FASHION
Stylish Burger
While enjoying a bite to eat at St.
Pete’s trendy Sundial, I noticed a
gentleman walk in and I couldn’t help
but notice his sense of style. He caught
my eye with his haircut (a young Paul
head to toe, and great smile. When I
struck up a conversation, I noticed a
bit of an accent and when asked where
he was from, he responded Ireland.
someone so stylish from Ireland
to St. Petersburg, I continued our
conversation. Paul Swaine now has
ballroom dance instruction. He loves
the direction the city has taken in the
condos, theaters, museums, along
to his favorite world-class cities such
as London, New York and Los Angeles,
he thinks St. Pete is much more
easier, walkable lifestyle without being
too crowded.
What brought you to the United States
and St. Pete?
Living in Ireland, I won several awards
as a world-class competitive dancer, the
natural career evolution is to become an
instructor. Nine years ago, Fred Astaire
International recruited me to Boston, a
few years later Arthur Murray recruited
me to St. Pete, and I have been here for
the past seven years. I took my passion
and hobby to an entirely new level, I
turned it into a career and business.
America is fantastic for creating new
business.
When did you start dancing?
I was seven years old and while traveling
to a resort with family I saw a dance
competition. I fell in love with dance,
upon returning home the next week I
was enrolled in dance lessons. I never
looked back, I worked hard to become a
world-class competitive dancer, winning
48 StPeteLifeMag.com January/February 2019
several awards and accolades
over my career. One of the
biggest highlights of my career
was competing in the European
Hall in London. The top couple from
each country is chosen to represent
each country, I was chosen to
represent Ireland.
What is your personal style?
Dance is all about fashion, because
you have to create an image on
what image do I want to project,
to the judges. You must stand out
to win with image and dance. My
favorite designer is Armani, I also
like Dolce Gabbana and you can’t
beat the cut of a Tom Ford jacket.
Louboutain. My favorite place to
shop for fashion in downtown St.
Pete is Jackie Z’s in Sundial.
What have you learned from your
dance career?
times. I remember a woman around
58 years young, she was overweight,
gray hair and in a rut in her life. After
dancing with me for three years,
she lost 50 pounds, colored her hair,
changed her wardrobe and makeup,
she began to dance in championship
competitions. We completely
transformed her life with the
suggestions I had made along the way.
My current passion is using dancing
lessons as a vehicle to turn my client’s
life around and give them more
their kids for years, perhaps after a
deceased spouse or a divorce.
Paul Swaine can be reached at
Paul Swaine
/StPeteLifeMag.com