Instructors
Damon & Lisa D'Amico
Damon and Lisa D'Amico are the event directors for the New Orleans Dance Mardi Gras, one of the largest Country and Swing dance events in the United States. They have lived in Houston since 1998 and are proud to call it home. Damon and Lisa have been instrumental in building one of the largest and most advanced dance communities in the country. Together and separately they have earned several titles in Country and Swing including multiple top teacher honors of which they are most proud. Their true passion is teaching and spreading the word about this fantastic hobby. Their fun, to-the-point method of teaching gets people on the dance floor, feeling confident and looking good in just a couple of lessons. Damon and Lisa are always offering new and exciting opportunities to learn how to be part of the ever-growing dance population.
Ben Hooten
At the age of 23 Benjamin Hooten has been dancing and competing for almost 15 years and loved every second of it. He started off dancing country and western and took to it like a duck to water. With over 300 amateur competition wins in his years of dancing Ben had a few accomplishments that really stood out. Before he was able to drive he had won the UCWDC Country World Championship Junior Division from 1997 to 2001. As he got older he started to discover his true talent for West Coast Swing. At 15 years old he made it on to a all professional team that went to the US Open and placed third overall. During all of these years of dancing Ben still found the time to be accepted as a cast member for the Broadway show Urban Cowboy but unfortunately due to school obligations he was unable to attend. Finally At 16 years old he got the chance of a lifetime, to dance with Lisa D'Amico at the Dallas Dance swing event. After only a week of practice time Lisa and Ben placed first overall in a very tough field of talented dancers. Benjamin now competes professionally on the NASDE West Coast Swing circuit with Lisa D'Amico and is hoping for a very good year. This win sealed the deal with Ben in the love of dancing, and with the help of Damon and Lisa D'Amico his teaching skills are being honed in. Ben truly loves the dance and the feeling people get when they enjoy dancing and wants to spread that to as many people as possible.
Trey & Tori Ellington
Trey and Tori Ellington have been dancing West Coast Swing for five years and competing for three years. Their love of performing and competing has helped them excel in local, regional, and national competitions. They have both received numerous Top 3 Placements and are now qualified as "Advanced" level competitors by the World Swing Dance Council. They are committed to creativity and artistic expression through dance while expanding their knowledge in many types of dance.
Trey attends the University of Houston where he is a member of the Pre-Med American Medical Association and volunteers weekly at the Methodist Hospital. Tori attends Westside High School and is a member of the Wind Ensemble (top band) as well as the Speech & Debate Team, having won many awards in both throughout high school.
For private lessons, here's how to contact them:
Trey: (713) 882-9734 or treyellington@gmail.com
Tori: (832) 493-6598 or tori_ellington07@sbcglobal.net
JB Brodie
At age 12, shortly after earning his third-degree black belt in tae kwon do, JB Brodie discovered a passion for West Coast Swing. A year later, he began his competitive journey with Lisa D'Amico. By the time he turned 14, JB had already achieved multiple top-five placements in novice, intermediate, and mixed-open pro/am routine divisions. Now at 17, he continues to compete on the national swing dance circuit, with first-place wins to his credit at several major events, including Dallas Dance, America's Classic Championships, and Swingtime in the Rockies. JB enjoys performing at every opportunity, from local dinner shows to national dance competitions. His dedication as a student of West Coast Swing is evidenced by his ongoing participation in weekly lessons. JB is eager to pass on his love for dance to beginning and intermediate dancers. Available for both private and group instruction, he can be reached at 832-660-3626 or jb4dance@aol.com.
Randy & Melissa Winfrey
Randy and Melissa Winfrey are D'Amico Dance's Country and Western instructors at Wild West on Sundays and Lifetime Fitness in Katy on Fridays. These two are great instructors and even better folks. Melissa has been teaching and dancing in Houston for many years. She is an awesome instructor giving great advice to all the ladies and she is a great example on the dance floor. Randy has become an excellent instructor through the experience he's had dancing Pro-Am and now Pro-Pro with Lisa. He has won over 20 National Amateur titles including a World Championship.