Elise Lorcher
Idaho grown, Elise Lorcher has been country dancing for over 12 years. She found her love for country swing through a college course at the University of Idaho. Although she had been in competitive dance as a teenager, she loved the partner dynamics of swing style dancing. She enjoyed the challenge of following a partner, rather than following a routine. She credits a lot of her dance and follow abilities to the “old school cowboys” who were able to teach her classic country dance fundamentals and etiquette. Elise has competed in many country dance contests around Idaho and Northwest areas including the Portland Dance Festival. Elise recently won the 2019 Treasure Valley Dancing With The Stars taking first place in all categories, including overall performances. Since she began teaching in 2009, Elise has taught at various clubs, social events, fundraisers, private lessons, as well as getting brides and grooms ready for their first dance. In 2015, she started Dirt Road Dancing with her dance partner Troy DeRosier. Together, they have spread the love of country dance around the Treasure Valley, creating one of the biggest dance scenes in the area. Her favorite part of teaching is watching the smiles on her students grow as they turn into more confident dancers. She truly believes anyone can dance, just a mindful matter of choosing fun over fear. When Elise is not on the dance floor, she is spending time with her family, especially her daughter either baking, playing tennis or cartwheeling in the grass.
Dan Melody
Dan Melody was born and raised in the southern Idaho farmlands where he began his swing dance journey at the age of 14. Dan learned more throughout his teen years in school and stopped when he joined the military. When he got his boots back on the dance floor years later, it didn’t take him long to dust off his swing dancing skills. In 2012, Dan became interested in West Coast Swing and continues to progress and advance his musicality through the mixing of West Coast and country swing dance styles. In 2016, he became a Dirt Road Dancing mentor where he was found assisting with classes around the valley, helping new dancers find their “right” feet on the dance floor. Today he is known for his unique style of swing dancing which is a melding of country and west coast swing dancing platforms. When he isn’t on the dance floor, Dan works as a professional wildlife biologist traveling all around the country conducting wildlife research and monitoring the spread and impact of wildfires.
Kyle Patterson
Growing up in beautiful Boise Idaho as the second oldest of five boys, Kyle enjoyed many sports and athletics. However, he NEVER imagined he would be involved with dancing. Thankfully his youngest brother, Riley (who was very skilled with dancing), invited Kyle to “watch” him dance. On a fateful night, Kyle went to “WATCH”, and was in awe with the impressive dance moves and smiles from the dance floor. After showing off his moves and with a sly smile, Riley would tell all the girls he danced with to ask his brother Kyle to dance, stating, “Kyle is a really good dancer”. After a few girls drug Kyle to the dance floor, the girls all agreed (with Kyle) that in reality Kyle was not a dancer. Riley introduced Kyle to country swing which sparked a passion, and he was infected with the county dance bug.
Kyle attended nightly Dirt Road Dancing lessons where he developed skills that led him to taking second place in the Western Idaho Fair Country Swing Competition. Since then, he has continued an intense dive into country dance, and thus the Country Dance Doctor was born. While it is true that he loves fancy lifts like the candlestick, his favorite part of dancing is sharing the joy that comes with helping people who “Don’t dance” learn that they actually do!