Meet our staff
Moriah Edwards
Moriah is an Advanced/All-Star level dancer who has been in the West Coast Swing community since 2017. She has a background in hula, with a smattering of ballet, ballroom, and other partner dances. A social dancer at heart, she believes that a dance community should be an inclusive and welcoming environment where we try new things, smile a lot, and foster connection with others through the joy of movement. In her spare time, you can find her hanging out with her cat or taking a very leisurely nap. Moriah recently moved to Syracuse from the Boston area, and is excited to share her knowledge with our local community.
Mangesh Urankar
Mangesh (who often goes by Mango) was introduced to West Coast Swing when he moved to Syracuse in 2015 for grad school. He has since attended many National West Coast Swing events and competes in the Advanced division. He derives a lot of inspiration from other dance styles like Hip-Hop, Pop-n-lock, and Waving; and as an avid closer of the ballroom (breakfast club member), he finds immense joy in dancing the night away in a state of flow and bliss. When he isn’t on the dance floor, he can be found DJing at our local CNY dances to bring those late-night event vibes to our social dancers. By day, Mango is a Mechanical Engineer, and enjoys a wide variety of hobbies and interests (that you should TOTALLY ask him about)!
Kirsten Hird
Kirsten (keers-tin, she/her) has been professionally teaching movement arts for over 20 years and dancing for almost 40. She has been an instructor of circus arts, fire spinning, West Coast Swing, and is a certified instructor of the American Ballroom dances. Kirsten competes at the All-Star Level and is a multiple-time rising star routine first place winner. She has just relocated to CNY from Austin, Texas and is looking forward to becoming a part of a our dance community! She is known for being a technical and concise instructor who is clear, adaptable, and focused on solid fundamentals, ergonomics, and logic while keeping sessions engaging and fun (and a bit geeky)!