Your BC Swing Dance 2025 Board of Directors is proud to serve you and help make BC West Coast Swing the best it can be. Find out a little bit more about us below.
These are your board of directors, elected on February 15, 2025:
- President – Aliya Millson
- Vice-President – Lauren Wright
- Treasurer – Yasaman Talebi
- Secretary – Coco Lau
- Director – Georgina Daniels
- Director – Arya Najian
- Director – Humphrey Chou
- Past President – Chris Mullin
Aliya Millson (President)
Beginning with ballet at a young age, Aliya’s love of dance has transferred wholeheartedly to partner dance over the last 10 years – dabbling in Salsa, East Coast Swing, Bachata, Fusion and then diving deeply into West Coast Swing (WCS). Her love-affair with WCS began in April 2023 after a friend encouraged her to join classes with Michael and Amy. She seeks out opportunities to connect, learn and play within the form.
Her passion for meaningful connection extends past the dance floor and she cherishes sincere, friendly moments with people in the WCS community. Learning to dance takes a kind of bravery and Aliya strives to create inclusive, safer spaces for that process to unfold and develop. She is so grateful to those who have already encouraged her learning and wants to offer the same for others.
One of her non-dance passions is plants, particularly those in our native ecosystems. She’s often looking at our green-growing friends and is happy to talk about plants anytime.
Aliya is excited to help the Board in continuing to knit the community together through dance and communication – feel free to approach her at any time with questions or concerns, especially if you are new to the space!
Lauren Wright (Vice President)
Lauren started West Coast Swing dancing in March of 2022 because of books – two books, by Catherine Price. The first was entitled How to Break Up with Your Phone. Breaking up with her phone left Lauren with less “time confetti” and more “time intact-sheets-of-paper.” The Power of Fun explained to Lauren what she should do with this paper. The answer was dance! (Well, first it was “Do a ‘fun audit,’” …and then it was dance!) Dance has music, movement, social interaction and teamwork, expression, creativity, and silliness. Lauren likes those things.
In life, Lauren has done many things. She grew up playing soccer and softball, taking swimming and diving lessons, running in track and cross-country races, and playing “Ultimate” with those she liked to call her “ultimate friends.” She also loves music and has sung in various choirs, including Capilano University’s Cecelia Ensemble, The University of British Columbia’s Choral Union, and her current Rain Coast Choir, for which she volunteers as a section lead. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology as well as a Post-Degree Diploma in City Planning. She works as a Proposal Specialist for an architecture firm. She also draws pictures and paints sometimes. Occasionally, she carries half her body weight for 75 kilometres through rugged coastal forests because her friend thought it would be fun.
But most importantly, Lauren is so very thankful to have found this wonderful and welcoming community of special people. She tears up sometimes thinking about that.
Yasaman Talebi (Treasurer)
Yasaman is a passionate dancer with a love for West Coast Swing and social dancing. She enjoys the creativity and connection that dance brings and is always looking for ways to grow as a dancer and contribute to the community. With a background in business analysis, she brings strong organizational and problem-solving skills to the board.
Outside of dance, Yasaman enjoys traveling, hiking, and exploring nature adventures. She loves discovering new dance styles and engaging in meaningful conversations. Joining the board is an exciting opportunity to support the dance community while continuing her own journey as a dancer.
Coco Lau (Secretary)
Coco began her dance journey in January 2023, diving into the world of dance with an open mind and a passion for learning. Although she didn’t initially dive into social dancing, Coco soon discovered the receptive community it offered. After a year of taking classes without much practice, she gained both confidence and a sense of belonging by attending the BC Swing Dance Club’s monthly dances. As Coco connected with more dancers, she realized just how unique and welcoming the dance scene is, sparking a desire to grow in skills and contribute to its community growth. The warmth and kindness of the community made a lasting impression and she now does not hesitate to attend more classes, workshops, and social dances to learn more. Coco hopes to contribute by volunteering to join the Board, where she can work alongside like-minded, passionate dancers who share her enthusiasm. When she’s not dancing, Coco loves exploring the great outdoors, often camping and hiking in nature. She’s a big fan of sunny days, which she spends tanning with her dog, Kiwi, and playing outdoor volleyball. She also has a major sweet tooth and can run on donuts alone.
Arya Najian (Director)
Bio Pending
Georgina Daniels (Director)
Georgina lives and plays in East Vancouver, on the traditional and unceded territories of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam Nations
Georgina believes in the magic of dance. Her parents met on a dance floor in London at the end of WWII because her dad gave up his plane ticket to another soldier who had a sweetheart to return home to. Fast forward to 2005 and Georgina ends up at a Friday night dance at Robson Square where she meets her future husband.
Georgina loves movement and teaches and studies bellydance. She has studied various styles of partner dancing, but the one that keeps calling her back is west coast swing.
Humphrey Chou (Director)
Humphrey grew up in Vancouver as a musician and nature enthusiast and later, while studying engineering at UBC, he discovered the joys of climbing and martial arts. Soon after Covid lockdowns ended, he discovered West Coast Swing classes with Michael and Amy at the invitation of a friend, and found even more joy in learning this evolving dance and connecting with its warm community. He also went deep into Argentine Tango, and dabbles in Lindy Hop, Zouk, and Fusion.
In March of 2024, to express his love for the community, Humphrey put together a live music night with his band Humford & Sons and gave our local WCS dancers their first live-music social in almost a decade! Also, in February 2025, he started a weekly practica on Thursday evenings to give dancers an accessible practice space.
Both the band night and practica were accomplished with the support of the BC Swing Club, and Humphrey hopes to contribute to this fabulous organization.
Chris Mullin (Past-President)
Chris began learning West Coast Swing in 2017. He was an athlete in his younger years and always had a competitive spirit. When he discovered West Coast Swing, he was immediately drawn to the challenging nature of the dance and the creative expression it allowed.
As Chris has learned and grown in dance, he has become more confident and expressive on the dance floor. He has taken numerous workshops and private lessons with renowned WCS instructors, and he constantly seeks out new opportunities to improve his dancing. For him, the real joy of dance comes from the connections he makes with his dance partners.
Chris lives on the North Shore with his wife and teenage daughter. He is grateful for the support they have given him throughout his dance journey. His wife has been his dance partner on the occasional kitchen dance party, and his daughter has learned WCS and has grown in her own right.
Chris was club president for two years in 2023 and 2024 and how as past-president in 2025 is excited to help guide the board and hopes to bring his enthusiasm and dedication to the club’s continued success.