Our Story

Swing It Seattle offers the best and most accessible swing dance instruction in Seattle. We specialize in the original swing dance, lindy hop. With our loyal and dedicated student base, we have built a welcoming community for all. Swing It Seattle also manages weekly and monthly social dance events. We are Seattle’s Home for Happy Feet! Swing It Seattle classes and events are produced by its co-founders, Katie & Mark Kihara.

Mark Kihara has been teaching, performing, and promoting African-American jazz dances since the late 1990s. His primary focus is lindy hop, the original swing dance. Dance has taken him all over the world, most notably as a featured instructor at Sweden’s Herräng Dance Camp.

He has won or placed at a variety of competitions including the Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown and the American Lindy Hop Championships. His instruction always shows great respect to swing dance’s originators. Inspired and tireless, Mark makes believers out of anyone who ever wondered if they could swing dance.

Katie Kihara has been dancing, teaching, competing, and performing lindy hop since 2007.  As an instructor, she prides herself on partnership skills that empower both roles to dance their best.  Katie is also a longtime member of Sister Kate Dance Company, Seattle’s longest running all-female chorus troupe.

When she’s not dancing, Katie works as a licensed esthetician at Truce Spa.

Events and classes held at the Polish Cultural Center are managed by Swing It Seattle as part of the Polish Swing Dance Club.