Shannon Roudhán (she/her) is a textile artist, dancer, and teacher who runs a small business with her husband, Jason (he/him), whom she met on the floor of the Timberline over 30 years ago. She has been a part of the Seattle dance community since moving here 36 years ago and has been teaching dancing since she was a teenager—sometime in the 80s. (She requests that you not attempt to do the math. Thanks.) Her love for social dancing started when she first stepped onto the floor of a salsa club and carried her into her career as a title-holding competitive ballroom dancer, teacher, and coach. Shannon is passionate about transgender rights, creating art, and dancing. 

She still teaches and loves dancing with her favorite dance partner (that’s you, Jason) and wants everyone to know the joy of moving to music and feeling the uplifting energy of dancing in a group of like-minded people. Her goal for ECH25 is to bring a sense of excitement and accomplishment to her classes and to have fun with the queer community to some good music. Shannon is honored to be teaching at ECH25 and cannot wait to see you all on the dance floor!

DJ Alicia - 

DJ Jae -

DJ James (he/him) –
DJ for open floor & West Coast Swing Friday night

DJ Jim (he/him) – DJing line dancing Friday night


DJ Laurie

DJ Mickey/Michelle

DJ mr. kate 

DJ Ray (he/him)

– DJ for Saturday performance rehearsals
DJ Shana –

Emily Kessler (she/her) – NYC / Stud / Uevrline


Emily Kessler is a dance-based artist living in Brooklyn, NY. She has been dancing professionally in and around NYC since 2017, working across film, stage, opera, site-specific, and touring dance works. Her own choreographic work has recently been performed at Mark Morris, Arts on Site, PAGEANT, and Issue Project Room. She holds a BFA in performance and composition from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance. 

Emily found line dancing in early 2023 and started teaching and choreographing line in early 2024. She instructs classes and events for Stud Country and has also had the pleasure of teaching events and classes for UEVR Line, Collina Strada, Unisex, and Honky Tonkin’ in Queens among others. She is so excited to be teaching her choreography for ECH!

Ever (they/them) – Seattle / RCDA / The Reverse Cowboys

Ever is the Co-Director of Programming for Emerald City Hoedown 2025 and is thrilled to be supporting the event this year. They are excited to be gathering with a diverse and inspiring group of instructors from all over the country this year at ECH!

Flynn Bickley (they/them) – Seattle / RCDA

Flynn Bickley is a freaky trans queer line dancer who has been dancing with Rain Country Dance Association since 2019. Flynn loves building community through dance, and while it’s hard to get them off the dance floor, they love making new friends.

Flynn enjoys teaching dance, learning new dances, and being "flynnboyant."

Forest (they/them) – Seattle / RCDA

Forest started dancing classical ballet at 5 years old and has been teaching dance since middle school. After high school, they discovered Lindy Hop and fell in love with partner dancing. They have also been a yoga instructor since 2006.

Forest began line dancing in 2019 and now teaches regularly with Rain Country Dance Association. They love creating and being in a space where gays and queers can be in their bodies, moving together in joy and expression.

Gabby Cabangon (she/her) – Houston / Mavericks Dance Foundation

Gabby Cabangon (she/her) is a proud queer line dance instructor, choreographer, and DJ based in Houston, TX. She embraces dance as a form of self-expression and strives to create joyful dance communities that are welcoming, inclusive, and accessible to anyone. Since beginning her dance journey 4 years ago, she has gone on to compete on the UCWDC circuit and qualified for the Worlds Competition in line dancing her first year. In 2023, she was honored to receive her first choreography award for "Like Whiskey", which she co-choreographed with her dear friend and dance teammate, Mark Evans. In addition to instructing at varied events, she serves her Houston community through her role as an officer for the Mavericks Dance Foundation, whom she performs with nationally. In her free time, she enjoys reading, discovering local coffee shops, and playing chess. She's excited to welcome y'all into her class! Let's get saucy!

Instagram:@gabbythelinedancer

Janaye (they/them) – Bay Area / Stud / Starlight Strut

Janaye is a passionate line dancer with two years of experience, bringing rhythm, energy, and community spirit to the dance floor. They have taught at dance events around the Bay Area over the last year, sharing their love of movement and making line dancing accessible and fun for all.

For Janaye, line dancing is more than just steps—it’s a way to foster joy, connection, and celebration within the queer community. Grateful for the opportunity to teach at Emerald City Hoedown, they can’t wait to hit the dance floor with you!

James (he/him) – Seattle  / TQPiD

James Romero (he/him) is a queer, passionate dancer with over a decade of experience in numerous styles of dancing focusing on swing such as Lindy Hop and West Coast. Originally from the Southwest, James has taught across the country at regional events and placed in numerous competitions for WCS and Lindy Hop over the years. His sole motive for dancing is engaging in the fun and joy that dancing with community brings. A community leader and member of Trans & Queer Partners in Dance (TQPiD), James is known for his playful approach, emphasizing musicality, dancing outside of patterns, and deconstructing dance roles. He sees dance as an essential way to connect, express, and celebrate community, inspiring others to enjoy their time on the floor.

If you are interested in scheduling a private lesson with James in either West Coast Swing or Lindy Hop, you can contact him at james.andres.romero@gmail.com. Reach out while availability remains!

Jim (he/him) – Seattle / RCDA 


Jim Drew has been dancing country-western for 35 years and teaching foremost 30 years.  He is a regular instructor and DJ for Rain Country, and he has taught workshops at the Emerald City Hoedown, Sundance Stompede, and at several IAGLCWDC annual convention hoedowns.  He has performed with and chroegraphed for several dance teams, including the Rain City Rhythm Riders.  He competed in line dance at the World OutGames in Montreal, Copenhagen, and Miami, winning two gold medals in Copenhagen.

Léo (he/they) – Seattle / RCDA / TQPiD
Léo (he/they) is a queer, Filipinx, neurodivergent dance instructor and the Co-Director of Programming for Emerald City Hoedown 2025. 

They taught professionally from 2019 to 2023 before shifting their focus to queer-centered instruction. In 2024, Léo began teaching Queer Bachata and OutDancing at Century Ballroom, while also helping organize Baila Latinx and other queer and trans-focused classes. Their teaching spans events like WTF! Thursday Fusion, Queerchata, and assisting with OutCountry.
After rupturing their Achilles in May 2024, Léo continued teaching for Queerchata while adapting their movement with an iWalk. That same year, they founded Trans Queer Partners in Dance (TQPiD), inspired by OutDancing and OutCountry, to expand queer and trans visibility in partner dance.
Léo is excited to choreograph queer and trans wedding dances this year, creating joyful and affirming first dances for couples celebrating their love.

For Léo, dance is more than movement—it’s a joyful act of community care, connection, and growth, ensuring dance remains accessible and inclusive for all.

Lindsey (they/them) – Seattle / RCDA / The Reverse Cowboys

Lindsey fell in love with country dancing in 2022 through Rain Country. For them, dance is more than movement—it's a powerful form of resistance, expression, and joy, especially within the queer community.

As an instructor with Rain Country, they are passionate about sharing this joy with others. They also organize outdoor line dancing through their performance group, The Reverse Cowboys, and founded 253Step, a queer country dance night in Tacoma.

In 2024, Lindsey expanded their love for dance into choreography, creating dances that embrace all skill levels.

Mara (she/her) – Albuquerque / The Outlaws

Mara Dauber (she/her) is the founder of The Outlaws, a queer country dance community, in Albuquerque, NM in 2022. In a city with a rich queer country history, Mara has grown The Outlaws into a thriving community with weekly events at the oldest queer club in the Southwest, beloved Farm Dances at a local queer farm, and most recently, monthly events at the public library built on the site of the nightclub where her grandparents used to dance. She hosts, DJs, choreographs, and teaches lessons (often simultaneously), and is invested in creating spaces to learn, build, and move together. Mara has a deep love for Rain Country and the queer dance community in Seattle (she used to live here and started dancing with RC on Fridays at The Cuff in 2019).

Nico (they/them or he/him) – Austin / Country Fried Dance

Nico (they/them or he/him) is a transgender nonbinary dance lover, turned accidental instructor and founder of Country Fried Dance (CFD). Like many great things, CFD started as a joke, but became so much more. Since its founding in July 2023, CFD has grown into a vibrant and supportive country dance community that’s been putting line dancing back on the map in Austin, Texas. In addition to teaching popular dances, Nico enjoys choreographing original pieces and has a penchant for song swapping. Nico is a former gifted kid and competition dancer, who invites all dancers to heal their inner perfectionist at their joy-focused, technique optional events.

Rémy (they/them) – Seattle

For over 20 years, Rémy has danced a multitude of different dance styles in the exploration of movement and connection. Focusing on fusion for the past 15 years, they've found so much joy and inspiration through dance and music in their journey.

 Rob (he/him)

Rob grew up hating country music until one day, he walked into a gay bar and saw a group of men doing the two-step. Country music and two-stepping have been his obsession ever since… and he has the cowboy drag to prove it. Rob joins us from Palm Springs where he is the Director of and teaches at Dance Ranch Palm Springs. He also teaches at Sundance Saloon in San Francisco and has taught here at the Emerald City Hoedown for many years.