Sparking Joy & Building Confidence on the Dance Floor
Expert Instruction • Safe Mechanics • A fiercely supportive community where every dancer thrives
Photo by Shawn Bellum
The Spark Up Story
The Reluctant First Dance
Believe it or not, we actually spent a long time avoiding each other. Because we had both attended the same dance teacher training school (though at different times), our mutual ballroom connections constantly insisted that we needed to dance together. Naturally, we resisted the setup. But one night at a West Coast Swing social, a Foxtrot song began to play. We finally caved and decided to share a dance—and the physical and musical connection was instantly magical.
From Practice Partners to Life Partners
That single Foxtrot sparked a serious partnership. We immediately began training for Ballroom performances and West Coast Swing competitions. This required intense dedication, with weekly travel to Eugene just to log the many hours of practice we needed. As we spent more time working toward our shared competitive goals, our personal lives shifted, and a romantic connection began to bloom. Today, we are incredibly happy to be both a professional teaching duo and a couple in life.
Fostering a Rare Community
One of the things we cherish most about the Eugene and North Bend dance scenes is how genuinely welcoming they are. It is rare to find a dance community completely free of cliquishness, where people do not separate themselves socially by their skill level. Our mission is to fiercely protect and foster that exact environment, ensuring that brand-new social dancers and seasoned competitors feel like they are working together as one unified family.
Photo by Shawn Bellum
More than Just Steps
When you step onto the floor with us, our ultimate goal is to give you a passion outside of your day-to-day routine. Dance is a physically and mentally healthy escape. We love helping people learn life's lessons through dance, as the journey of learning to move with a partner so often reflects our journey in life—making complex lessons much easier to understand.
Beyond that profound personal growth, we are dedicated to building highly proficient, skillful dancers. We want you to step onto the floor feeling great, looking amazing, and becoming completely one with the music.
Meet Brett Granstrom
With over 16 years of professional experience, Brett is a trained Ballroom performer and competitor—specializing in Smooth styles like Waltz and Foxtrot—whose primary passion is West Coast Swing.
As an active WSDC Advanced competitor, he draws from his formal education in the performing arts to bring a uniquely creative edge to his instruction, emphasizing musicality, expression, and captivating performance quality.
His profound dedication to his students' success was uniquely recognized when over 200 of his students came together to gift him the honorary "Master Brett Award."
Alongside directing performance teams and coaching dancers to competition finals, he regularly trains with world champions to bring the latest modern techniques directly to his classes.
Beyond the competitive floor, Brett focuses heavily on connection and communication, helping students find pure joy while fostering Oregon's welcoming, highly educated dance community.
Meet Keri Pilgrim
Keri brings over 16 years of professional experience to the floor as a trained Ballroom performer and competitor with a strong focus on Latin styles, as well as an active WSDC Advanced competitor in West Coast Swing.
What truly sets Keri apart is her exceptional ability to make complex techniques accessible. Drawing from her award-winning career as a public educator—earning the title of Oregon's Teacher of the Year in 2019—and her extensive background in anatomy, she provides an unparalleled understanding of body mechanics, allowing her to break down intricate movements safely and intuitively.
Alongside coaching competitors to the finals and training with world champions, Keri is deeply invested in the heart of social dancing.
She is passionate about helping students build the confidence to meet their personal goals, working tirelessly to cultivate an inclusive, supportive environment where every dancer thrives.
How We Teach
Tailored to You
We adapt to your specific learning style—visual, auditory, kinesthetic, or analytical. To keep things fun and engaging, we use game-like drills so you are always moving and building muscle memory.
Safety & Mechanics First
Your physical well-being is our top priority. We adjust techniques to fit your body type, ensuring your mechanics are sound—from preventing dizziness to safely modifying arm holds for limited flexibility.
Making Dance Make Sense
We break complex moves into simple, bite-sized components and use everyday analogies to make concepts click. We will always show you the polished end goal, guide you through the learning phases, and clearly explain when to exaggerate a movement for practice.
Positive Reinforcement
Growth thrives in an encouraging environment. We actively celebrate the things you are doing well to build your confidence, even while other parts of your dance are still a work in progress.
Photo by Shawn Bellum
Context Matters
There is rarely just one "right" way to dance. We embrace different techniques as extra tools for your toolbox, teaching you how to make smart, context-driven choices on the social floor.
Aesthetics, Connection & Musicality
We go beyond just the steps to ensure you look aesthetically polished and feel great in your own movement. We focus heavily on how you feel to your partner, while teaching you how to actively listen to and physically reflect the sounds in the music.
Your Unique Style
Our goal is never to create carbon copies of ourselves. We focus on enhancing your natural movement, giving you the solid framework needed to develop your own authentic expression.
