Teachers — Central Swing Time

Morning Teachers

When not yelling at neighborhood children to get off his lawn, Evan Borst enjoys sharing the joy of dance with students all over Wichita. He'll be packing up his over two decades of experience, wealth of bad jokes, love for dance, and teaching expertise to bring with him to CST this year and share with all of you. If we're all lucky, he'll leave his favorite chair (he calls it his 'hollering at whippersnappers chair') at home. If he starts to get curmudgeonly he can be easily pacified with Coke Zero.

A central figure in the Wichita swing dance scene, Haley Ensz is a woman of many talents. Introducing young people to the world of art, being able to recite every episode of the TV show Friends from memory upon request, and compiling a complete database of all the dogs in Sedgwick County (including name, breed, and of course, 'who's a good boy') are just a few. The one you'll be guaranteed to see at CST is her love of teaching swing dance. You can ask about the others, just be prepared to be there for a while...

Want to put fun into your day, your dance, want to be silly, want to flex your brains? Come see us. We will definitely mess with your minds (or is our goal) What’s possible? you tell us! The options are endless, we will be kind!

A visionary. A maverick. A Golden Retriever who licked some pre-workout off the kitchen counter. At least one of these describes Ben Todd.
Lindy Hop does take a good portion of his time, but if he’s not dancing, you might find him working on his rainwater catch system, playing through his Steam library, or taking care of his aquariums. In some insane way, all of that probably helps him dance. Come say hi to him! As long as you don’t bring along an open jar of peanut butter or orange slices (the smell’s too intense), he loves meeting new people.

With a personality as colorful as her hair, Winifred better known as Freddie, (or occasionally even Fredrick, if you’re really special) is a dancer who sees life through heart-shaped glasses. She spends her days twirling across the floor, bringing a quirky, playful spirit to the Kansas City Swingout and KC Canaries dance troupes with her silly antics.
Though lively and social on the dance floor, when her batteries run low, this chaos goblin trades her myriad of dresses for a Pokemon onesie and spends alone time curled up with fantasy novels.
Winifred is sure to sweep you off your feet with her whimsical charm - simply ask this silly goose for a dance or introduce her to your pup, and you’re guaranteed to have the start of a great friendship!

Jonathan and Emily Gillett first established their Lindy Hop roots in Texas and are now proud to call Tulsa, Oklahoma their home! Both are passionate about learning Lindy Hop, Collegiate Shag, and dance history. In 2022, Jonathan and Emily placed 3rd in the ILHC Open Strictly.
Jonathan dreams of riding roller coasters in his free time and is always planning their next trip to Disney. Emily has no free time, as she is the personal assistant and social media manager to the world famous Count Basie. Count Basie the Bulldog, that is. Who were you thinking we meant?
Jonathan and Emily both work to help Basie maintain his title as the cutest dog in America, sorry Evan and Haley.

After writing novels that have sold over 200 million copies worldwide under his pen name ‘Michael Crichton’, Justin began searching for a new artistic outlet. Five failed ska bands later he attended his first swing dance.
The rest, as they say, was history. If we’re lucky – and enough of us ask nicely – we may even be gifted the opportunity to witness an authentic “Justin interpretive dance”, a treat known to many in the OKC area.

Here we find a rare creature indeed. The McKenna Scroggins (Mk-a-nik-ah-nic Scroggonious). This cuddly creature is a real gem of the engineeris genus, and though they may seem timid in the wild, they're quite the social butterfly in the habitat of a swing dance. With their suspected relation to howler monkeys, these little critters can reach some impressive decibels when they let out a laugh.
Now, if you're looking to spot a McKenna in the wild, you might want to start by checking out some nests of squishmellows. These cuddly creatures love to crochet and tend to gather around these cozy little spots. In warmer weather, spottings could be rare as the heat and humidity attracts their natural predator the 'Sweaty Betty,’ but if you really want to get their attention, just try out some bad dad-jokes or a few repeated puns - they can't resist a good laugh!