About Us

info@shallwedancepg.com
205 17th Street
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
831.373.5678

The greatest compliment about our teachers is that they are excellent, well trained, inspiring and fun. They will find out where you are and then gently guide you to where you want to go. We are confident that with their help you will find what resonates best within you. We hope that our continuously growing selection of classes and the wide variety of teaching styles will inspire you to join the Shall We Dance community.

Our Staff

Creator and owner Ingrid Tower grew up in Germany exposed to Ballet, Jazz, and Ballroom dancing. Her professional life has taken her through teaching languages, and working in project management, marketing and human resource management in both the corporate and non-profit world. She enjoyed Jazzercise and yoga while raising three children, and is now focused on Ballroom, Swing, and lately Argentine Tango. Truly passionate about the entire spectrum of partner dancing and being a strong believer in balancing life through movements arts and meditation practices, she has created Shall We Dance, an inclusive dance school environment, that brings us a place of joy, health, learning and graceful social interaction. The resurgence of partner dancing in popular culture notably Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, and in the movies Shall we dance, Mad Hot Ballroom, and Take the Lead helped confirm Ingrid’s desire to bring this Work of Art in Progress to our community.

Staff

Pat Eodice - Manager, Wedding Choreography, West Coast Swing, Night Club 2 Step, Hustle, Beginner Ballroom, & Country.
- Starting his teaching career in the Country Western dance world in 1987, Pat found not only a knack for teaching but a love for seeing his students develop. After several years and a wide array of awards he made the move over to the Latin and Swing world. His success continued, not only in winning many competitions, but placing many of his students in the competition world as well. As a student of the California State Dance Teachers Association, he has worked hard to develp an understanding of music and dance beyond the actual step patterns of any given dance. It is Pat's belief that the true measure of an instructor is "not how well I dance, but how well my students dance". He has been a featured instructor at events in many states as well as on several dance cruises.

Harrison Okins - Assistant Manager, front desk, design, website, tech support, & student instructor.
Michelle Crozier - Front desk, & student instructor.
Harrison Okins & Michelle Crozier have been dancing for over two years, starting right here at Shall We Dance. Still in their teen years, these two are avid dancers with a passion for the art of movement. They are both proficient in a variety of dance while continuing to learn as much as possible, and are very happy to be able to pass on what they know to our fellow youth dancers!


Jan Burnett - WC Swing, Hustle, Night Club 2 Step, Country, Beginner Ballroom.
- Jan received her teaching certification from PDIA, Professional Dance Instructors Association in 2004 (find her at www.pdiaonline.com). She started her teaching career as a teaching assistant in 2000 with Patrick Eodice, but has had a love of dancing since the early age of 3. Her main specialty is West Coast Swing, although she can also provide assistance in basic Ballroom and Country. She succeeds in working one on one with students to fine tune their basics, which allows their more intricate moves to work more efficiently within the dance. Her classroom students constantly commend her on her teaching ability to readily evaluate their understanding of the concept she is presenting. Her love of the dance is evident in her teaching style.

Masha Loukianenko - Belly Dance.
- Masha is professional Oriental dance (a.k.a belly dance ) performer and instructor based in Monterey.
She been teaching belly dance for four years. Before falling in love with Oriental dance, Masha studied ballet and Flamenco; Her foundations in classical dance forms contribute to her unique, graceful and exciting style of belly dance! Masha has performed with numerous local Middle Eastern dance ensembles, including Desert Dream and Raks Arabi dance companies of Santa Cruz. In 2007 Masha co-founded BellySema Dance Company of Monterey ( a belly-dance fusion/ world dance ensemble.) Masha also instructs Middle Eastern Rhythm and Musicality classes for dancers and musicians! Her passion for dance is tied to a love of music!


Phoebe de Silva - Ballet.
- Phoebe began her Ballet training in the San Francisco Bay area. After taking classes at the, among others, San Francisco Ballet School, she attended the national Ballet School of Canada for her junior year of high school. During her senior year, she danced with the Pacific Ballet Company in San Francisco. Upon graduation Phoebe went to New York where she studied Ballet and attended Adelphi University. She then returned to the Bay area and danced with the San Francisco Opera Ballet. After the close of the opera season, she attended the University of Utah, where she danced with Ballet West and received her B.F.A in Ballet. At that point, Phoebe returned once again to San Francisco to dance with the Opera Ballet. From there she moved to San Diego to perform and teach at the United States International University. Phoebe then returned to New York City, where she danced and taught Ballet with the Downtown Ballet Company. After many years she returned to the West Coast and Mills College, where she taught Ballet and earned her M.A. in Dance. Phoebe then returned to New York City to resume dancing professionally. Following her final series of performances in New York, Phoebe accepted a teaching position at the University of California, Berkley where she served as the Ballet Instructor there for seven years. Since U.C. Berkeley, she has taught ballet for Santa Barbara City College, Rancho Santiago College, Saddleback College, Monterey Peninsula College, among others. Additionally, Phoebe has taught in numerous private dance studios from New York to Laguna Beach, CA to Camel-by-the-Sea.

Sue Flanagan - Argentine Tango.
- Sue's inspiration to promote Argentine Tango through teaching and dancing evolved as she watched the impeccable choreography, extraordinary synchronicity, and breathtaking maneuvers created by some of the world’s greatest professional Argentine maestros of Tango. The unparalleled experience of working with true Argentine maestros in workshops and private classes constantly broadens Sue's horizon. Sue brings a broad background in movement and dance. Trained in kinesiology, dance and exercise, Sue was certified by the IDEA (International Dance Exercise Association) in 1987. A former aerobic, anaerobic and aquarobic instructor, weight trainer and personal coach, she carries CPR certification and pursues all dance and exercise from a 'safety first' perspective. Sue tells us:
"What was missing from all my previous exercise teaching was the beauty, the art and the passion".
"I feel as though Argentine Tango selected me, it has taught me to look inwardly for strength and beauty".
"I have discovered that Argentine Tango is the ultimate form of self-expression".
Sue's website is: http://www.tangofantastico.com/


Carolyn Avery - Zumba Fitness, Yoga, & Pilates.
- Carolyn’s passion for the health and fitness industry stems from a deep understanding of the many accolades received from helping people of all ages develop a lifestyle that makes health and wellness a priority. Carolyn is an outgoing people person,
with lots of energy, an easy-going personality, and a good sense of humor.


Jane Malek - Rosen Method.
- Jane Malek is a teacher/practicioner of Rosen Method with 30 years of experience, and was trained by Marion Rosen. For more information, please visit www.rosenwest.org.


Doris Smith - Beginner Ballroom, Latin, WC Swing, Wedding Choreography, performer and competitor.


M'Kalah Conley - Wedding choreography, Latin, Jazz, Beginner, & Youth Ballroom.


Hector Cruz - Salsa.


Jennifer Haydu - Urban Tribe.


Darnell Miles - Website design & maintenance.

Our Location

Shall We Dance is ideally located in the heart of Pacific Grove, on the second floor of a beautifully renovated 100 year old space. The terra cotta colored building is visible from afar, and the large white windows allow ocean views over Lighthouse Avenue and the quaint 17th Street. The interior design was carefully chosen and equipped with a new professional, floating hardwood dance floor, mirrors, chandeliers and an interior decor that equally appeals to the esthetics of young and old, combining the modern with the traditional.

Our Mission

Shall We Dance serves as a vehicle to create exceptional experiences that enrich and re-energize people’s lives, help gain a higher level of self confidence, and increase physical, mental and spiritual well-being. The joys of social and individual dancing and the extraordinary beauty of the physical space suitable for creating innovative private gatherings and corporate events shall reach into all facets of our community, ranging from children to our esteemed senior citizens, and therefore create a happier and healthier community.

Our Vision

To become the fulcrum for the Monterey Peninsula dance community, fostering health, education, connections, and joy in individual dancers and in the community at large.