About Dave & Linda

Dave and Linda are internationally known for their contagious enthusiasm for dancing and “Fun First” style of teaching. Individually, they bring their own unique backgrounds to form the perfect partnership.

They are associate professional members of the World Swing Dance Council and have successfully completed preliminary teacher examinations for the GSDTA (Golden State Dance Teachers Association)

Linda’s experience in music & dance began at an early age. She loved the piano and was one of those rare kids whose parents did not need to coax her to practice. She eventually went on to become a certified  teacher with the Royal Conservatory of Music and then was accepted to continue her study of music at the University of British Columbia.

But a funny thing happened on the way to BC................

Dave, an engineering student at Carleton University intercepted her move and her teaching plans gave way to love and marriage.

Dave & Linda started dancing in the late 70s when they were introduced to Disco Jive. In the 90s, their love of country music led them to try their hand at country line dancing. Although the line dancing was fun, they decided to take up country couples dancing and started out learning the Two-Step. As an engineer, dancing, technically made sense to Dave and it wasn’t long before they graduated to East Coast Swing, Cha-Cha, and West Coast Swing.

Dave & Linda quickly became popular dance teachers in and around Ottawa. With the help of friends and family, in 1997, they founded Count on Country. The business was focused on partner and couples social dance instruction.

It wasn’t until they attended the 2000 UCWDC’s World Championships in Nashville, where they were introduced to the “Swing” World of dancing, that they fell in love with Classic West Coast Swing.

Before you knew it, Dave & Linda were attending an event a month, seeking out only the most proficient of WCS’s top pros for privates and class instruction.

In 2004 they changed the name of their business to Count on Dancing to reflect the broader selection of social dances that they taught. With much dedication and persistence, Dave and Linda  have spent 8 years building the existing  WCS community in Ottawa through lessons, seminars, dance demos, regular dances, special events, workshops and bringing in top international pros from the Swing World.

To Dave and Linda, their enjoyment of dancing will always be the bright smiles on their students faces whether they are learning and succeeding, competing and winning, working on and performing their wedding choreography or just having fun.  Watching their students’ dance dreams put into motion is an unforgettable experience.