Meet Ashley Cohen Conner

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ashley Cohen Conner a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

I keep my creativity alive by tapping into other folks in my community. Specifically, the dance and DJ community. There are always new ideas and new approaches out there – and I love connecting with likeminded individuals that can bounce ideas off of each other. Sitting alone and trying to think of everything from scratch is not always effective for me.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

My name is Ashley, and I mainly enjoy swing dancing and DJing when I get the chance. I enjoy attending weekly social dance nights in our local scene and helping out where I can. The swing dancing I primarily do includes: Lindy Hop, Balboa, Collegiate Shag, Carolina Shag, Charleston, and Solo Jazz.

I also DJ at these events, along with others across the Southwest and beyond. I have enjoyed building up my music library over the year and sharing it through my sets.

While I do love attending events, I have begun dipping my toes in the organization side over the last few years. Once a year, I put on a workshop weekend with live music and world-renowned instructors and dancers coming from all over the country (we even had a Canadian one year!). I learn new things each year, and have expanded to include more folks to make the event even better! It’s also an opportunity to bring Carolina Shag (a regional dance to the Carolinas) to Arizona!

The event is called Summer Swing Fest, which happens in August every year. It is usually located in Mesa, AZ, and started in 2023. Our numbers grow every year and we are always looking on improving. Notable past moments include: competitions to live music, history talks with old-time balboa dancers, community group gatherings, food and drinks, and late night contest / dances!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Regardless of how someone is involved in the event, relationships and connections are of utmost importance. In regards to staff, I need to make sure they are taken care of with accommodations, communication, compensation, and beyond. In regards to attendees, I need to make sure they are having a good time, having valuable experiences, and enjoying the community.

At its core, these all come down to being personable and flexible. Everyone has their own set of preferences, and it is my job to best accommodate the individual and the group as a whole. I try to be an open book and an open ear for anything, and I’ve found that it creates a strong feeling of trust among staff and attendees.

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?

My biggest growth area has been delegating! My first 1-2 years I did EVERYTHING. And I thought that’s what took to make a successful event – I didn’t think bringing people in would help.

This past year, my third year, was the best yet. I took in some folks who enjoyed the event in the past and wanted to help out – and that saved me a ton of time, sanity, and increased the quality. I found the value in including capable, skilled, and driven people to help with my vision. I was very happy to see the growth in the event after I took some of the reigns off.

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Image Credits

Photo credits: Jacob Spinney

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