“the best coach I have worked with for any skill I have ever tried to build in my lifetime”
Aris is probably the best coach I have worked with for any skill I have ever tried to build in my lifetime. There are many dancers out there who teach private lessons and I have taken lessons from other Champion level dancers, both on an individual and ongoing basis. Aris' instruction has been far more effective for me.
What separates Aris from other coaches I've worked with is his depth of understanding of how everything in the dance fits together and even more importantly, his ability to communicate it in bite sized chunks that don't overwhelm my attention during the dance. In addition to his ability to boil his lessons down to micro-cues, his understanding of all of the biomechanics involved allows him to see with incredible clarity how different "problems" in your dance affect each other. This gives him a unique ability to fix those problems at their root. This systematic approach to private instruction makes every lesson extremely high leverage.
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“Aris embodies the rare blend of expertise and empathy”
Starting my dance journey as a complete novice, I was initially overwhelmed by the prospect of couple dancing without any background. The leap from knowing nothing to stepping onto the dance floor felt immense, but Aris transformed that daunting gap into a bridge of confidence and skill for me.
Aris embodies the rare blend of expertise and empathy, demonstrating not just a deep understanding of dance but an exceptional ability to impart that knowledge. His approach is rooted in a profound body awareness, a testament to his background as a fitness trainer, enabling him to pinpoint and address the nuances of movement and posture with remarkable precision.
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“his advice is fine-tuned and made specific for you”
Aris has been an amazing teacher. He has been a huge influence on me over the past 1.5 years, both for dance and in life. I have greatly appreciated his teaching and his ability to explain a concept in many different ways. Additionally his knowledge of the different philosophies of the dance gives him a unique ability to help find what will work best for you. His advice is fine-tuned and made specific for you. I am super happy with the progress I have made and excited for where I am going and I owe a lot of that to Aris. Big Fan!!!
“I have never walked away the same dancer I was before”
Aris is the type of teacher that, regardless of what level the workshop is advertised as, I will be taking his class. As a local I’ve had the opportunity to take many of his group lessons (one-offs and longer series), private lessons, and video critiques, and I have never walked away the same dancer I was before. He is consistently innovating how he delivers information and always has new creative ways of explaining things. From heavy bird beaks to someone pulling on your belt loop to being tethered to the wall, he’s got a visualization for everything and as a very detail oriented person, that has vastly simplified my “dance checklist” and helped me turn my off nights back into on nights. I can’t recommend Aris enough for any of your west coast swing needs. He’s a stellar teacher and all around good human that you want to have on your team.
“feels less like taking a lesson and more like this holistic, comprehensive experience of West Coast Swing”
I found West Coast Swing 3 years ago, and I’ve never been so addicted to improvement in my life. I’m a novice lead with no other social dance background, so I’m something of a clean slate when it comes to this dance. By this point, I’ve been lucky enough to take my fair share of private lessons from teachers across the globe and dance level spectrum. As far as teachers go, however, I cannot express how highly I think of Aris’ teaching style. Here are my highlights as to what made learning with Aris truly unique.
The way he gives feedback.
One of my fatal flaws is that I’m unfortunately picky when it comes to receiving feedback with my dance. After 3 years of dancing, I’ve gotten better at this over time, but it’s still a remarkable chore for me. However, Aris delivers feedback with this impressive combination of patience, grace, and attention to detail, that I blinked and the lesson was already over. I was engaged from start to finish. After most lessons, I’m accustomed to feeling like my brain is full: that if I absorb even one more piece of information, I might explode. After my lesson with Aris, I was surprised to find that I learned more concepts in an hour than ever before, could recall them all, and (here’s the kicker) that I somehow still had the bandwidth for even more!
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“a rare few like Aris are also helpful and invested after your lesson”
I’ve now had private lessons with Aris, dollied follower lessons with Aris, and had video review with Aris. He has gone above and beyond with each session. I definitely recommend working with him, particularly as a duo with someone of the opposite role as he has a unique style of teaching in that format I found highly effective.
Being a good instructor is a separate skill from being a good competitor or a good social dancer. A good instructor pushes for your growth during your lesson, a rare few like Aris are also helpful and invested after your lesson.
I’ve taken private lessons from a large variety of instructors, from long established Champions down to newly risen All Stars. I generally only see Aris at large events with large Champions and All Star divisions. Even with all those choices available to me in that setting, he is someone that I seek out for lessons.
“I would not be the dancer I am today without Aris”
I started learning West Coast Swing in August 2023 and quickly grasped the basics with practice. However, when I wanted to improve and compete, I struggled to make it to finals in the novice category. That's when I began taking private lessons with Aris, and my dancing completely changed. Aris has a unique teaching style that helps dancers understand their body movements precisely. His teaching is clear and tailored to your learning needs.
How do I put this…. I would not be the dancer I am today without Aris. Even living in a country that is 6,000 miles away and having taken more video reviews than in-person privates from Aris, he has completely transformed my dance. From not having made a single novice point to placing in an advanced competition, I am astounded at the level of maturity, wisdom, and care for his students that Aris brings. He meets me where I am and pushes my understanding every time I meet with him or reach out for over-the-phone instruction. If you’re even considering a small review or a private lesson, here’s your sign to just do it. You WILL become a better dancer from that chance.
“find the story you want to tell as an artist and embrace it”
In a word, Aris' instruction is special. Aris has a way of helping you find the story you want to tell as an artist and embrace it. His education with the best of the best figures in WCS is truly extensive, so he is uniquely poised to help you adopt the technique that works best for you. I often take lessons with pros only to be told exactly what he told me! While he is thoughtful and focused on technique, he also creates a safe space for creation and creativity. What I like most about Aris’s instruction is that he adamantly believes there is no one “right way” to do this dance, but that there are so many ways that work. Simply put, Aris is passionate about helping you find “your way”.
Also, his video critiques are straight fire.