Char and Alan
Char and Alan have been teachers, judges and coordinators at Northwest dance events for over 20 years and were instructors at the very first UCWDC World Championships. They continue to search for innovative ways to present the how's and why's of dance and its relationship to music with a strong emphasis on keeping it FUN. They have a small studio at home where they offer a variety of focus workshops and private instruction and coaching.
They met at the first organized Country & Western dance event in the Northwest - "Evergreen Summer", June 1986. Char was the event director and in desperate need of contest judges. Alan had just arrived from Hawaii where he had danced on a team and done some teaching & choreography. Over the very long weekend Char ran the event and Alan became the head Judge and MC. As the weekend drew to a close they finally got to dance with each other for the very first time ---- and have been partners ever since.
They are two time recipients of the Sweetheart Jamboree "Caring and Sharing" award and in 2003, they received the Portland Dance Festival "Pioneer Award" for their contributions to the Northwest dance community.
Char and Alan have a special place in their hearts for performing dance groups and much of their creative energy has gone into team choreography. They have provided choreography, coaching, and group management consulting for many teams over the years; and have taken placement awards at scores of UCWDC competitions. They directed several teams for the Black Hills Shufflers (Olympia), one of which took them to Worlds I where they were awarded 1st, 2nd, and 5th places. In 1997, the Sun Country Shufflers (Yakima) took their routines to Worlds V and were awarded 2nd and 5th places. In recent years, their performing group SyncoMotion! made appearances at many events throughout the region.
In November of last year, the Black Hills Shufflers team decided to get together and do their waltz routine one more time. With only a limited amount of time to work, they have revived that number and danced their routine successfully at the 2009 Dinner Show.
Char and Alan are currently teaching group classes several nights a week as well as teaching in their studio.
