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About the dancers . . .
April Brilliant
April Brilliant is your host weekdays from 10 am-3pm on Froggy
99.9. Born and raised on the Eastern Shore, April is our resident
"local yocal." A graduate of Delmar High School and Salisbury
University, April has lived on Delmarva her whole entire life...with the
exception of three years when she had to act like a "Baltimoron" and
live across the bridge when she first got married. Now, she and her
husband and two beautiful children reside in the area that she loves
so much. April considers herself a "Beach Babe" and says that there
is no place in the world like the beach. She loves summer here on
Delmarva, so she can hit the beach, bike along Assateague and go
camping (It's not really roughing it though. She has an RV and
camps most of the time at Fort Whaley).
A former watermelon queen and Mrs. Maryland, April devotes her
time outside of work to her family, and is active in her children's
school where she is a Daisy Troop Girl Scout leader. She loves
singing karaoke, and in fact...that's how she met her husband. He's
a singer too, and the kids are following in Mom and Dad's footsteps.
Information provided by froggy999.com
April Brilliant is your host weekdays from 10 am-3pm on Froggy
99.9. Born and raised on the Eastern Shore, April is our resident
"local yocal." A graduate of Delmar High School and Salisbury
University, April has lived on Delmarva her whole entire life...with the
exception of three years when she had to act like a "Baltimoron" and
live across the bridge when she first got married. Now, she and her
husband and two beautiful children reside in the area that she loves
so much. April considers herself a "Beach Babe" and says that there
is no place in the world like the beach. She loves summer here on
Delmarva, so she can hit the beach, bike along Assateague and go
camping (It's not really roughing it though. She has an RV and
camps most of the time at Fort Whaley).
A former watermelon queen and Mrs. Maryland, April devotes her
time outside of work to her family, and is active in her children's
school where she is a Daisy Troop Girl Scout leader. She loves
singing karaoke, and in fact...that's how she met her husband. He's
a singer too, and the kids are following in Mom and Dad's footsteps.
Information provided by froggy999.com
Instructor Bill Goschen:
Bill entered the dance scene in 1977 with
Disco/New York Sling Hustle. He was trained by
professional Cabaret/Ballroom dancers Charles
Zara and Joyce and Janice Bova. Before long,
Bill was teaching others the Hustle and immediately
knew he found his passion. It was a sight to see, Bill dressed in blue
jeans and cowboy boots with a pony tail and lambchop sideburns. A
comprehend.
In the mid/late 1980s, Bill sought out new dances and found The
Baltimore Bop Shop and learned swing from David Olton. Again, it
wasn't long before Bill began teaching beginner Swing classes once
a week for years and served the club as a member on the Board of
Directors. Bill's efforts increased membership to 150 members and
weekly class sizes soared to 50. During this time, Bill also opened
his own private dance studio where he still operates out of today.
Continually seeking to broaden his horizens in dance, Bill learned of
and took West Coast Swing (WCS) lessons with Craig Hutchinson
who was a popular instructor at Cherry Hill when it first opened.
Craig was inducted into the Swing Dance Hall of Fame and founded
the first Virginia State Open Swing Dance Championship
competition. In addition to WSC, Bill also ventured into Jazz theatre.
The dance scene continued to explode when Frankie Manning, the
last living member of the elite Whitey's Lindy Hoppers came out of
retirement. Frankie Manning, a major force behind the development
of the original swing dance the Lindy, is credited with creating not
only the first aerial dance step, but also the first ensemble Lindy
routine. He performed in several films including Everybody Sing with
Judy Garland and Hellzapoppin' and went on to travel the world with
jazz greats Ethel Waters, Ella Fitzgerald, the Nat King Cole Trio, and
Duke Ellington to name a few. Bill, who is an avid fan of Frankie
Manning, followed him and took Lindy lessons/workshops as often
as possible. After time, Bill discovered Leslie Coombs, a local dance
instructor, who founded Swing Baltimore. Leslie, a professional
Movement Therapist with a degree in African dance studied Lindy
exclusively under Frankie Manning. For more than a year, Bill took
private lessons and studied Lindy under the tutelage of Leslie. To
increas his understanding of music and dance, Bill took private
lessons with professional music teacher Grahm Nash. With the
resurgence of Hustle in the last 10 years, Bill sought out his original
teacher Charles Zara for advancements with the dance.
Today, with over 30 years of experience and still counting, Bill
teaches East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Lindy, Charleston,
Shag, American Cha-Cha, and Hustle. Bill has shared his passion
for dance with DELMARVA for many years by teaching at Cadillac
Jacks on the boardwalk in Ocean City (article written in the
Beachcomber Newspaper, dated Aug 9, 1991), performing for the
show band the Whitewalls as the Whitewalls' dancers in Salisbury,
and showcasing Swing and Hustle on stage at Sunfest in 2007. Bill
is in the process of relocating to Berlin and hopes to continue to
promote American dance on DELMARVA.
Bill entered the dance scene in 1977 with
Disco/New York Sling Hustle. He was trained by
professional Cabaret/Ballroom dancers Charles
Zara and Joyce and Janice Bova. Before long,
Bill was teaching others the Hustle and immediately
knew he found his passion. It was a sight to see, Bill dressed in blue
jeans and cowboy boots with a pony tail and lambchop sideburns. A
comprehend.
In the mid/late 1980s, Bill sought out new dances and found The
Baltimore Bop Shop and learned swing from David Olton. Again, it
wasn't long before Bill began teaching beginner Swing classes once
a week for years and served the club as a member on the Board of
Directors. Bill's efforts increased membership to 150 members and
weekly class sizes soared to 50. During this time, Bill also opened
his own private dance studio where he still operates out of today.
Continually seeking to broaden his horizens in dance, Bill learned of
and took West Coast Swing (WCS) lessons with Craig Hutchinson
who was a popular instructor at Cherry Hill when it first opened.
Craig was inducted into the Swing Dance Hall of Fame and founded
the first Virginia State Open Swing Dance Championship
competition. In addition to WSC, Bill also ventured into Jazz theatre.
The dance scene continued to explode when Frankie Manning, the
last living member of the elite Whitey's Lindy Hoppers came out of
retirement. Frankie Manning, a major force behind the development
of the original swing dance the Lindy, is credited with creating not
only the first aerial dance step, but also the first ensemble Lindy
routine. He performed in several films including Everybody Sing with
Judy Garland and Hellzapoppin' and went on to travel the world with
jazz greats Ethel Waters, Ella Fitzgerald, the Nat King Cole Trio, and
Duke Ellington to name a few. Bill, who is an avid fan of Frankie
Manning, followed him and took Lindy lessons/workshops as often
as possible. After time, Bill discovered Leslie Coombs, a local dance
instructor, who founded Swing Baltimore. Leslie, a professional
Movement Therapist with a degree in African dance studied Lindy
exclusively under Frankie Manning. For more than a year, Bill took
private lessons and studied Lindy under the tutelage of Leslie. To
increas his understanding of music and dance, Bill took private
lessons with professional music teacher Grahm Nash. With the
resurgence of Hustle in the last 10 years, Bill sought out his original
teacher Charles Zara for advancements with the dance.
Today, with over 30 years of experience and still counting, Bill
teaches East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Lindy, Charleston,
Shag, American Cha-Cha, and Hustle. Bill has shared his passion
for dance with DELMARVA for many years by teaching at Cadillac
Jacks on the boardwalk in Ocean City (article written in the
Beachcomber Newspaper, dated Aug 9, 1991), performing for the
show band the Whitewalls as the Whitewalls' dancers in Salisbury,
and showcasing Swing and Hustle on stage at Sunfest in 2007. Bill
is in the process of relocating to Berlin and hopes to continue to
promote American dance on DELMARVA.
| April Brilliant Tells All . . . |
