John Lindo knows that there’s no such thing as a “dancer’s body.” Lindo has been a championship dancer for nearly 20 years.

Lindo got his start in country-western style dance, but eventually, he became a star of the West Coast Swing circuit.

West Coast Swing is a 2-partner style of swing dance. It has its roots in the Lindy Hop but actually requires quite a bit of improvisation. And as you may have guessed, it was developed on the West Coast of the United States.

It became recognized officially as a part of swing dance back in the 1960s, but today Lindo’s name is synonymous with the style.

Lindo has won championships in both Strictly Swing (a competition in which you choose your own partner) as well as “Jack and Jill” competitions.

In the Jack and Jill-style, dancers are assigned to random partners in order to encourage the spontaneity West Coast Swing embraces. Lindo has won the Grand Nationals, U.S. Open, and Phoenix Champion of Champions finals in this style – so he can pretty much dance with anyone!

When he’s not dancing, he’s still involved in the swing world, teaching, judging competitions, or choreographing routines. Many of his routines have been memorialized on YouTube where he routinely gets millions of views.

In a video that has over 6 MILLION clicks, Lindo and his partner Deborah Szekely show off the classic West Coast style in a 2008 routine now considered a classic.

This duo really knows how to make it work and they both have fast feet and great chemistry.

For her part, Szekely can perfectly execute spins, twists, and splits with ease. It’s hard to believe this wasn’t choreographed down to the last second.

The couple’s performance at the North Atlantic Dance Championships had the audience and their competitors bopping along!

Their rubbery moves are something you can only appreciate by watching them in motion (which you can do below).

Lindo uses his Facebook page to keep everyone up to date on his dance adventures and promote West Coast Swing.

At the end of the day, Lindo proves that anyone interested in dance can do it and that a larger body doesn’t keep a dancer from being talented. After all, he’s won awards and competed against all of the most successful teams in the West Coast Swing dance world.

In an interview with Amanda Mueller for an outreach project by the “Self-ValYOU: Promoting Positive Personal Imagery” program, Lindo talked about his love of music and dance.

When talking about what it means not to have a “traditional dance body,” despite being able to “shake it just as hard” as other guys, he said that his dance community is particularly good at being accepting of everyone no matter their size or style.

He also credits his friends with encouraging him to take his first dance class despite not having the stereotypical dancer “look.”

To watch Lindo and Szekely’s award-winning dance number, be sure to scroll down below.

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Source: abalasy via YouTube, John Lindo