Catriona Wiles has studied dance all her life. She began with Ballet aged 3 and moved on to train extensively in a range of partner dances including Country, Salsa, Ballroom, Latin, Modern Jive and Argentine Tango.
Catriona discovered WCS whilst visiting the USA extensively between 1999 and 2004, and learnt purely through social dancing and observing the world’s best WCS dancers in action competitively and in late-night swing rooms. She went on to win the Swing Fling Cabaret Division (2002) with 4-time US Open Swing Champion, Robert Royston and wife, Nicola, dancing a swing number called “Trois” from the acclaimed off-Broadway show, “Swango – The Fusion” (Swing & Tango).
Catriona’s “highlight” year was 2006 where she partnered not one but three top leaders (Paul Warden, Lee Easton & Amir Giles) in three dance styles (WCS, Country & Argentine Tango) all in the same year, training and traveling to compete, teach and perform all over the world including the UK, Europe & Australia.
Over the last 20+ years, Catriona has taken the UK social dance scene by storm, successfully running multiple weekly classes, courses, monthly workshops, freestyles, ICE socials, private lessons and special events in and around London and the UK under the umbrella of West Coast Swing UK, and appearing at dance events globally. Since the pandemic, Catriona has stepped back from such an intense schedule and now only runs one weekly class in Farnham which has become one of the busiest class venues in the country, plus very occasional guest teacher slots. She loves the musicality, freedom and intricate footwork which comprise West Coast Swing along with the flexibility to dance to a wide range of music. Her expert tuition thoroughly covers all the basics needed to get people onto the social floor and beyond and she remains one of the most sought after and respected teaching professionals within the UK partner dance community.
