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Dallas Swing Dance Society

2021 Board of Directors Election Info

Thank you so much for voting in this year's Board of Directors elections! We rely on community involvement and support to help guide our organization, and couldn't do it without you! Because we aren't meeting in person currently due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, voting is being done entirely online this year. Please read below for information on how to vote, as well as information on your candidates for Board this year.

How to Vote
1. Go to http://dsds.org/Sys/Poll/19535
2. Before voting, make sure you are logged in by clicking the "Log in" link at the very top center of the webpage.
3. After logging in, select the candidates you wish to vote for by clicking on the corresponding checkboxes. You may vote for 1-4 candidates. When you have selected all your candidates, click "submit"
4. You're all done! Thanks so much!

Meet the Candidates

Alex Zahabizadeh
Alex Zahabizadeh is an engineer, cat dad and really bad baker. Alex began dancing in 2017 and joined the DSDS board in 2019.
In 2019, Alex served as the DSDS Treasurer, focused on helping find cost savings and implemented the new Square payment system. Alex new focus was make band nights more regular.
In 2020, Alex has been serving as Vice President and DJ coordinator; supporting long-distance video projects like QuaranTeam and the video interviews.
Looking at 2021 and 2022, Alex hopes to continue supporting DSDS's DJs and foster a larger relationship between jazz bands and the Dallas swing dance community. Additionally he believes that DSDS should return to dancing with safety as the number one priority and that DSDS should continue to find efficiencies for our volunteers. As a dancer, Alex enjoyed travelling to events and doing weird foot stuff.


Ursula Hicks
Ursula Hicks, began her dance training 19 years ago in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and later Modern and Contemporary dance. Ursula graduated with B.A. in Dance Studies from Texas Woman's University in the summer 2013, where she studied with Marry Williford-Shade, Sarah Gamblin, Jordan Fuchs, and Gladys Keeton.  
Ursula brings such musicality and enthusiasm to the dance floor, it's no wonder that she has placed in multiple lindy hop competitions including the International Lindy Hop Championships in Washington, D.C., LindyFest in Houston, TX. , and a number of other competitions. Ursula as also been on the board of directors for The Fort Worth Swing Dance Syndicate, and is currently president of The Dallas Swing Dance Society.
Ursula takes pleasure in collaborating with fellow artists and social dancing in the DFW area and enjoys teaching dance to students of all ages. She is an absolute joy to watch and learn from.


Shannon Allen
Shannon started swing dancing at the young age of 16. Her first lesson was at Sons of Hermann Hall in the summer of 2000 and she was instantly hooked! She became a regular at the Wednesday night dances and spent many weeks learning everything she possibly could.
Shannon started going to different weekly dances in the DFW area to learn different styles of the beautiful dance. She connected with her first dance partner, Brad, and started traveling to compete. This fueled the dance fire in Shannon and she knew she found her passion!
A couple years into her event travels, she teamed up with her bestie, Josue, to form an awesome partnership! They worked together to advance their skills in Lindyhop, Charleston, and their ultimate fave, Balboa! They won, or placed, in numerous competitions around the US either together, or individually depending on the competition they entered.
During this time, Shannon started teaching in DFW. She shared her knowledge of each jazz dance style she knew! She has been a regular instructor for Dallas Swing Dance Society for 10+ years and is excited to continue teaching all levels who attend class.
Shannon has served on the DSDS Board of Directors on and off for the last ten years. She would love to continue working with the board to help with all the projects that are in the works. She wants to help the scene grow in the future.


Tzefira Jones
Tzefira started dancing in the summer of 2017, and hasn’t stopped sense. Her background in music education nurtured her love of dance along with her grandmother Dorothy, who was a swing dancer in the 30’s and 40’s. 
She hopes to carry on her legacy by advocating for dancers of color, and doing what she can for the scene.