but also gives us the know-how when it comes to marketing on social media and troubleshooting any technical issues that may arise.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Plan for everything, don’t try to do everything on your own, and don’t be afraid to ask others for advice or assistance.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://swingcrush.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swing.crush/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Swing-Crush-100086379227586/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@swingcrush
