BOARD MEMBERS

Kati is a piano teacher and classical musician who has expanded her repertoire to include jazz on soprano saxophone. With a lifelong passion for dance that began with Finnish folk dances at the age of 3, she discovered swing dancing shortly after relocating to Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2007.

In Herräng, she took lessons from Frankie Manning, who was the lead choreographer for Whitey's Lindy Hoppers as well as participated workshops in England, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, France, USA, Iceland and Spain. In 2011 Kati began teaching and performing in a range of styles, including Lindy Hop, Balboa, 1920s Charleston, and Vernacular Jazz. Kati taught at Swing Shoes and well as Ministry of Balboa associations in Denmark before she moved to Atlanta 6 years ago. She has taught internationally workshops and taster classes in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands and Finland.

Kati's approach to teaching dance centers on musicality at all levels, recognizing that the best dances occur when movements are closely tied to the music. To learn more about her, click here.

Kasey Buharie's passion for swing dancing was ignited by her grandmother's dancing days in the 1940s in Southern California at places like Rendezvous Ballroom on Balboa Island and The Hollywood Palladium. Her first class was taken at Memories Ballroom in Anaheim, CA in 1997, and later she joined a dance troupe with her stepsister, Angel Griffin-Jenkins. With time, Kasey became part of a competitive performance team.

During 2008-2010, Kasey shared a cubicle alongside the renowned Balboa dancer, Lila Desatoff. After work, they often went out dancing together. In the mid-2000s, Kasey captured videos of legendary swing dancers, including Frankie Manning at PBDA and Hal & Marge Takier and others at Bobby McGee's. These valuable recordings are now used by dance historians to study and appreciate the art of swing dancing.

Elaine first saw swing dancing in the movie Swing Kids (1993), but she started dancing when a roommate invited her to go to the Tuesday night swing dance in Albuquerque.  Later, she and the same roommate agreed that a great swing out feels like floating. 

She has been dancing in the Atlanta scene since 2022 and still loves swing outs; however, she gets just as much joy in dancing with new people and encouraging them to learn more about dancing  

Hank is a highly valuable and respected member of the TSS board, contributing his extensive expertise in paperwork management and administrative matters. Additionally, his cozy cabin at the Marietta Campground has become well-known as the popular site of many delightful post-dance feasts, which are filled with laughter, joy, and the warmth of good company. Furthermore, Hank also takes the time to teach regularly, sharing his knowledge and experience with TSS’ newcomers, helping them to navigate and become integrated into the community!