In the world of West Coast Swing, the "who's who" of this dance starts (in my case, anyway) with Jordan Frisbee and Tatiana Mollmann, then Jessica Cox, Parker Dearborn, Michael Kielbasa, Jennifer DeLuca, Kyle Redd, Sarah Vann Drake, Benji Schwimmer, Brent and Kellese Key, Barry Jones, Patty Vo, Robert and Nicola Royston, and many more.
Now, as far as yours truly (Kelly) goes, you're probably thinking "the who?", or "say what?"; not to worry. Let me tell you a bit about me:
I was born on February 2nd, 1967, at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas, as the second of three children (my brother Larry, Jr. in 1963, and my sister Sherry, born in 1970) to parents Haynes Larry and Codye Gay Eslinger.
I grew up having played a couple of sports, including baseball for two years, and soccer for three. I did try out for the sophomore basketball team in high school, but didn't make the cut (probably too short at 5'7"). I wanted to play football, but my mom didn't want me to, out of concern about injury.
I went to school in the Wichita school district my entire scholastic career--Wells Elementary from 1st to 6th grade, Kellogg Traditional Alternative--7th and 8th grade, Jardine Junior High--freshman, and Wichita East High School--sophomore to senior years. I finally graduated in 1985 from East High, then went to Wichita State University for six years (1985-1991) and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Speech/Radio-TV-Film.
Right now, I'm single (and proud of it), and have not dated any female in my life. You're probably saying, "I don't believe that; that's a load of crap." But it's true. It's not that I don't like women, but I'm scared that I'll be forced to deal with somebody that doesn't value me as a person, and my life. I appreciate women who value me and make me feel welcome, especially with their smile.
I don't work in any media right now, but I have done a variety of work since college, including temporary jobs in filing, office, medical, assembly, and manufacturing. I've had 11 temporary jobs, and my current job at Universal Products is easily the longest full-time job I've ever held. As of October 2010, I've been with them for almost 12 years.
How did I get into West Coast Swing? Well, I had been going to a few events at the Cotillion Ballroom in west Wichita, and on a couple of occasions, I'd seen female dancers from "River City Swing". Then, when I was going to singles dances at the Caprice Ballroom in Goddard, I had seen posters advertising WCS classes for River City Swing. I talked to a few people about it, and they encouraged me to give it a try.
On February 9th, 1998, I decided to go to Plymouth Congregational Church for my first West Coast Swing lesson. Harry Reese was my first teacher, and I seemed to catch on the few patterns he was teaching. I had been doing a little country/western dancing since about 1993, and that experience seemed to help me.
I went to some of the club dances that were held at The Keg in Colwich (northwest of Wichita), and I enjoyed them, especially the music that was being played by Ronnie "The Dance Man" Choy. I remember going to one Halloween dance in 1998 or '99 in a torrential downpour, but somehow made it in. The people there had a lot of fun and lots of laughs, and I enjoyed them immensely as well.
In November of 1998, I found out that Harry was going to the state dance contest in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He knew of two people that were suffering medical setbacks (both of them passed away in 2003) and those were Jerry Crim and Jody Bridges. So, I decided to go down there and check it out. On the Friday night of the contest weekend, I came into the Elks Lodge on 53rd and Harvard, and saw a full house. I thought, "wow, a big crowd." So, I got a drink and found an empty chair in the back of the ballroom, but little did I know who I was going to meet that night that would change my dancing forever.
It was Jerry Owsley and the Wichita Push Club, and they invited me to come and join them. It was then I first met Mark Harris and Mary Carrington (they got married less than two years later), and first got a look at a lady from Tulsa named Jeanne DeGeyter. Little did I know what she would become in a few years.
Any way, Jerry invited me to his classes the next Tuesday, and I decided to give them a shot. It was like learning WCS all over again, especially with "dancing on the beat". It took a little while, but I started to get it, and I'm so glad I did it, even to this day.
In August of 1999, I decided to try my first Jack-N-Jill contest at the Wichita Dance Roundup. Even though I didn't get 1st place, it was quite an experience for me. In fact, I competed in Jack-N-Jills exclusively until August of 2003, when after I got my first JNJ award at the Grand Prix of Swing (3rd place in Newcomer/Novice JNJ), I tried my first strictly at Dancin' Up A Storm in Kansas City (where Grand Prix of Swing is also held). Mark Harris invited me to dance in that contest, and I got Shirley Schubert, a dancer from St. Louis, MO.
Guess what happened? Shirley and I got 3rd in a field of about 5 or 6 couples. Not bad for my first strictly swing contest. Since then, I've competed in about 11 other SS contests, including Pro-Am and Newcomer/Novice SS. I've placed second twice, both at the Wichita Dance Roundup in 2007 and 2008, and finished 4th or better six times in 12 tries (not bad for a part-timer!).
But I had yet to experience the thrill of victory in any WCS contest, and I admit I thought it would never come. But on July 9, 2010, at the Wichita Dance Roundup, I competed in the Swing Jack-N-Jill and drew Cathy Fieser (one of the first ladies I danced with back in '98), and what a ride we had. In fact, it was so good, that we got 1st place! I was so pumped and overjoyed that I didn't see how much money I won for five minutes! Mark Harris was the first to congratulate me, and many others joined in as well.
I've been very lucky to be associated with such wonderful and talented dancers since 1998, and I hope I can do this dance until the day I die. I've been to not only the Wichita Dance Roundup, but also Dallas DANCE, OKSSDA, the 2007 and 2009 USA Grand Nationals in Atlanta, and even the 2007 U.S. Open in Anaheim, California, as well as Grand Prix of Swing, Kansas City Swing Challenge, and the late Southwest Regionals. I've gotten to dance on teams and strictly swings with such dancers as Will Carlton, Sam Miller, Colleen Cummings, Andrea Scott, Glenda Evans, Kay Bryan, Stevie Blakely, Mary Ann Gust, and Marty Hebert.
I've been blessed to take workshops from legends like Barry Jones, Robert Royston, Jordan Frisbee and Tatiana Mollmann, Parker Dearborn and Jessica Cox, Ronnie DeBenedetta and Brandi Tobias, Beata Howe, and Terry Rosebourough. How lucky can one man be?
So, that's Kelly Eslinger for you. I hope I get to dance with a lot of ladies every time I get a chance to go to a dance or dance convention. I have to warn you, I'm kind of shy, but once I get going, I'm in a groove, and there's no place I would rather be than on a dance floor doing West Coast Swing with people who are having fun doing it.
I look forward to seeing you on a dance floor soon.
Kelly
P.S. Check out the links to my 2010 Wichita Dance Roundup win and my first U.S. Open in 2007 in Anaheim, California. Thanks.
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Kelly Eslinger's 1st career WCS win--July 9, 2010
Kelly's 1st U.S. Open--2007
