Outstanding Artist in Dance: Individual artists whose work within their field has made a significant impact within the discipline over five years or more.
Valerie Salstrom
Valerie Salstrom is a swing dance artist and educator based in Northeast Ohio who has helped shape the region’s social dance culture for over two decades. Specializing in Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, Balboa, and related vernacular jazz dances, she approaches the art form with deep respect for its African American roots and a passion for helping people discover their own voice through music and movement.
Her fascination with swing dance began in childhood while watching black-and-white movies at her grandparents’ home. Years later, while living in Los Angeles, she was astonished to discover that the dances she had seen on screen were alive in everyday life when she spotted couples Jitterbugging to a live swing band. She immediately began taking swing dance lessons and sought out opportunities to learn directly from legendary dancers, including Frankie Manning and Norma Miller, who helped shape the original swing dance era.
In 1998, Valerie began dancing and teaching full-time and founded her swing dance company, Get Hep Swing, in Cleveland, Ohio. Through classes, workshops, youth programs, competitions, and events, she created inclusive spaces where people from all backgrounds could experience the joy of music and movement. Thanks to grant funding, these programs were often free or low-cost. A champion competitor who has earned numerous national and international swing dance titles, Valerie has also shared her knowledge globally as an instructor, coach, judge, and mentor. Her greatest fulfillment comes from witnessing students grow in confidence, creativity, and self-expression on the dance floor.
For more than twenty years, swing dance shaped Valerie’s life. When the COVID-19 pandemic brought partner dancing to a temporary stop, she reimagined her path and recognized enduring themes in her life: empowering individuals, strengthening community, and opening doors to opportunity.
Today, Valerie carries these same values into the field of workforce development, assisting individuals who are often overlooked and unsupported in accessing and retaining meaningful, financially rewarding careers.
Through decades of teaching, mentorship, and a deep respect for the dance’s historical roots, Valerie Salstrom has helped sustain the living tradition of swing dance while inspiring generations of dancers to find confidence, belonging, and possibility through music and movement.
