Darrell is an active participant in Madison’s social ballroom dance scene and has been ballroom dancing since 1994.

Darrell began dancing during his first year at UW Madison, actively participating in and eventually helping to direct the social ballroom dance organization at the University.

As a way to introduce more people to the excitement and satisfaction of ballroom dancing (and to counterbalance the sedentary work proscribed by his degree in computer science), he began teaching people to dance.

His often unique approach to teaching borrows from other movement disciplines, emphasizing not the reproduction of “steps”, but the fluid, comfortable, and expressive creation of movement based on an individual dancer’s own strengths.

Now, more than sixteen years after attending his first dance and six years after opening his own dance school, he is still an avid social dance participant. He enjoys meeting people who are just beginning their adventure into ballroom dancing.

With his professional dance partner Sarah Calhoun (whom he met at a social dance), he trains and competes in American Style Rhythm.

He is an NDCA registered ballroom dance competitor, having competed with amateur partners at a variety of competitions in and around Wisconsin. The amateur competitors trained by Darrell have scored numerous first, second, and third place finishes.

Darrell enjoys working with dancers of all ages and all ability levels. New Dancers and Wedding Couples are some of his favorites. He helps you to develop genuine skills as a dancer. This quickly builds your confidence so you can have more fun and feel great about your dancing.