About Us 

Jay Offutt has been coaching and teaching in the Seattle area for over 30 years. He is a former national competitor in Swing, Hustle and Latin and continues to coach and compete with students who wish to take their dancing to the highest level.  Jay has earned many prestigious titles, has appeared on numerous TV shows and had the honor of introducing Hustle as a Command Performance before Governor Booth Gardner and other government officials in 1991 during Washington State’s first official observance of National Ballroom Dance Week.  

Jay was co-owner of the Dance Workshop for 20 years and opened Dance Experience as a sole proprietorship in 2001.  The studio  overlooks the rink at the Highland Ice Arena with nearly 5,000 square feet of space, two social areas and plenty of free parking. 

Jay is  actively involved in the promotion of dance in the Seattle area.  For 17 years he was co-organizer of two major dance competitions, the Northwest Dance Extravaganza and the Crystal Ball.  In 2005 he co-organized Dance America Seattle and he continues to support local dance organizations though participation in local events. 

Jay also began teaching Salsa at Edmonds Community College in the spring 0f 2005 as an extracurricular activity for employees and students. These classes were an immediate success and demonstrated the need to have a formal dance program at the college. During winter quarter 2006, Jay became a member of the faculty in the Humanities Division at Edmonds Community College where he teaches Salsa, Swing and Latin dance styles.  His passion and enthusiasm for dance, along with his unique and energetic teaching style, make it easy and fun to learn to dance. 
 

Joanne Love began dancing in 1992.  She is a former local and national competitor in Pro/Am Latin, West Coast Swing, Hustle and Ballroom. 

Joanne has provided dedicated ongoing support to the Dance Experience since 2001 through her assistance in classes, promotional talents, contributions in maintaining the website, calendars, registration records, student files and a variety of other office related functions.  Joanne can also be seen on the Edmonds Community College campus where she assists with the dance classes. Joanne continues to be actively involved in promoting dance events.  She co-organized with Jay, Dance America Seattle in 2005.  Since 1998 she has produced the programs for the Crystal Ball and the Northwest Dance Extravaganza, providing valuable support for these two yearly dance competitions.   She is also a member of the Seattle Swing Dance Club. 

Joanne loves to share the excitement of dance and the benefits it provides with others.  Her caring support and willingness to assist students, helps to create a warm and welcoming environment for all students to learn in. 

Return to Top of Page