Biography
Doug Silton, professional dancer, choreographer, performer, and instructor, has been dancing since 1988 and has been teaching, competing, and performing internationally since 1998. He travels the globe sharing his love of social dancing, technique, as well as judging on the WSDC and NASDE circuits and competing in the Showcase and Sophisticated and Champions Jack & Jill and Strictly dance divisions.
Originally from Los Angeles suburbia, Doug traveled to Maine for his undergraduate degree in Art History from Bowdoin College (class of 2000), lived abroad in Florence (1998-1999) where he started teaching swing dancing, and after graduation moved back to Los Angeles to dance and teach full time. In January of 2015, he moved to Gresham, Oregon where he now and forever resides.
Doug is the founder of a Domestic Non-Profit Foundation, The Silton Foundation, which gives over $15,000 in dance scholarships annually to dancers in financial need. Doug is also the founder of several dance teams: Oregon Reigns, The NorthWesties, the Just In Time Jitterbugs, and Diesel Doug and the Long Haul Swingers.
Doug was a top competitor (Showcase Division) and judge on the NASDE West Coast Swing tour, a 3-time American Lindy Hop and Blues Champion, and a 2-Time World Swing Dance Champion. Doug is the only competitor to ever be a finalist in Lindy Hop, West Coast Swing, and Carolina Shag in the same year at the US Open Swing Dance Championships. Doug has partnered with the following brilliant dancers: Nicki Silton (d. 2017), Ben Morris, Tess Minnick, Angel Griffin, Brittany Espinoza, Amber Ripley, Sarah Hettervik, Kristin Sorci, Mary Ann Nuñez, Karla Catana, and Carolina Cerisola.
Doug Silton and Ben Morris not only toured the globe with their SuperJews of Swing routines for 7+ years, but they were the first non traditional gender couple to compete at the US Open Swing Dance Championships in the Strictly Lindy division in 2019.
From 2017 - 2020, Doug was a primary and specialty judge at the US Open Swing Dance Championships - the premiere West Coast Swing dance competition in the world. Not only was he the most worked judge because of his level of fusion expertise but he was responsible for the West Coast Swing judges' training for Lindy Hop.
In the street Latin world, Doug is a World Swing Dance Championships Salsa Champion and Reno Dance Sensation Salsa Champion (with Liz Rojas – Salsamania). In May of 2008, he made it to the final round at the Mayan Pro Salsa Competition (with Espie Hernandez), the second largest street Salsa competition in the world, placing 8th.
In the commercial dance industry, Doug is represented by GTA (Go 2 Talent Agency). His credits include being featured in movies, on TV shows, and in commercials and music videos. Doug has choreographed for Bette Midler and Toni Basil and performed numerous times at Carnival: The Choreographer’s Ball in Hollywood, CA (partner dancing with Angel Jenkins, Melina Ramirez, Kristin Sorci, Nick Williams, and solo with a Contact Juggling performance); this is the venue for top choreographers from all over the world. You can see him in the movie Poseidon, Jason Derulo’s music video “Hit The Lights” and at his favorite dance and live music venue of all time: The Floor Improv Night in Los Angeles, CA. Doug works regularly with featured dancers and choreographers on So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing With The Stars, and Live To Dance.
A highlight of Doug’s dance career was being inducted into the California Swing Dance Hall of Fame (2015).
Doug is the founder of:
1. LindyGroove (with Lance Powell) in Pasadena, CA, still the world’s largest weekly swing dance venue for 12+ years!
2. Where’s Westie (with Pete Green)
3. WCS Rueda (with Damon D’Amico) has its home at www.WCSRueda.com, with free instruction online for various calls for partner changes and patterns in West Coast Swing.
4. Westie Seconds (with Jack Smith)
5. Lindy And Party Dance Convention (with Ben Morris)