Dance history: Chantelle is the only person to work simultaneously as both a Champion West Coast Swing dancer and a professional ballerina in an established ballet company. She began her dance training at age 5 at the Contra Costa Ballet Centre in Walnut Creek, CA. At age 14, she moved to NewYork City to attend the School of American Ballet, where she performed with the New York City Ballet. In 2010, Chantelle embarked on her professional ballet career, moving back to California to join Company C Contemporary Ballet. Ever since then, she has performed as a principal dancer with many companies in California including Oakland Ballet, Menlowe Ballet, and currently Golden State Ballet.
Her WCS journey began in the summer of 2010, when she walked into Two Left Feet in Danville, CA. She enjoyed WCS as a hobby at first, competing occasionally at events in California. After about 1.5 years, she decided to take a break from WCS and took up blues, fusion, and lindy hop in her spare time in San Francisco. In late 2014, she returned to WCS and began competing regularly in the circuit, rising quickly from Novice to All-Star in 1.5 years and then to Champions 2years later.
Since 2018, she has taught and competed internationally on the WSDC circuit. She had much success on the NASDE tour in both Classic andShowcase divisions. In 2019, she was a finalist in the Classic division and also placed 5th in both the NASDE tour and Showcase Division. In Jack and Jills and Strictly Swings, of which she has had many wins and placements, she is well-known for her unique blend of grace, mobility, control, and athleticism stemming from hermulti-disciplined dance background encompassing: ballet, contemporary, jazz, lindy hop, and blues fusion. She has had a large influence bringing the awareness of WCS to the greater dance community, inspiring many of her students and colleagues from solo disciplines to learn and compete in WCS. In 2019, she was featured and interviewed in a dancer spotlight article for DANCE magazine for her achievements in both Ballet and WCS.
Descriptions of accomplishments:
1. 5th Place Follow of the NASDE Tour 2019
2. 5th Place Showcase Division at The US Open Swing Dance Championships 2019
3. 1st place Invitational JnJ at Sea to Sky 2019
4. 1st place Invitational JnJ at Halloween Swingthing 2019
5. 2nd place Champions JnJ Palm Springs Swing Dance Classic 2018 (first time dancing in a Champions JnJ)
6. Winner of the Inaugural Westie Blues Throw down JnJ Capital Swing 2018
7. 1st place Champion/AS Strictly Swing Monterey Swingfest 2018 (as an All Star)
8. 3rd Place Peer Vote Invitational JnJ Swingtacular 2018** (as an All Star)
9. 1st place All Star JnJ The US Open Swing Dance Championships 2017