INSTRUCTORS

Dax Hock & Sarah Breck

When not travelling the globe teaching Lindy Hop, Dax is based in Los Angeles, California. He is a member of acclaimed dance troupe, the Ninjammerz. Known for his distinct style and innovative contributions to the dance, he is one of today’s top Lindy Hop competitors and an in-demand instructor the world over. Known in the classroom for his creative and, sometimes, unorthodox methods, Dax is genuinely dedicated to developing simple, effective ideas to help his students become better dancers.  Emphasis is heavily placed on rhythm not steps, body movement not footwork, singing not counting, and connection not isolation.

Sarah Breck has been making a splash on the international Lindy Hop scene since forming her partnership with Dax Hock in 2009. Sarah has been dancing vernacular jazz styles since she was 10 years old, and is a veteran performer and competitor in both Lindy Hop and West Coast Swing. She holds a number of prestigious dance titles, including at the US Open. Her performance credits include work in film, commercial and music videos alongside artists such as Christina Aguilera, Fall Out Boy, Mariah Carey, Will Smith and Gavin Degraw. She is one of the newest members of the Ninjammerz. Hailing from California, she is now based in Los Angeles, califorrnia with Dax.

Ali Taghavi & Katja Uckermann

It was love at first dance: Ali&Katja have been dancing together ever since they met on the dance floor in 2003. Based in Heidelberg and Darmstadt, Germany, they are working to spread the Lindy Hop bug through their local classes and workshops around Europe.

Ali&Katja's unique background of PhD studies in chemistry and translation studies allows them to compose classes that are focused on clarity while letting you explore your own creativity and understanding of the dance and technique. Ali&Katja have the ability to transform fuzzy conceptual elements like "having fun", "musicality" and "stretch" into clear, step by step "how to" instructions that you can use on the social dance floor the same day to impress your partner.

Ali&Katja's classes stand out because of their counter-intuitive teaching methods. For example: you learned that stretch means moving away? Does that sometimes feel heavy or like pulling to you? Learn to mimic the “middle molecules” of a rubber band that stay still (here comes the chemistry) and how to be stretch instead of stretching your partner. Feel the magic of dancing with just the right “weight”.

In their classes, you’ll also get the tools how to practice and tell if you’re “doing it right” outside the class room. This way, you can continue to improve and practice on your own and take your dancing to the next level.

Peter Strom & Laura Glaess

Peter originally learned to dance almost exclusively on the dance floor, but has since studied under the biggest names in Lindy Hop. He teaches regular classes with the Lindy Movement in Minneapolis, of which he is a founding member. At the American Lindy Hop Championships, he was the Classic Champion in 2000 and third in Showcase in 2001, and has consistently placed high in national competitions. He has taught workshops throughout the U.S. as well as in Sweden, France and Singapore. Peter is driven by his love of social dancing and works to create an easy flow with the music and between partners.

Laura grew up in a little hick town with more cows than people. It didn’t have much dancing, and the only radio stations were country, rap and country. However, she was always enchanted by the classical CDs her parents had and danced around the living room constantly.

In 2001, she bumped into Lindy Hop, Swing, and Jazz in San Antonio while at Trinity University. She learned her first swingout from Mike Lenneville and Lani Steffens and since then, has been dedicating every spare moment (and dollar) to learning more about this amazing dance. She has taught in Canada, France, Estonia, Australia, New Zealand and throughout the US.

Currently, Laura shares a teaching company, The Lindy Project with Mike and Scott Angelius, where they teach Lindy and Charleston to the Austin locals. She goes out to dance most nights of the week, and pimps Austin out to whoever will listen (you should definitely come and visit, by the way).

Pontus Persson & Isabella Gregorio

Isabella Gregorio is a well-known international dancer. She teaches and performs around the globe, exhilarating students and audiences of all ages. Isabella is often mentioned as one of the top three followers of the world. She is well known for her crazy style and her great expression. Her professional career started in Italy 2002, with a quick start of claiming several titles in numerous international competitions as well as teaching across the world together with Vincenzo Fesi. Isabella has been dancing different kinds of dance since she was a child. She has been in the entertainment business for a long time, dancing as well as singing.

Pontus Persson has been dancing continuously since he was 5 years old, actively competing (since the age of 6) and started teaching professionally as a 16-year old. After graduating, he moved to Stockholm in 2008 to evolve his dancing, being offered membership of the dance company, Harlem Hot Shots. He has since then been spreading the dance on a full-time basis through shows and competitions, not to mention, teaching. Isabella and Pontus started to actively dance together January 2011. In this short time dancing together they have won the hearts of audiences around the world and been able to collect following titles, amongst others:

Swedish Champions 2011 in Boogie Woogie
Swedish Champions 2011 in Lindy Hop
Vice European Champions 2011 Boogie Woogie
Vice World Champions 2011 Boogie Woogie
1st place World Cup 2011 Lindy Hop
3rd place in the famous ILHC 2011 ( strictly Lindy Champions division)

Martynas Stonys & Egle Regelskis

Martynas and Egle are one of the leading Lindy Hop couples in Vilnius, Lithuania. Dancing was always in their blood. Both tried Ballroom and Folk dances. As soon as they found Lindy Hop, they knew that was what they were looking for. Now they can’t stop moving. As soon as they hear a good song, no matter it is swing, salsa, funk, hip-hop or house, they start dancing, cause they love good music.
Known for their technicality and energy in their dancing they have won several lindy hop competitions across Europe. Lindy Hop taught them to improvise in dancing and understand the connection between dancers. They believe that if one can walk one can dance. Everything else depends on passion and willingness to work.

Patrick Szmidt & Natashe Ouimet

Patrick and Natasha founded their dynamic partnership in 2007, while training with the champion team the Swinging Air Force and working at Studio 88-SWING in Montreal. They have since acquired extensive performance, competition, teaching and coaching experience. They have coached many of the Swinging Air Force teams and were recruted by the Cirque du Soleil to train dancers of their show "Banana Shpeel" in the art of Swing aerials.

Patrick and Natasha have appeared in several Canadian television shows; La Vie est un Cirque, La Culture pour ou Contre, Ben et Jarrod, Relève en Folie, and L'heure de Gloire. They have even found themselves replicated hundreds of times for a Sam Roberts video clip ''Them kids''.

They enjoy the challenge of competition. They came back from ILHC 2011 with a 1st place in the All-Star J&J for Natasha, a 2nd place in the Balboa J&J for Patrick and a 2nd place in the Showcase division together. They have won podium titles at ILHC, Camp Hollywood, ALHC, Boston Tea Party, Lindy Focus, Lindy on the Rocks, Swingtime in the Rockies, Swinging New England, Beantown Camp, Followlogie, New Year's Dancin' Eve, Toronto Open Swing Dance Competition, the Canadian Balboa Championships, and the Canadian Swing Championships.

They have traveled all around North America, Europe and Asia to teach this wonderful dance and have been hired to teach at several world class events such as Camp Hollywood, Camp Jitterbug, Boogie By The Bay and ESDC.

You’ll surely enjoy their enthusiam, humour and their clear and detailed teaching methods in addition to Patrick’s cute French accent and Natasha’s friendly smile. Join them at one of their workshops hosted all over the world.

TASTER TEACHERS

Shorty George (US) & Oksanna Pavlova (UA)

Shorty George is a Lindy Hop, Blues, and Balboa dancer from New York City & has been rocking out like this for 8 years. He has traveled all over the U.S. & Europe to many of the major events like Barswingona, Herrang, ULHS, Snowball & GNSH. Having previously taught Lindy Hop & Blues workshops in Reykjavik, Istanbul, & Madrid, Shorty George brought great energy, humor, and entertainment to the classes while teaching some useful techniques to improve people's dancing. Check out some clips

Oksana started dancing quite early and has had all kinds of dance styles as background among which are ballroom dances (Latin and International), modern-jazz dance and tap, before she completely switched to swing dance. She has been teaching lindy-hop since 2003 and is putting a lot of time and energy to help promoting swing dance and culture in Kiev, Ukraine, teaching workshops and regular classes, being a part of various performances and team battles in Ukraine as well as abroad, organizing some of the swing dance events and competitions that, with the time, have become international. Together with two other people she puts up the yearly competition called "So You Think You Can Swing" that takes place in Ukraine and involves participants and choreographers from several countries.

Oksana is regularly seen in many European swing dance camps, workshops and festivals for some of which, such as Krakow Dragon Swing, Lindy-Hop Spring Festival in Poznan, Minsk Lindy Exchange, Istanbul Blues Workshop, Swinglandia, etc. she has been teaching lindy-hop and blues. Being devoted to the social side of the couple dance, as a teacher, Oksana had put her most close focus on the connection of the swing dance technique to the swing music as well as to the leading and following aspect. Among her students she has a reputation of a very thorough and dedicated teacher for her enthusiasm, consistently progressive teaching methods as well as her creative approach. Enjoying teaching very much and taking success of her students close to her own heart, for her teaching, Oksana set her primary principle as follows: “Make swing music and your technique work for your joy!"

Nejc Zupan (SL) & Anna Yakshina(UA)

Nejc Zupan is surely the loudest early bird of swing spring in Slovenia. His capability, focus, desire and willingness to create a dance scene of enthusiast made it grow so fast. Experiences in the field of contemporary motion theater, music and classic theater enable him a fresh and amusing approach to teaching and developing the Slovenian swing scene. He pays special attention to Lindy Hop, Charleston and jazz movement with loads of musicality, which are a sine qua non in swing. Guys, he`ll clear your worried faces and ladies, he is definitely the one to make your booties shake.

Everything started with a friend’s words: “I’m going to check out swing dancing. Do you want to go with me?” Sure. I stuck here for almost 5 years now and not going to quit. I tried some dances before, but nothing was like Lindy. It makes every dance special. It’s old, but is developing all the time. It’s natural and making people communicate on a dance floor. And for me it opened the world.

Anna is a rising star in the global Lindy Hop community. She has been invited to teach with Nejc Zupan at prestigious international workshops in the UK and Sweden including "Goodnight Sweetheart" in London. She regularly places in competitions she enters. She has won the Jack n' Jill at "Goodnight Sweetheart" Twice in a row, and has won the Jack n' Jill at Swinglandia twice, and most recently placed second while dancing with Veit (only to Mindaugas and Masha).

Chris harm (AUS) & Louise Tangerman (CH)

Once upon a time a tender-footed, three-year-old Australian was thrown into an Estonian folk ensemble and a new dancer entered the world. After sixteen years of folking it up, a few national wrestling titles and some time at university, he was born again into the world of Lindy hop. Blues dance followed six months later and since then Chris worked to pioneer the dance over Australia, teaching classes, workshops and even launching the nation's first Blues festival before packing his bags for Europe. Over the past years Chris has been working hard, combining his passion for travel and dance, to bring Lindy hop and Blues to Spain, Iceland, Germany, Australia, France, Estonia, Ireland, England, New Zealand, Switzerland, Austria, Infinity...and beyond!

A technique junkie at heart, Chris builds his dancing, classes and routines around body awareness and connection coupled with quality and range of movement. His inner traditionalist strives to keep a hold on the roots of the movements, adding depth to the dances and building characters around connection to both the music and your partner. His classes use colourful imagery and playful games to help students internalise ideas and concepts in the most natural and organic ways possible. Keep your eyes open for some amazing tricks, shakin' hips and fancy footwork when he hits the floor.

"It takes an athlete to dance and an artist to be a dancer." Chris's teaching strives to create the perfect blend.

Since that fateful day in 2006, when she walked into her first Lindy class, Louise dove head first into the world of Swing and Blues dance. Helping to foster the burgeoning dance scene in Switzerland she has traveled extensively to learn, compete, teach and -most importantly - social dance her ass off. Louise strives to sow the strength and flexibility followers can bring to the dance floor while uniting creative movement and technical excellence. She believes that the music should be our truest teacher and her classes build rapport between dancers and whatever the bands or DJs are throwing down. Her infatuation with Blues dance has led her to become one of the leading followers in Europe, winning competitions and teaching throughout the year.

Julien Stoehr (F)

Since Julien discovered Lindy Hop by chance in 2009, the passion of this young French dancer for swing dancing hasn’t stop growing. Living in France where he teaches regular classes, this fan of social dance likes to travel on various European workshops and events. Both inspired by the former and the current dancers, he also uses his experience as a former volleyball player to launch himself to staggering heights especially in Solo Charleston, a style in which he won the Crazy Rhythm Challenge 2011 in Toulouse.

The desire to constantly learn and evolve, as well as the passion that he communicates in his teaching, make his classes a time of sharing and exchange in good spirits.

Fabien (F) & Lisa (UK)

Fabien and Lisa met in Herrang and have been travelling, teaching and dancing together ever since. Coming from different backgrounds they both bring their own expertise and enthusiasm to the partnership. Fabien comes from Grenoble, France and has been teaching swing dancing since 2004, specialising in lindy hop and blues. His love of choreography has led to him to choreograph the winning Grenoble team routine for CRC 2010 and a number of successful showcases.

Lisa is a professional dancer from London. Classically trained from the age of 6 she discovered her love for all styles of dance whilst studying for her degree. After leaving college she worked professionally in the commercial dance world, specialising in hip-hop. She then discovered and fell in love with lindy hop and has immersed herself in all things swing ever since.Together and separately they have competed and placed in many competitions and continue to be inspired, through their teaching and dancing, to share their passion for this dance.