All About Ramiro Gonzalez

Dancer, Teacher, Choreographer, Judge, Competitor, DJ

Ramiro began swing dancing when he was 15, teaching at an Arthur Murray franchise for sixteen years. In 1986, he attended his first Phoenix 4th of July convention at the urging of his friend Glen Russell, and became hooked on classic West Coast Swing.

Along with his reputation for great footwork, Ramiro is known for being an incredible follower. When asked about this crowd-pleasing ability, he simply says, "As an Arthur Murray instructor, we had to learn both parts to be certified. Our studio ended up not having a certified follower so I just did a lot of it and it spilled over into all of my dance."

Ramiro competed primarily in Champion Jack & Jill and Strictly Swing competitions for over 13 years. He won the Strictly Swing at the US Open Swing Dance Championships in 1995 with Sylvia Sykes. Other first place finishes include Dallas DANCE, Boogie by the Bay, Capitol Swing, Chicago Classic, Texas Classic, American Swing Dance Championships and Grand Nationals Dance Championships. He competed rarely in routine divisions - once with Francis Bostwick in the late l980s and once with Sylvia Sykes.

He helped form a swing dance club in Odessa, Texas with his friend Gwen, and taught at Odessa College. He hosts dance events in Dallas, playing "just good ol' R&B." As he stated, "I love this dance... and the classic music that we all enjoyed, and that made our dance what it is."