A Year in Review - Jaden Pfeiffer

Hi! My name is Jaden Pfeiffer, the 2023 Wild Wild Westie College Swing Scholarship winner and 2024 CSS Scholar. I am immensely excited to discuss my experience with the scholarship and its programs. First thing first, I had a very unusual pathway with the Scholarship. Typically, the College Swing Scholarship is given to those who are in the Novice/Intermediate level of West Coast Swing and would benefit from receiving help to continue their dancing and personal goals. I was an All-Star when I won the Scholarship and had been dancing West Coast Swing since I was 9. This included doing several junior routines and a Pro-Am with US Open wins in 2017, 2018 and 2022. To surmise, I had a lot already going for me, however the community saw my dedication to the dance and professional aspirations. Without the CSS I would not be in the position I am now and I am so excited to share what my year looked like for the 2024-2025 session. 

Jaden winning CSS - with Sherry Reynolds (Chair of CSS Selection Committee) in congratulatory mode

First, explaining how the CSS works

The CSS is a tailored scholarship for College students within the West Coast Swing community. No winner has the same experience. Each winner faces a completely true experience that is designed for what they want to accomplish within the West Coast Swing community. My scholarship year was focused on taking the necessary steps to become a dance professional in West Coast Swing. This consisted of: 

• Judges training with Kelly Casanova

• 1-on-1 consulting with Champion Ben Morris

• Traveling to Europe to be on staff for Bavarian Open and FinnFest

• Dance training and mentorship with Maxence Martin. 

• Wild Wild Westie Staff

I’ll take you through each opportunity that was crafted for me and how it improved my career as a dancer.

Judges training with Kelly Casanova:

I have been in the competitive West Coast Swing circuit since I was 11 years old. I started out in the Young America routine division and competed in my first Novice Jack and Jill at 2016’s Swing Diego. Growing up, I always questioned what the judges were specifically looking for in such a subjective dance. Additionally, as I grew into my hopes of being a dance professional, I knew I would have to hone my skills of being a judge. 

When I was presented with the opportunity to undergo training with Kelly Casanova in a closed door weekend session, I jumped at it! I was so thankful I could be involved in such an educational atmosphere. While I was on staff at the event the training was held, Kelly still made sure to involve me with the teachings, recaps and seminars. Through the seminar, I was exposed to a plethora of diverse judging philosophies and situations that tested my knowledge and ethics as a judge. 

Furthermore, the best lessons I took with me were centered around how to judge and the tactics I could utilize to be a consistent and efficient judge. Kelly Casanova had a wealth of experience and I use many of her tips currently. My judges training experience was fundamental for my growth as a dance professional, and that was granted to me through the CSS

1-on-1 consulting with Champion Ben Morris:

To gain understanding, knowledge and experience as a professional dancer the CSS gave me the opportunity to have 1-on-1 mentorship sessions with WCS Champion Ben Morris. In the sessions Ben and Myself talked about the reality of being a professional dancer and what that looks like on a mental, emotional, physical and economic level. The two of us were able to meet at City of Angels, a WCS event in Los Angeles in April and go into another level of conversation which opened my eyes to the possibility of my craft.

Ben continued to help me see the multiple roads I could go down as a full-time instructor, judge and competitor of West Coast Swing. I could be local or international in my career and each has their pros and cons. Ben has lived both worlds which made him a vessel of experience that helped me choose which route I wanted to pursue. Thankfully, I am doing that currently! Lastly, One of the biggest lessons I was able to take was that it is ok if an idea or project did not succeed as I had hoped and not to dwell on it, but use it as a lesson. 

Traveling to Bavarian Open and FinnFest:

I will be the first to tell you before anyone else that I did NOT want to go to Europe. I had a plethora of reasons: I didn’t know what I would learn there compared to the US, if I was ready for European competition level, and I could deal with the travel while training my Open routine full-time. However, I was so glad Tracy pushed me to go because it completely changed everything. 

Not only did I get the full staff experience from Bavarian Open and FinnFest, but my partner Kenzie Keister was with me every step of the way. First, none of this would have been possible without Tracy Wang and the help of the CSS. My flights, room and board, passes and transportation were covered by the CSS. Additionally, Staff spots were secured to help give me more experience as an international and professional dancer. 

First, the Bavarian Open in Munich, Germany is truly an event unlike any other. The Sepp and Heidi Jack and Jill are in a league of their own! The venue is unlike anywhere I have danced before, and that's a recurring theme with my European adventure. Bavarian was three epic days and nights of social dancing, judging, competing and of course exploring! Additionally, I was able to perform my 2023 winning Rising Star routine at the event. At the Bavarian Open I was able to meet so many new faces and experience dances completely different than in the United States. People were so welcoming, inviting me to explore, go eat or come and dance. One of my favorite moments from the weekend was the staff dinner at a traditional German restaurant. Here, I pigged out getting Schnitzel, Pretzels and so much more while getting to chat with staff members I looked up to as a kid. 

Jaden and MacKenzie at Bavarian Open

My next European event was in Helsinki, Finland at FinnFest! The event curated its own unique vibe, starting with the venue. It was in “Congress Hall” the city's biggest entertainment venue at the time it was built in 1908, there was something amazing being able to dance in a 100 year-old ballroom! The ballroom and a refurbished floor, intricate ceiling and framework paired with cool marble pillars and such. It was a one-of-a-kind venue to dance in. 

The event and community itself was fantastic. The people were so kind and welcoming, asking for dances and conversation any free moment that I had.Again, it was a great opportunity to judge West Coast Swing internationally as the competitions ran smoothly as Chuck Brown was a great Head Judge. Outside of the event, Helsinki was beautiful. The food was great, the architecture was unlike anything I had seen with giant churches and statues and intricate urban planning.

European events had multiple differences and similarities compared to American events. Competitions ran on-time as competitors marshalled when they were supposed to, routines were very new as some crowds felt they had to save their cheering for the end and the All-Star competition atmosphere was introverted. Furthermore, the level of beginner competition is insane. Since there are not many European events throughout the year, dancers do not have as many opportunities to level up which creates a vast amount of dancers who are higher than the level they actually compete at due to their circumstances.

outside the international grand market in Helsinki

Training with Maxence Martin & Virginie Grondin

The week between the Bavarian Open and FinnFest was spent in Lyon, France. Here, Maxence Martin opened his home to my partner and I as we soaked up every bit of knowledge he offered for the next 3 days. Our time consisted of dancing, dancing again, and finally more dancing! On a real note, we explored Lyon, ate amazing food that Maxence and Aymeline bought and prepared, engaged in whole-hearted conversation and even had a scary movie night with MarioKart.

The training I received was everything I could have asked for and more. Maxence broke down my dancing to its roots. We watched video from my previous spotlight finals and worked out what he saw. We started each session at around 10:00 AM with breakfast and mentorship and followed through training until 2 or 3 PM with another session before or after dinner at night. I was given drills, tips and new ideologies on how to structure and improve my dancing. Virginie showed up for the majority of our session, on her own time as I should add. She was not in the final scholarship plan, but she involved herself anyways which I will always cherish. She was another vital piece of my training as I had the best of both worlds in herself and Maxence. She connected and educated me on the followers' side, telling me in exact detail what she felt connetically between Maxence and myself.

I left France better, even though my brain was melted from the education and training. I received the opportunity of a lifetime and it delivered ten-fold.

Wild Wild Westie Staff:

The final part of my College Swing Scholarship year was being a part of Wild Wild Westie and to give back to the community. For Wild Wild Westie in 2025 I received a staff position with a room, payment and my own college student workshop! Not only was I teaching, but I was in cohorts with the committee to choose the next College Swing Scholar. 

Teaching and choosing the next scholar were the highlights of my Wild WIld Westie Weekend. I loved every minute of my workshop as it was dedicated to college students and focused on their growth. It was even better as I could relate and speak similar jargon to get across my points and content. My workshop was also a great opportunity to teach solo while at a major WSDC convention, it opened my mind to new ideas, tactics and tips that I use for my future opportunities. 

Selecting the new scholar was a difficult decision. There were over 10 amazing qualified applicants that poured everything into their applications. As a committee we had to select the individual that would use the scholarship to grow and stay in the West Coast Swing community as well as give back to their community and grow West Coast Swing. I was overjoyed and proud to be a part of the group to change the next scholar's journey and I can not wait to hear what they have to share.