ABOUT THE OPEN

Our Mission

The mission of The Open World Swing Dance Championships is to provide the quintessential environment in which all attendees celebrate excellence, inclusion, and innovation in Swing Dancing, while holding a deep respect for the history and future of the art form. The Open strives to be a safe and inclusive space that welcomes all people in the fullness of their artistic expression, and supports all personal, partnered, and communal acts of creativity and expression. We create opportunities for any person(s) with a desire to learn, dance, perform, and progress Swing Dancing through a lens of respect, collaboration, and global participation.

board of directors

JOHN LINDO

JESSICA MCCURDY

SHAROLE LASHE NEGRETE

ERICA SMITH

WEE TZE YI

JORDAN FRISBEE

RUBY LAIR

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

the open SHAREHOLDERS

Phil Adams

Jack Berard

Sharlot Bott

Phil Dorroll

Ruth Farmer

Jim Glazier

Raymond & Sandy Harris

Nathan Miller

Meta Morrison

George & Sharole Negrete

John Lindo

Kay Scheller

Lou Szed

Millie Szerman

Helen Tang

Betty Whyte

the open team

EVENT MANAGEMENT

EVENT REPRESENTATIVES

EVENT PROMOTION

EVENT SUPPORT

BALLROOM COORDINATOR
Nick Payton

ASST. BALLROOM COORDINATOR
Carl Hedberg

CONTEST COORDINATORS
Derek Leyva
Jennifer Norris
MaryKelley Floyd

EVENT
SECURITY
Michael Eads

LEAD SAFETY
REPRESENTATIVE
Heidi Dziak

REGISTRATION & SCORING SYSTEMS
Event Express Pro

APPAREL COORDINATOR
MaryKelley Floyd

PHOTOGRAPHY
Brad Whelan

SOCIAL MEDIA REELS
Demetre Souliotes

LIVESTREAM
GlobalDanceTV

VISUAL EFFECTS
Andreas Kasper

FLOOR, LIGHTING, A/V PRODUCTION
Out Dancing Productions

COMPETITOR RULES COMMITTEE

Jordan Frisbee

Brandi Guild

Ben Morris

Cameo McHenry

Maxime Zzaoui

Dawn Garrish

Sean McKeever

The Open Logo

THE OPEN SAFETY CONCERNS COMMITTEE

HEIDI DZIAK

DANI MULLIN DARASZ

KATHY KROLL ROMANA

MICHAEL EADS