LEADERSHIP | LASDP

Mr. Chester A. Whitmore

artistic director & choreographer

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Legendary dancer and Los Angeles native Chester A. Whitmore was mentored by MGM dancer and choreographer Fayard Nicholas (of the Nicholas Brothers) and studied with famed performers John Bubbles, Clarence Landry, Norma Miller, and Leonard Reed (co-creator of the“Shim-Sham.”) Mr. Whitmore performs all over the world and has worked with everyone from Michael Jackson to Madonna. He and his dance company Black Ballet Jazz performed with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, the Duke Ellington Orchestra under the direction of Mercer Ellington, the Count Basie Orchestra under the direction of Frank Foster and the great Miles Davis. He has toured as a tap dancer and historian with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra of Washington DC. Most recently, he choreographed scenes in the Oscar-winning film La La Land.

Not only is Mr. Whitmore a highly sought dancer on international stages, but he has many other careers and facets. He is a filmmaker, musician, historian and educator. He instructs at dance boot camps and also teaches at Los Angeles City College, where he was once a student. Mr. Whitmore has been involved in projects reaching young people through Los Angeles Cultural Affairs events as a performer or as a teacher for the Parks and Recreation Division, African Marketplace, and in schools and universities throughout the U.S. His teaching assignments include Herrang (Sweden), Austria, France, Italy, with performances and tours throughout Canada and Europe.

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You never know your talents, you never know what you can do unless you go out there and see it. So I juggle it all and blend it all together.

Mr. Whitmore has accomplished many different careers and still continues to grow. He says that it is important to learn and experience all the many different facets of life and use them all as tools. What he learns about music through conducting, he uses in dance. What he learns about the movement from dance, he uses in his filmmaking. For Mr. Whitmore, knowledge is a continuous cycle.

Arthur White

founder, CEO, & fearless leader

Arthur White is currently the Director of Operations for the dance company, LA Swing Dance Posse, and has held that role for the past 2 years since he founded the non-profit organization in 2018. During that time, LA Swing Dance Posse has performed 25 different shows throughout southern California at various public locations such as swing clubs, retirement homes, blues and swing festivals, schools, local government agency offices, and Disneyland.

Mr. White oversees all operations of the organization: organizing rehearsals, booking venues, managing staff (dancers, sound technicians, musicians, etc.), and

bookkeeping all while being an energetic member of the dance crew himself.

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Mr. White uses his vast experience in various areas of expertise to successfully

manage all operations within the organization. This experience includes his time

served in the U.S. Marine Corp, working as a sales associate for a talent agency in

Hollywood, CA, and working as a billing supervisor for a Los Angeles County Public

Works office in Malibu, CA. The leadership experience that Mr. White gained while

serving as a U.S. Marine has helped him become a well-respected director of a staff of 18 volunteers. He is regularly called upon by the staff for his leadership skills whenever issues arise. The sales and business experience from the time working in sales for the Hollywood talent agency has allowed Mr. White to successfully broker agreements with several local and non-local venues for their dance performances.

The business and management experience gained from the 8 years working as a

billing supervisor for Los Angeles County has translated to Mr. White’s ability to

handle the many duties for LA Swing Dance Posse while also maintaining great

working relationships with all members. Mr. White currently works at the Los

Angeles County Public Works, Waterworks District office in Malibu where he

oversees water service billing operations for over 12,000 customers in 4 cities

(Malibu, Topanga, Kagel Canyon, and Marina Del Rey) with very little assistance.

Mr. White has had a deep passion for swing dancing and vernacular jazz dancingever since he started dancing in 2012, taking lessons from various instructors around the Los Angeles area. Over the years while perfecting his routines, Mr. White identified a strong need for preserving the original form of swing and vernacular jazz dancing while also teaching the history of the dances. This led him to create LA Swing Dance Posse with the help of world-renowned choreographer, tap-dancer, and big-band leader, Chester A. Whitmore. Together, they made it their purpose to teach the original form of these dances and share their passion with the public through their various choreographed performances.