Taletha Jouzdani-Rivas

Over the past twelve years, Taletha Rivas has confidently progressed in the NASDE WC Swing circuit. In 2010, she took 2nd place Female in the Nationwide Tour, as a result of consistent top 5 placements in the Classic Division with her previous partner Jake Haning. Their “Never There”, “Soul Man” and “It Hurts So Bad” routines showed their diversity in style and attitude and were certain crowd pleasers. In 2011, she formed a new Classic partnership with Luis Crespo. “Flip Fantasia” was their very first routine together and showed a playful side to their dancing while their following routines were known for more emotional intensity. Their "She's on Fire" routine was choreographed in three short days right before the biggest competition of the year, the US OPEN and their instrumental version of “Hotel California” received much praise for it’s musicality and relatability. Her most recent partnership with Benjamin Hooten from Texas formed a few years ago while dancing in the Country circuit. They transitioned into the WC Swing circuit and competed for three years in the NASDE Showcase Division. She is currently competing Jack & Jills and Strictlys at the Champion level. Many admirers have described her dancing as clean, playful, sensual and classy. She is taking a break from competitive routines and is focusing on building her local community, growing her dance event Austin Rocks, and sharing her Teacher Training Course with the world. For more information about the course, CLICK HERE. Her newest endeavor is her Clarity Coaching and Connected Living business, where she coaches dancers and non-dancers on how to manage their minds around difficult decisions, relationships, and other challenging life events Taletha has been teaching partner dancing for over 16 years and is known for her ability to create the perfect balance of technical and playful in her instruction. Common themes in her workshops are musicality, creating a balanced dance, and dance as a conversation. She prefers to teach thematically to encourage both retention and entertainment value. Currently, Taletha teaches independently in Austin, Texas, where she is a member of the staff at Austin City Dance Club. She also conducts workshops and private lessons at West Coast Swing events around the world. Her goal as an instructor is to be approachable and teach entertaining, but educational lessons for her students. She has extensive training in various partner dance styles including Country, Latin Social, Hustle, Ballroom and of course West Coast Swing. In 2011, she organized an event called Austin Rocks which helped put Austin on the map in the WC Swing community. She has since partnered up with Champion dancer Mike Topel, as co-organizer. Taletha likes to spend her free time creating theme parties, eating sushi, attending personal growth seminars, camping, hiking with her dog Bijou and snuggling with her cat Fuzz Fuzz.