Class Instructors

Cebrina Chavez began her formal dance training in Spain in 1993 after falling in love with dance during a backpacking trip across Europe. She returned to Seattle to become one of the original co-founders of Somos el Son Dance Company and has been teaching and performing Salsa ever since.

Dean Paton abandoned the baseball diamond for the dance hall in 1994, and fell so hopelessly in love with waltz that he founded the Valse Cafe Orchestra, an ensemble committed to the art of playing music for dancers. When he teaches rotary waltz, Dean stresses mastering the core of the dance - turning left, turning right, transitioning between the two -- then helps dancers use this foundation as a platform on which to build organic, graceful movement as well as a few elegant moves.

Deron Hayes discovered partner dancing as a teenager and immediately fell in love! She has been an integral member of the Century Ballroom team since 2000 and has been teaching & performing Salsa since 2003. In 2008, she discovered a new love: West Coast Swing. She is currently an Advanced level national West Coast Swing competitor and is looking forward to tackling many more competitions in the future. Besides challenging herself to be a better dancer through performing & competing, Deron is passionate about growing the local dance community and teaching all levels of dancer. She loves being a part of people's social dance journey and watching how it transforms their lives.

Geoff Moyer first stumbled upon social dance in 2000 with no dance training and two eager left feet. Hooked immediately, he filled his time with Salsa classes, and shortly found himself dancing just about every night of the week. He has focused over the years on the New York (On2) style of Salsa, but also enjoys Cha Cha, Bachata, Tango, Kizomba and other forms of Salsa (Cuban, On1, Rueda). Geoff has also taken numerous workshops around the US with top Salsa instructors, and learned in-depth for the last 8 years from Andre Mintz, a world-renowned New York Salsa dancer, teacher and former member of the Eddie Torres and Santo Rico dance teams. As the current captain of the Mambo U dance team in Seattle, Geoff looks forward to sharing the joy of Latin music and dance throughout Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.

Hallie Kuperman is the owner of Century Ballroom and The Tin Table restaurant in Seattle, Washington. Since 1991 she has taught pretty much every form of social dance with the exception of Argentine Tango (for which you have to have prettier legs!). Currently she teaches Salsa and West Coast Swing. She produces, co-choreographs and performs in Century's annual cabaret shows. Since 2005 she has been the co-instructor for NW School's Social Dance Program. Since 2010 she has helped produce the "Dancing With The Stars"-style fundraiser, "Seattle Dances," for Plymouth Housing Group. She has taught at Google, Microsoft, Team Survivor Northwest, EMP, University of WA, Cornish College of the Arts, Folklife and more schools and private lessons than she can remember. Her passion is Century Ballroom, her students, clients of the Ballroom and The Tin Table and creating a community that people will never forget.

Jen Nelson began her love affair with Lindy Hop 13 years ago-they are high school sweethearts—and Mr. Hop still knows how to set her atwitter. She has competed nationally and is a current member of the all-female performance dance troupe, Sister Kate. Social dancing is her absolute favorite thing and she loves to infect others with the jitterbug. When she's not succumbing to Swing's many charms, she can be found around town flirting with theater and mewling with various bands.

Josh Scribner is a Seattle-based dancer and choreographer known for his innovative and contemporary interpretation of tap dance. He recently finished a year-long tour with Cirque du Soleil, has appeared on the television show "Showtime at the Apollo" at New York's famous Apollo Theater in Harlem, toured with the Las Vegas dance company, "Iron Beats," and participated in the creation process for Cirque du Soleil's "Zaia." When not performing, he teaches and choreographs around the US and Canada, and directs the Alchemy Tap Project, a performance company for dedicated teens and young adults.

Mark Kihara has been enthusiastically dancing Swing since 1998. An avid social dancer, Mark has traveled and danced Lindy Hop in more than ten countries. Mark was a member of the 2002 1st place American Lindy Hop Championship team. Great energy is brought to every class he teaches, and he becomes most excited while getting people to share his love of the dance.

Nicole Adams started dancing at the tender age of 2, in the doorway of her sister's ballet class. Her extensive training background includes Classical Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Ballroom, Latin and Swing. Then she found Argentine Tango at the Century Ballroom. She completely fell in love with the dance's ability to take her to a brand new level of freedom and expression. For Nicole, Tango provides an opportunity to not only continually train and develop her technique, but more importantly gives her the space to communicate her own personality and emotions while having a fully connected conversation with her partner through Tango's beautiful and elegant movement. She hopes to bring her strong dance background and years as a Pilates instructor to assist in finding the right alignment and posture for each individual. Nicole has performed with "Tango en Vie" around the Northwest and most recently in Seattle's Folklife Festival and at Century Ballroom in the Tango Cabaret.