Richard Dugger

Ballroom – Latin – Swing – Country Western – Wedding

Full Time Instructor

 

I began my dance career early as an Independent instructor in Houston, Texas, where I grew up.  My mother got me started by taking Country Western dance lessons with her when I was 13 years old, and soon after I began competing.  After relocating to Austin, I worked for the local Arthur Murray dance studio for several years before finding my happy home here at Go Dance in 2005.  I remember being timid and nervous in social situations growing up, and I believe dancing at such a young age helped me to develop into a more outgoing individual.  It improved my confidence and turned me into the person that I am today.  Now, teaching has led me to my new passion – enriching people’s lives through dance and building lasting relationships.  Although sometimes I feel like a referee with wedding couples I do find the challenge to keep the peace very rewarding.  While I competed early on in my career, my main focus at the moment is in competition with my students.  I’ve earned many awards in Pro-Ams and in couple’s competition as well as Top Teacher recognition at numerous competitions.  I do, however, look forward to competing professionally again very soon.  As far as favorite dances go, I love Ballroom dancing because of the challenges it presents and the strong foundation it builds.  Salsa is my least favorite dance – just had to add that one in there.  My favorite music to dance to is Swing music – it always puts me in a good mood.

 When I’m not at Go Dance, you can find me outdoors.  I love anything water-related: the beach, the lake, the pool.  Luckily, living in Texas, I get to spend a lot of time doing “summer” activities.  And here’s a fun fact about me:  I took a Country Western dance class my first semester of college to fulfill a physical education credit, and almost failed because of poor attendance.  The following semester I actually taught the course!