Donna Roesel

Donna Roesel’s [Class Schedule] [Event Calendar]

Donna’s Dance Background includes dancing smooth Swing and Social Ballroom since she was five. She has undergraduate training in Modern Dance, including Graham, Limon and Cunningham. In NY, she studied dance extensively, including Jazz with Ronn Forella and Michael Owens, Ballet with John Prinz and Barbara Cole of Alvin Ailey, and Tap with Bob Audy. Her interest in Swing dancing was renewed in 1989 when she encountered members of the NY Swing Dance Society at Lincoln Center. As a regular at NY Swing Dances, she became known for her incredible authentic NY-style Smooth Lindy, and unmatched syncopated footwork. While attending a Swing dance event in the Catskills, she became entranced with West Coast Swing and has been obsessed ever since! Donna has trained with some of the top talent in the West Coast community, including Mario Robau, Robert Cordoba & Deborah Szekely, Debbie and Angel Figueroa, Robert Royston, Mary Ann Nunez, Kelly Buckwalter and many others. She counts among her credits: Actress; Off-Broadway Singer/Dancer; and national West Coast Swing Competitor, Judge, and Event Producer.

As an instructor, Donna can captivate a group of non- dancers, while almost magically teaching them how to dance. A natural chameleon, she relates to and “engages” whatever group she is working with, while providing them with exciting, up to the minute dance material. She teaches all levels of West Coast Swing from beginner to professional but especially enjoys working with beginners and watching them grow into beautiful dancers. Her mission is to provide a very friendly and non-competitive dance atmosphere where students can learn to dance with self-confidence. Having fun and trying everything is emphasized as the way to allow one's self to be open to learning concepts. When that is achieved, the results come much faster and technical excellence is accomplished more quickly. She loves the old adage "You get more with honey than with vinegar” and believes that this approach allows students to grow with fewer restraints and develop a strong foundation for dance.