Amy Swift is a fourth generation dance instructor/studio owner.  Her great grandfather taught her first time-step, grandmother first plie, and aunt her first pirouette.  Amy grew up in Palestine, Texas competing with a dance team and a drill team and perfoming in musicals.  After graduating from the world known Oklahoma City University's dance department Amy moved to NYC.  While in NYC she danced on scholarship at Broadway Dance Center, and performed professionally all over the country playing roles such as Cha-Cha in Grease, Charity in Anything Goes, and Cinderella in the National Tour of Cinderella. 

She then moved to Nashville for performing and recording opportunities, and fell in love with teaching!  While there she had the opportunity to direct a competition team that won numerous awards - best technique, choreography, top tap, and a National Championship with Applause Talent, and currently has former students on scholarship at four different colleges and performing professionally in LA and Chicago!  Not only does she teach and choreograph all over the country, but in the spring judges for Art and Nancy Stone's International Dance Challenge. 

In the past year Amy has loved every minute of the new experiences at West Austin Dance.  She has led her competition team to numerous high point awards, and had an amazing first spring show at the Texas School for the Deaf.  Amy coudn't be any more excited about this opportunity, and is honored that you have chosen WADA for your or your child's dance training!

Paul Reynolds - Gymnastics Instructor

Mr. Paul is veteran of Operation Iraq Freedom III and hails from the Sunshine State of Florida where he had taught tumbling and gymnastics for many years. Mr. Paul attended Douglas Anderson School of the Arts before competing on both high school and collegiate co-ed competitive cheer squads. In addition, Mr. Paul  has been an instructor for numerous cheerleading and tumbling camps and is looking forward to another year as the tumbling instructor at West Austin Dance!

Sofia Apuzzo - Guest Choreographer/Instructor

 Sofia Apuzzo grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, and first took to the stage at the tender age of six in a local production of The Wizard of Oz.  That experience ignited her passion for performance and she soon started formal dance training at Artistry in Motion.  Sofia continued to perform in nearly twenty productions with various theater companies in Nashville, often doing double duty as choreographer or dance captain.  Favorite roles include Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, Janice in The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, Ursula in Bye Bye Birdie, and Little Mary in The Women. In addition to competing with AIM’s dance team, she was a member of Hume Fogg Academic Magnet High School’s international award winning show choir, the Blue Notes.  Sofia has been the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships to workshops and the Broadway Dance Center in New York in recognition of her performance abilities, showmanship, and choreography.  She is very excited to join Amy Swift at West Austin Dance Academy and to share her love of dance with the students there.

Kristen Leslie - Instructor

Sally Grenley - Guest Choreographer   

Sally Douchette, a Nashville native, has been studying dance for twenty-three years, and has studied under the tutelage of Randy Coleman since the age of eight. She also has been the recipient of advanced hip hop instruction from the L.A. Dance Force in Chicago, IL.  “Miss Sally” is a seven year veteran of the Platinum Award Winning N2Motion Performance Team and has competed independently as well.  She has performed as a dancer with the Power House Youth Project, a ministry designed to inspire, challenge and give hope to young people. Sally’s experience with choreography in musical theatre includes Lakewood Children’s Theatre (Old Hickory, Tennessee) versions of Peter Pan and The Velveteen Rabbit and also The Senior Center for the Arts’ (Donelson, Tennessee) productions of Annie and Miracle on 34^th Street.  Sally is beginning her eighth year as an assistant director with International Dance Challenge (IDC), a regional and national dance competition company, traveling throughout the U.S. extensively during the competition season.  Miss Sally was recently named Assistant Director of the N2Motion Performance Team.  Her platinum award-winning choreography with N2Motion includes “Busted,” “Stand Out,”, “Let’s Hear It For the Boy,” “D-9,” "It Don't Matter," “Cosmic Girl,” and “Oh Susannah." She received a Choreography Award for “Oh Susannah” in 2009 at Celebration Talent Regional Competition and again on the national level at Platinum Dance in 2010. Her choreography has also received competitive specialty awards such as “Most Energetic,” “Best Attack,” “Most Entertaining,” and "Judge’s Choice for Jazz." She also choreographed a multiple platinum award winning piece, “So Hott” for the West Austin Dance Academy in Austin, Texas this past year.  “I get up, I walk, I fall down.  Meanwhile, I keep dancing.”

11420 Bee Cave Road, Suite B100 - Austin, TX 78738 - Tel. 263-2277