Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Williams
Hi Elizabeth, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My love for dance began during childhood. Growing up in Wisconsin, my parents were dancers so many aspects of my life were surrounded by music, dance and the arts. Although I had always been fond of the arts, my heart was set on being a nurse until I was diagnosed with a rare eye disease. This unfortunate news led to my mother’s encouragement to join a top professional dance studio’s training program in college and the rest is history. I began my journey of learning, teaching and competing in multiple dance genres including Ballroom, Latin, Country and Swing. Together with my husband, Mark, we managed multiple studios for 15 years and relocated to Atlanta in 1987 to take over two local studios. Over the years, I have enjoyed organizing lessons for local community programs and starting up the Ballroom and Country dance community at American Legion in Alpharetta, which later led to the formation of Club 201. The weekend dance lessons at Club 201 blossomed into West Coast Swing (WCS) Sunday nights when Mark and I teamed up with Suzy Filip to form Swing Invasion in 2012. We felt the Swing Invasion name tied into the military theme of the American Legion, and given that both my father and father-in-law are veterans, I am honored to help support a nonprofit organization whose proceeds benefit U.S. veterans services and active-duty troops. I am grateful my career choice has led me to a daily dose of dance because it is so amazing for the body, mind and soul. Just as I always say to my students to “keep dancing,” I plan to do exactly that for as long as I live.
Club 201 is a local partner dance community at American Legion Post 201 that offers Ballroom, Country, Latin and Line Dancing group classes and social dances every Friday and Saturday night. Swing Invasion offers West Coast Swing group classes, private lessons & social dances every Sunday night.
Ballroom, Latin and WCS are lead-follow partner dances that can be danced to a wide range of genres, including moderate tempo blues, R&B, pop, Christian and contemporary music. To attend our local Alpharetta events, there is no prior dance experience or partner required. Club 201 and Swing Invasion events have a $12 entry fee, which includes group lessons and social dancing. Private lesson rates vary by instructor, location and duration. We love seeing new faces each week and building the Atlanta dance community. We hope you will join us to learn, move and connect on the dance floor every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night at American Legion Post 201.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As with any business, we are not averse to challenges. Swing Invasion and Club 201 thrive on community and relationships. Our biggest challenge is to ensure all different levels of classes stay true to the type of information we are trying to get across so our dancers can become their best. We strive to provide fresh and interesting material during all lessons, whether they are in a group or private setting.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
As a professional dance instructor, I define success as joy; the joy I witness when my students are enJOYing themselves, smiling and moving to the music. It is very rewarding to see students light up with pure joy on the dance floor! Another blessing is watching them overcome their own obstacles through dance. Knowing dance has helped most of our students through a challenge in life is refreshing. Dance is known to not only improve our physical health, but also keeps our mind sharp and improves social skills, mood, balance, strength and endurance! Who doesn’t want to help others live their best life through the joy of dance? I feel blessed to do this for a living!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.swinginvasion.com
https://www.club201dance.com - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swing_invasion
https://www.instagram.com/club201dance - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/swinginvasion
http://www.facebook.com/groups/danceclub201 - YouTube: https://youtube.com/@SwingInvasion
