09/01/2025
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2024-2025 Silton Foundation Winners!
There were many deserving dancers but our funding this year only allowed us to allocate $8,000.
If you can afford to make a donation to our 501c3 we would love to gift $20,000 again for the 2025-2026 recipients!
All of the winners have been experiencing extreme financial hardship and have been stellar members of their local dance communities. We are very happy to be awarding $8,000 this year (5 main grants and 5 honorable mentions) to the following scholarship winners:
10th Place
From Las Vegas, NV, this dancer discovered her passion when a friend convinced her to try a West Coast Swing lesson. That single class sparked an immediate obsession that would define the next several years of her life. She threw herself wholeheartedly into the dance world, but Vegas offered limited educational opportunities. Largely self-taught and self-directed, she struggled to maintain momentum without proper instruction and community support. Eventually, she stepped away from dancing for five years. Then COVID-19 changed everything. When dancing became impossible, losing that option reignited her passion more powerfully than ever. Today, she’s become an uplifting presence in her local dance community, bringing an inclusive spirit and unwavering dedication to West Coast Swing. She generously volunteers her time teaching beginner classes and supporting weekly lessons, helping others discover the same joy she found. Winning $200 for dance education, congratulations to Emerald Burcham.
9th Place
From Portland, Oregon, this recipient began her partner dancing in Ballroom and Latin. After a WCS dancer asked her to dance one evening, life changed. The leader was kind and made her feel like she belonged. The dance was transforming with the feeling of connection, creativity, and personal expression. Now she has taken on a very valuable role as a caretaker of her local dance scene. She is constantly helping new dancers feel welcome, included, and valued. She is also a member of a local group of WCS dancers called the “Lady Leaders”. This is a safe place to meet dancers, learn to lead while developing follow skills, and get lots of practice in both roles. Winning $200 for dance education, congratulations to Julianna Moore.
8th Place
From Portland, Oregon, this dancer both leads and follows in West Coast Swing, but puts most of her energy into leading. Her “all in” attitude has driven her to be very successful and has allowed her to become a good dancer quickly. After experiencing personal and family health issues, dance has been a savior. Dance has found a special place that puts a joy in her life, it motivates her to be healthy and makes her happy. And we are happy be able to support her in her craft. Winning $200 for dance education, congratulations to Janet Nordlund.
7th Place
From Grants Pass, Oregon, this grant recipient is a mother of two children and came into WCS as a trained Salsera. “In Dance everything disappears but you, your partner, and the music. That’s when I feel the most alive. My brain shuts off and it’s all the feeling, the sensation of flying, and the connection. Those “Gooey” dances are my happy place.” In 2014 she opened the Candela Dance studio in Grants Pass, Oregon. Very driven and motivated to build the quality of the West Coast dancers, she began to bring in WCS dance pro’s for workshops and lessons. We are happy to help her continuing education so that she can bring new knowledge to her community. Winning $200 for dance education, congratulations to Melissa Toll.
6th Place
This Utah dancer began her West Coast Swing journey in 2023 after discovering the dance through social media videos while in California. A multitalented individual, she balances life as a wife, author, teacher, and student, supported by a husband who enthusiastically cheers on her dance pursuits. Despite tight finances that require the couple to live with her father-in-law while they save for their next life chapter, she remains deeply committed to the dance community. She volunteers at BYU, helping teach West Coast Swing, judging competitions, and ensuring events run smoothly at her local club. Through her social media platform, she shares her passion for dance and works to grow the community, inspiring others to discover West Coast Swing. Winning $200 for dance education, congratulations to Piper Karren.
5th Place
Hailing from Nebraska and Minneapolis, Minnesota, this dancer has a day job in an architectural firm. He found WCS in 2013 but struggled to find the connection between what he was seeing online and what was being taught in the ballroom dance world until 2022. He travels back and forth between the states where he is passionate about helping to create a safe, welcoming space for others to make friendships and memories through dance. Winning $500 for dance education, congratulations to Carlos Servan-Alvarez
4th Place
From Miami, Florida, this dancer is a newer dancer on the West Coast Swing scene, coming from Line Dancing and Country Swing, only finding her way to our community in 2022, but is making a huge splash. She has nearly tripled the growth of the social dance scene. She runs all socials for SoFlo, oversees the volunteers, mans the cash register, makes administration decisions with the team, finds places for social outings and partnerships, and provides support to local students. She happily dances socially with everyone and has been traveling to swing events around the country, managing that financially by volunteering at the events, as registration and competitor coordination. Winning $800 for dance education, congratulations to Andrea Gomez.
3rd Place
This dancer was introduced to dance by their mom, attending WCS events and
dancing in solo styles as a child. Despite losing their hearing at age 12, they have had an impressive comeback to WCS. During a tough semester at college, her roommate encouraged her to start dancing again. She learned she could feel the rhythm through the vibrations, movement, and emotion of the dance. She has learned to connect with music and partners in innovative ways, developing unique drills and awareness tools. At university, she founded Shocks Westie Swing, a student club dedicated to making dance accessible and inclusive. She
choreographed a team routine for their members and performed it at Midwest Westie Fest, a huge milestone for many first time performers, all while working four jobs and being a full time college student. She has earned enough points to complete in the advanced division and also performed a pro-am routine, thriving on transforming barriers into breakthroughs. Winning $1,200 for dance education, congratulations to Trinity Madden.
2nd Place
This dancer grew up dancing at her mom’s ballroom studio, twirling in front of the big mirrors and sliding across the huge dance floor, completely in her element. When the economy crashed in 2008, her mom lost the studio and started losing their home. With these circumstances, dance lessons were no longer an option but she wasn’t ready to give up. She found free lessons at Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Center and joined the varsity pom team at school. While at college, her sister drove 4 hours roundtrip to take her dancing for their social dance nights. It was the highlight of her week, learning from anyone who shared a song with her. The rest of the week she spent watching endless youtube videos of her favorite dancers, anything to scratch that dance itch until she could get back on the floor herself. After she finished school, she spent 3 years as the promoter manager at a country bar in AZ, teaching weekly lessons and introducing WCS to the country crowd. She even choreographed her own original line dance “Elastic” which has been making its way around the country scene. At the core, she dances because it gives her a voice beyond words. Winning $1,500 for dance education, congratulations to Shayla Bouise.
1st Place - This nomadic dancer may have a relatively young dance journey but they are no stranger to Westie conventions, attending an impressive 42 events in 2024 alone and winning the Annie Hirsch award at The Open 2024 for earning the most points throughout
the year – a total of 154 points over the season. After coming out of the Air Force, he discovered country dancing before starting his nomadic lifestyle, living out of his car and soaking in the natural beauty of the outdoors. He may not call one place home, but recently has been spending time in the Dallas area working with his partner on a Rising Star routine. A big part of what keeps him in this dance is how much it helped him grow, not just as a dancer but as a person. He is drawn to the way WCS allows for individuality and personal expression, bringing
that into everything he does. You see this dancer competing, teaching, and social dancing most weekends. Winning $3,000 for dance education, congratulations to Trenton Jackson.
Special thanks to the Event Directors and Events for these 32 events for graciously donating two tickets for their events this year - please support these events that support our grant winners!
Austin Rocks�The Bend Connection�The Boston Tea party
Capital Swing
Charlotte Westie Fest
City of Angels
Colorado Country Classic
Countdown Swing Boston
DC Swing eXperience
Derby City Swing
Easter Swing
High Desert Dance Classic
Jack & Jill O’Rama
JAX Westie Fest
MAD Jam
Meet Me In St. Louis
Michigan Classic
Monterey Swingfest
Phoenix July 4th
Retaliation Swing
SO Swing
Summer Hummer
Swingin’ Dance Party
Swing Fling
SwingleBell Rock
Swingtacular
Swustlicious
Tampa Bay Classic
The Texas Classic
Trilogy Swing
Westies on the Water
Wild Wild Westie
