About Us

Marc and Ellen could have stepped off the set of an old-time movie.  They are warm, wonderful, and knowledgeable teachers, who make dancing fun"
- Pat McNees, author of Dancing: A Guide to the Capital Area

Ellen Engle and Marc Shepanek, a.k.a. Flying Feet Enterprises,  have been performing and teaching Swing, Ballroom and Latin dance in the Washington-DC area since 1989.  They have been the official instructors for Swing, Ballroom and Latin dance for the US Naval Academy and have taught for the National Park Service at Glen Echo Park since 1997.  They teach weekly for the National Park Service, as well as a variety of venues throughout the Washington DC metropolitan area. They have taught dance on four continents and have won dance championships from Virginia to Australia.

Some of their performance/teaching venues include: 

* The Kennedy Center
* The Smithsonian Institution
* DC and Baltimore Convention Centers
* The Organization of American States
* The United States Naval Academy
* The Homestead Resort
* The International Monetary Fund
* The World War II Memorial Dedication Events
* The World War II Veterans Committee Annual Conference
* The Wings of Freedom and National Capitol Squadron Air Shows
* Herräng Dance Camp, Herräng, Sweden
* Numerous other workshops/ camps throughout the US and abroad


Their television appearances include: 

* National Geographic's Explorer
* ABC's World News this Weekend
* WUSA TV-9 (Washington)
* WRC TV-4 (Washington)
* Mary Chapin Carpenter's video Tender When I Want to Be.


In addition to teaching, they also perform at formal balls, dinner dances, fundraisers, local area hospitals, schools, senior centers and various charitable events to promote dance appreciation, education and support the arts in Washington. Their audiences have included Queen Noor of Jordan, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and numerous members of Washington's diplomatic and Congressional communities.

They each developed an interest in dance early in life, leading to life-long studies of various dance forms. Ellen helped establish her college ballroom team while Marc first learned Viennese waltz in Vienna from his mother when he was four.  In addition to Ballroom dance, their background includes tap, jazz, ballet, modern dance, and martial arts ballet, as well as multiple forms of swing dance (lindy hop, jitterbug, St Louis shag, collegiate shag) and Argentine Tango.  They have studied, worked and/or performed under such master teachers and performers as:

* Carol Montez
* Frankie Manning
* Al Minns
* Chazz Young
* Chester Whitmore
* Fayard Nicholas
* Twyla Tharp
* Fabian Salas
* Juan Coppes
* Osvaldo Zoto

to name a few.

Since 1996, they have starred in and co-produced Dance du Jour, a half-hour dance instruction television show featuring Ballroom, Latin and ethnic couples dances. Dance du Jour runs multiple times per week on Montgomery Community Television (MD) and is among the station's highest-rated and most-requested programs.

The curriculum they offer includes lessons and performance in Ballroom (waltz, foxtrot, tango, Viennese waltz); Latin (mambo/salsa, cha cha, meringue, rumba, samba); and Swing dancing; as well as Air steps, dips and showstoppers; and a "Dancing Through the Decades" series in which they explore the dances that were popular during the 1920s through 1950s and are currently experiencing a revival. These dances include Argentine Tango, the Charleston, the Continental, and the Madison, among others. 

They teach all levels, from beginner to competition and performance classes.  In addition, they manage, choreograph for, and perform with their own performance dance team.  This dance team has performed at air shows, World War II Veterans Committee conferences, the Armed Forces Retirement Home, and various charity events throughout the Washington-metropolitan area.

Their classes are designed to get the beginning dancer up & dancing quickly.  We concentrate on both the technique one needs to execute the moves and the steps themselves, all while keeping the atmosphere light.  They recognize that learning something new can be intimidating, so they strive to ensure that it is fun and find ways to explain and demonstrate that clearly transmit the information in ways their students enjoy and readily understand.  Their students consistently say that Marc and Ellen make dancing fun and that thanks to them, they learned more, in a shorter period of time, than they ever thought they could.

From high intensity performances, to quiet back ground dancing that will help set the mood at any event, Ellen and Marc take care of you and your clients, with a show or lessons that will get you and your event rave reviews.  They can teach formal classes, short participatory classes during band breaks, or help individuals and couples at your event in a more informal, one-on-one basis. They strive to make their customers happy, and can provide corporate or individual references for all of the above activities.

In addition to dance performance and instruction they can bring sound systems, music, and a range of dancers to help make your event a raging success that your clients will thank you for and remember for years to come!