Browse teachers
Find out who is coming each week. More teachers still to be announced!
Alice started dancing at the very young age of 4 years old and has explored numerous types of dances until she fell in love with Lindy Hop and solo jazz. She has now been swing dancing for 20 years and continues to be fascinated by the art of improvisation. Alice enjoys expressing who she is and what she hears in the music within the framework she shares with her partner. She has been spreading her passion for Lindy Hop and authentic jazz in more than 30 countries through teaching, performing, competing, and social dancing. Alice loves the diversity of movement and the freedom of expression this dance brings to the world. She hopes to keep learning and inspiring people for as long as possible.
Arcadia and Konstantin are a dynamic dance duo based in Stockholm, Sweden, who have made a name for themselves as ambassadors of the Mambo & Salsa community in Scandinavia. Their passion for dance and culture has been a part of their lives since childhood, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the Mambo & Salsa traditions alive in the North. Arcadia and Konstantin's dedication to their craft is fueled by their love of dance and their desire to share it with others. They believe that dance has the power to bring people together and create connections across cultures and languages. Through their work, they hope to inspire others to embrace their love for dance and share it with the world.
An unstoppable energy and dynamism, an unwavering smile and a great spirit : this is Audrey whether in a class or on the dance floor!
Audrey started dancing as a little child. After years of practicing Rock n Roll, Salsa, and Street Jazz, she fell in love with Lindy Hop when she was 18.
She is now a dedicated dancer, instructor and choreographer, teaching Lindy Hop and Vernacular Jazz in her school Jazzy Feet in Paris, as well as across France and internationally. She loves sharing her passion with her students, fostering their progress with joy and kindness. Deeply inspired by African-American female dancers of the 1930s and 40s, Audrey enjoys exploring their movements and styles. Also a competitor, she has made notable appearances in prestigious international Lindy Hop and Solo Jazz competitions such as ILHC, Snowball, Savoy Cup and more.
Bianca Locatelli and Nils Andrén are Lindy Hop and Boogie Woogie dancers, choreographers, instructors and performers with a passion for driving the art form forward and have devoted the last decade to teaching, performing, and choreographing. Their true passion lies in Lindy Hop and Boogie Woogie, two vibrant dance styles that have deep roots in African American culture.
They discovered their love for dance at a young age, exploring various styles such as ballet, latin dances, hip-hop, and ballroom. However, it was swing dancing that captured their hearts. Their paths crossed when Bianca moved to Sweden, and they began performing and competing together.
Soon after, they embarked on a performing, competing and teaching career, sharing their passion and vision with audiences and students worldwide.
Bobby White has taught Lindy Hop, Balboa, and Solo Jazz around the world for over a decade. He has won various championships in all, and with each, Bobby strives to innovate and create a new voice, while still capturing the spirit of the original dancers. He has won almost every major title in the modern Balboa scene, including most recently two back-to-back All Balboa Weekend ACBC Championship titles (2015 & 2016, and 2018), The International Lindy Hop Championships Balboa division (2015), the California Balboa Classic (2016 & 2017) and the National Jitterbug Championships Balboa division (2016) with Annabel Quisao. He is the author of the popular swing dance blog Swungover, and the book Practice Swing: A Choose Your Own Adventure Guide to Getting Better at Swing Dancing. He is the co-founder of The Harvest Moon Hoppers, a New York performance group that specializes in taking inspiration from the Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers. As a dancer, he is widely recognized for his floppy hair, and as a teacher, by his sound effects.
Some of Breonna’s fondest childhood memories are dancing in the kitchen with her siblings to top 40 radio while dinner was being prepared. Cooking, cleaning, roadtrips - music and dance was a part of everyday life. But it wasn’t until Breonna moved to New Orleans, where she experienced her first taste of live traditional jazz music, that she realized her affinity for the living art form of jazz dance.
She has danced and studied Lindy Hop, along with Vernacular Jazz at many different festivals and workshops around the world. As an emerging New Orleans based dance instructor, she values the connections between music, history, and authentic self expression through movement.
Dancing since 1974 and a protege of Fayard Nicholas (of the Nicholas Brothers) Chester has been dancing his way around the world. These days he is a dancer, teacher, performer, choreographer, director, stunt man and entertainer. His choreography can be seen in music videos for Boys II Men, Sugar Ray, Teena Marie as well as working with artists such as Savion Glover, MC Hammer, Prince and many more. Also a highly renowned drummer and band leader he has worked with some of the best in the entertainment industry. He has performed with his dance company Black Ballet Jazz, with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra and the great Miles Davies. Chester exudes boundless positive energy and passion for dance and is a born entertainer. His contributions have been far too many to name them all. He can only be seen to be believed.
Chisomo Selemani is a dance and teaching enthusiast. She loves movement, learning, collaboration, and cultural exchange. Her artistic endeavors in the Swing dances are inspired from her Zambian tradition and Afrobeats. Her teaching methodologies invite you to explore your own style and artistry. When she’s not dancing, she is co-hosting the podcast Integrated Rhythm and is highly involved in global issues and practices in communication sciences and disorders.
Clàudia Fonte explores and embraces all kinds of playful ways in her dancing. Her main source and inspiration is Swing music itself. Taking the classic rhythms and moves as the foundation, she challenges herself to keep them alive through her own perspective and interpretation. Even though considering and admiring the great historical tradition of Swing dances, she believes in its evolution and expansion; respecting but also transforming the roots she explores different ways of communication and expression, as in vernacular jazz also in the partner dance.
Authentic Jazz is where she feels most in her element. Solo jazz enables her to achieve a creative atmosphere of exploration and play where she takes on the challenges proposed by Swing music and finds her own voice and style. Essential to her approach is promoting solo dancing in the context of social dancing. Sharing tools and techniques her objective is to help the dancers to explore and develop a style the most authentic for them. She believes that the dance floor is where everything starts, and the magic happens; where all dancers find their own way of dancing.
Erol hails from Turkey and is driven by bop music and dance. Learning the lindy in class and jazz dancing outside of the classroom. He shifted his understanding and mentality over the years, realizing the history and culture of jazz. He is currently focusing on the local community and challenging himself by choreographing for several local dance troupes. Being one of the members of T-Bop, he is investing much of his time on researching, learning, and sharing bebop dancing and its history.
Fatima Teffahi, a jazz tap dancer, entertainer, teacher, DJ and collector. Rhythm is her business!
Fatima started to tap dance in Brussels, her hometown, in the late 80’s. Her style is strongly jazz related and deeply rooted in the African American 30’s and 40’s tap and authentic jazz tradition.
She has lived in Stockholm for more than 20 years now, a still active member of THE HOT SHOTS - a celebration of HARLEM rhythms and one of the driving forces behind CHICAGO swing dance studio.
Like any other Swedish dancer he started in the Swedish competition scene. He started at the age of nine and with Bugg as his main style. One year later he took his first basic six count step in Boogie Woogie and has since then never stopped dancing or competing.
The year of 2009 and the first visit to Herräng was a big turning point in his life. The dance and the music had so much more to offer. That visit turned out to be the best thing he could do, his way of training for both competitions and his own dancing really changed and it proved to be good and have resulted in his most successful years in his career. He is part of both the Swedish National team in both Boogie Woogie and Lindy Hop and made some fine results in the last 3 years.
Since then he has tried to inspire and learn everything that he can and develop his skill of dancing, music and teaching. He wants to pass on this knowledge to people all over the world, and is a strong believer of the freedom and the authentic style of the dance and the connection you create with your partner and the music.
He sees swing dancing as a way to bring people together and bring happiness into their life. Because when he dances that is all he can think about and express. Pure happiness.
Fredrik Dahlberg was born and raised in Stockholm. Never had he a thought of becoming a dancer. Instead he spent his days listening to Hip-Hop and playing basketball. He moved to the south side and started to show interest in jazz music. One of his friends took him to a lindy hop class and at first he didn't show much of talent, struggling with what was left and right and up and down. Soon after he joined the famous swing dance company The Hot Shots. How was this even possible? With a mind set on nothing else (that is not entirely true) and some luck some might say.
With a big portion of individual style and new ideas he brings something refreshing to the scene. He tried tap (and is still trying), but on the other hand he has advanced in dances like the lindy hop, the charleston and several other vernacular jazz dances which has entitled him several big awards in only a short period of time. He has been teaching in several international events such as Frankie 100, Herräng Dance Camp, Camp Jitterbug and traveled to perform around the globe in such places as Singapore, Greece, Korea, Lithuania, China, Australia, Brazil, Canada, The U.S. and Mozambique among other.
He is also an important part of the puzzle Chicago Swing Dance Studio where he has been teaching, djing, cleaning, providing guests with a smile and dancing at every opportunity he gets. Fredrik is a time optimist and an optimist in general. In his free time, which is almost non-existent, he writes poetry, quotes the Godfather trilogy and watches the NBA. Besides his mother tongue Swedish he also speaks fluent English and practices Portugues. You can contact him through the record store 'runtrunt' where he claims to be working. If he works or not is a good question but at least we know that's where he practices his footworks and crazy ideas. Also he plays trumpet and tries to play piano
Frida's love for jazz music started in her early teens, but it wasn't until she discovered Lindy hop at the age of 17 that her passion for dance truly ignited. From the moment she took her first beginner courses, social dancing quickly took over, and soon the dance and everything around it became an extensive part of her life.
She is a well-known face at Chicago Swing Dance Studio in Stockholm, where she spends most of her time teaching, training, dancing or DJ:ing. She is committed to sharing her love for the dance and the music that drives it, and when it comes to teaching as well as dance in general, she greatly values rhythm, simplicity and personal expression.
In 2015 she joined forces with The Hot Shots (formerly known as Harlem Hot Shots) and has been a solid member of the dance company since 2018. Together with the group, she’s travelled to teach and perform both locally and internationally. Besides her passion for jazz and dance, Frida is also a visual artist and freelance graphic designer, and whether it concerns dance, art or design she always has a creative project going on.
Frida Segerdahl started dancing at the age of 5. During her teens she was enrolled at a dance program studying jazz, modern and ballet and much more. When she was 15 she attended Herrang Dance Camp for the first time and fell in love with Lindy Hop. In no time, she was asked to join the world's foremost jazz dance company, the Rhythm Hot Shots and stayed active in the company until she had her second child in 2014. She has performed and taught at all ends of the world. Besides her skills in Charleston, Lindy Hop and Jazz Dance, she is also now part of the board of the famous Lindy Hop dance camp that she first attended back when she was 15, the Herrang Dance Camp in Sweden.
Jimmy Yudat is a dancer, choreographer and activist both in the French and International underground scene for 20 years.He is renowned for his performances in hip-hop battles and is invited all around the world to share his knowledge. Founding member of the "YUDAT" group, he is also now the CEO of the Hip Hop dance media "HIPPOH" a media made by hip-hop activists for the hip-hop culture.
Considered as one of the best Hip Hop dancers of his generation, he is also one of the most charismatic MC’s and a source of knowledge regarding the hip hop culture.
Jimmy is a powerhouse on his own! His positive energy and his special Groove are something you don’t want to miss in Herräng!
Katja Završnik started dancing at the age of 5 and through the years studied various forms of dance such as Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Ballroom, Gymnastics and Acrobatic Rock and Roll for 9 years.
Since 2005 she has focused on early American dances from the Jazz age and Swing era, such as the Lindy Hop, Swing, Balboa, Charleston, St. Louis Shag and Authentic jazz. Her knowledge of (almost) all swing dances allows Katja to adapt her dance to any type of dancer. Which places her on the market among one of the best followers understanding connection and reactivity.
She is an elegant dancer. At first, you’ll be seduced by her style based on subtlety and finesse. But if you look a little closer you’ll be surprised by her musicality and footwork. Her focus on musicality and connection makes her one of the most sought after followers in the scene.
Her shyness – as probably her Slovenian origin as well – gives at first a “cold” feeling. But don’t make any mistake : she loves to laugh, to party and simply have fun. During a dance, she is one of the few followers to never refuse a dance and also often the last to leave the dance floor.
Currently living in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Katja travels doing special weekend workshops and festivals. In the past 11 years she has taught and performed all over Europe, Asia and USA.
Arcadia and Konstantin are a dynamic dance duo based in Stockholm, Sweden, who have made a name for themselves as ambassadors of the Mambo & Salsa community in Scandinavia. Their passion for dance and culture has been a part of their lives since childhood, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the Mambo & Salsa traditions alive in the North. Arcadia and Konstantin's dedication to their craft is fueled by their love of dance and their desire to share it with others. They believe that dance has the power to bring people together and create connections across cultures and languages. Through their work, they hope to inspire others to embrace their love for dance and share it with the world.
Korantema is a dancer born and raised in London. She was put in tap, ballet and modern jazz classes after getting heat stroke from dancing too hard at her fifth birthday party. After going to her first social in 2014, Korantema very quickly fell in love with African American Jazz Dance. She performed in a chorus line troupe for five years, co-leading and choreographing for two years up until 2020. Since then, Korantema has enjoyed focusing on embodiment and the cultural traditions of jazz dance. She trains with Cookie and her Black Mambas, a collective led by Lindy Hop legacy holder Angela Andrew. When she's not dancing, Korantema works as a Curator of Anthropology and is a zine maker, usually exploring the cultural experiences of Black women.
Lizette is a dance teacher and a member of the famous swing dance company the Hot Shots. Swing dancing has been part of her life for a long time as she started dancing at the age of nine in her home town Borås. Todays she is based in Stockholm, Sweden and travels the world to perform, dance and teach various dance styles from the swing era. Lizette puts a lot of value into personal style and a solid rhythm.
Hello, I'm Maka. I dance stuff and I play way too many instruments. I also teach loads of classes and workshops about musicality. Plus, I DJ in numerous festivals. And my blood type is 0-. Could be useful. And I enjoy writing stuff totally unrelated to the classic descriptions requests (Sorry Marie!). But most importantly, I have immense respect for the rare individuals who actually read musicians' bios on websites! Seriously, who does that?! So, if you approach me with the secret code 'dogmatic squid', I'll make sure to crack a joke as a salute to your noble action. That said, see you on the dance floor !
Malkom is a House dancer that has earned a dazzling reputation amongst the House Dance community through his personal style.
Dancer, choreographer and performer, he started with B-Boying in 2001 before pursuing with Hip Hop in 2007. But it’s House Dance that helped him explore his creativity and originality by using and combining influences. That allowed him to impose an identity to his own dance, which earned him to enter the “Serial Stepperz” crew in 2008.
Within this group, Malkom specializes in House Dance. He has brought together a number of victories in the biggest competitions (Juste Debout, Summer Dance Forever, Bust A Move, Funkin Stylez,…).
Malkom is now one of the key figures in the dance competition game and continues to grow constantly, always imposing his own style which now has a name: the « Ground Control ». This style is defined by a creative and extensive research of movement using the floor… because for him, the only limit in dance is imagination.
His sensitivity to music, which is a huge part of his dance’s originality, brought him to become a DJ in 2018. Through music, Malkom is able to express a new side of his creativity.
2/3 of the DJ collective Museik 1st, Malkom & Remy will be in charge of connecting the Jazz sounds to the more modern Hip Hop, House and Afro sounds.
Malkom loves transmission. So come and meet him and his contagious energy in Herräng!
It was more than 16 years ago that she discovered dancing and since then she hasn’t stopped; every day at least for 6 hours she dances - giving and preparing classes, practicing, discovering and helping others to explore, as well. She has madly fallen in love with Lindy Hop and her devotion has become stronger through the years. What attracted her the most and still fascinates her in Swing dancing is the freedom this dance allows to the dancer, as much in the individual as in the partner dance, to find their own voice and ways of expression that make each dancer unique. Even though she feels that knowing the history of Lindy Hop, the most important dancers and the classic moves enable greatly the development and improvement of a dancer and to find their own, individual way of dancing, she does not believe in set aesthetic patterns and norms to live up to and to fulfil. Her strength is musicality and flow. Moreover, a cornerstone of her methodology and dancing is being present in the moment and she tries to emphasize this in every aspect of her dancing and teaching, as well.
Maria believes that each dance is vivid and full of life. Being present at the moment gives the opportunity and creates the ability to be open and flexible; to adapt to the music and to the partner at the same time and follow where that moment takes us.
Mel, known for bringing his enthusiasm and charisma to any dance floor, is a dance instructor who dedicates his time to encouraging swing dancing in the United Kingdom.
He began as a break-dancer and DJ in his teenage years in Canada and has been dancing and competing in swing events across Europe and the United States since 2002.
Having experience with Lindy Hop and Blues, Mel's current passion lies in mastering Balboa and Bal-Swing - a journey of continuous learning.
He has been teaching Balboa in Europe since 2011 and his technical, "down-to-earth" and positive approach to learning helps to make the classes he teaches not only informative but also a fun experience.
Mel's aspiration to be an ambassador for Balboa stems from a drive to continuously learn and share his passion of Balboa to enthusiasts alike.
Nando has danced since he was a very young and has worked as a professional dancer and choreographer for many years. He is a former member of the well known dance company Milorho and is one of the founders and choreographers of the recognized company, Hodi Maputo Afro Swing.
Nando is a strong, talented and versatile dancer. His expertise is in the traditional Mozambican dances but he also has great knowledge in modern urban dances such as Afro-House as well as in contemporary dance and the swing dance Lindy Hop. He was proudly chosen to be an Ambassador in Mozambique for the Frankie Manning Foundation.
As a dance teacher Nando has long experience both in teaching adults and kids. He is very appreciated for his pedagogic way of teaching, his humble attitude and how he always fills his dance classes with positive energy.
Bianca Locatelli and Nils Andrén are Lindy Hop and Boogie Woogie dancers, choreographers, instructors and performers with a passion for driving the art form forward and have devoted the last decade to teaching, performing, and choreographing. Their true passion lies in Lindy Hop and Boogie Woogie, two vibrant dance styles that have deep roots in African American culture.
They discovered their love for dance at a young age, exploring various styles such as ballet, latin dances, hip-hop, and ballroom. However, it was swing dancing that captured their hearts. Their paths crossed when Bianca moved to Sweden, and they began performing and competing together.
Soon after, they embarked on a performing, competing and teaching career, sharing their passion and vision with audiences and students worldwide.
Dancer and choreographer specializing in Hip Hop and House Dance, Odile has always been immersed in the cultural and musical universe of the West Indies, which strongly inspires her dance.
She began her training with Modern Jazz and then Hip Hop. Trained in Hype and New Style by Francis Mbida, she then discovered House Dance and began to practice and perfect it by herself as an autodidact.Member of the "Paradox-Sal" crew, Odile evolves as a dancer and interprets both in competitions and on stage. She has also worked with choreographers like Anne Nguyen in Paris and Laure Courtellemont in Los Angeles.
In recent years, Odile has collaborated with Ousmane Sy on various projects, including the creations “Queen Blood” and “One Shot” as an assistant choreographer and performer. She also danced in the pieces “Fighting Spirit”, “Bounce” and “Basic” by the same choreographer.
Come meet this beautiful soulful dancer in Herräng!
Humorous and dynamic, keen, full of heart and a touch of the anarchic, Pamela was spellbound by Lindy Hop energy and community at the age of sixteen when she started her first classes at Lindyhop.lt Club in Vilnius. Despite her young age Pamela has already brought herself to light constantly learning anything related to dancing, be it music, psychology or anatomy.
In 2009, Pamela began working at Hoppers’ Dance Studio in her hometown of Vilnius, Lithuania. Today she dances and teaches with the top leaders in the international Lindy Hop scene. Having no constant partner has given Pamela space to bring a lot of variety to her dance - no wonder dancers call her one of the most exciting followers in recent years.
As a dancer Pamela cherishes individuality and freedom. For her Lindy Hop is not as much about impeccable technique as it is about musicality and awareness. As a teacher she shares her values and encourages people to find their own way of dancing: “Learn to be ok with the way you are and how your body moves. It’s all about you.”
Nietzsche once said “You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star”.
By Migle Ravnialicevaite
Patrik is a dance teacher and member of the famous swing dance company The Hot Shots. Patrik happiest on stage, which is obvious when you see his famous smile and surprising agility. It is impossible not to notice his love for all music that swings, as soon as he sets foot on the dancefloor. He gets inspiration from the big dancers of the 30’s like Al Minns and Leon James, although he makes his moves his own.
Peter Loggins brings a first hand historical approach to his classes sharing what was handed down by legends of the past including National Charleston champions, Harvest Moon Ball Lindy Hop winners and 1930's Swing Champions.
Peter not only travels worldwide as an instructor, lecturer, performer and competition judge but he has also been featured in television and film such as Beverly Hills 90210, Marilyn Mansion Mobscene video, Royal Crown Revue's Zip Gun Pop video and Films such as Mulholland Drive, and the 13th Floor.
Aside from having a down to earth street approach to teaching, his expansive knowledge of the cultures along with the music that drove social dancing allows students to learn the history of these dances and how they've evolved through the years.
Remy Kouakou Kouame has always lived his life surrounded by music and/or dance.
Growing up within the Hip Hop culture as a DJ, he also developed his dance specialty within the Swing dance community.
Traveling the world to either perform, teach and/or compete in the context of Vernacular Jazz and Lindy Hop, he loves to share his dance and to help people find their unique voices.
In recent years, Remy felt the urge to (re)align with himself and connect all of the aspects that makes him the artist he is. This is how the project “The Xperience” started. Remy believes that a bridge has to be reinforced - if not (re)created - between the vintage and the modern Street dances.
He is therefore beyond excited to bring his vision in the concept of “The Xperience” to Herräng and share it with the Swing community!!!
His classes are a reflection of what this magical journey has brought to him : rhythm, music, connection… and tons of groove!!!
2/3 of the DJ collective Museik 1st, Remy & Malkom will be in charge of connecting the Jazz sounds to the more modern Hip Hop, House and Afro sounds within "The Xperience Track".
Come meet him in Herräng! He will teach both in the “Lindy track” as well as “the Xperience track”.
Sakarias "The Champ" Larsson was born and raised in Frufällan, on the west side of Sweden. He watched jitterbug contests as a kid and there were some things with the music and the aesthetics of the dance that spoke to him and he decided to learn. One thing led to another and already at sixteen he started practice with The Rhythm Hot Shots (now called The Hot Shots). That was 20 years ago and he's been with the group ever since.
The amount of hours he's spent in the rehearsal studio is probably beyond sane. The recent past years he's focused on sharing what he knows with the younger generation of Harlem Hot Shots. He finds motivation from his friends in the group, they keep him young.
Sakarias is on a never ending world tour in the name of lindy hop with probably 1000s of shows, teaching gigs and competitions. Apollo Theatre, Frankie 95 and 100, Basie Centennial, Last Bounce, Jazz Jam, ULHC, several tours in USA, Asia, Australia and Europe (only to name a few). He made it to the finals in Sweden's Got Talent and out of 100s of dancers he was casted among the top 20 to enter the reality tv dance show Floor Filler. He's also one of the founders of Chicago swing dance studio, one of the more famous lindy hop and jazz venues in Stockholm today.
He actually met and knew some of the original swing dancers of Harlem and he was good friends with Frankie Manning. The dancers from the Whitey's Lindy Hoppers are his true idols. But he also finds a lot of inspiration in modern day dancers such as Peter Loggins, Minn Vo, Jeremy Otth and of course Vincenzo Fesi. A few years back he decided to try something else and wanted to be a rock 'n' roller. He started learning the drums and soon joined and started touring with the well recognised band The Vanjas. He's also the drummer of the travelling jazz band Hornsgatan Ramblers. As if that wasn't enough, surfing, tattooing, playing the saxophone, film making and graphical design are only a few of his other "professions". He's a man of contradictions: a performer with stage freit, a teacher with social anxiety, a people loving lone wolf.
Serpil is a passionate dancer, teacher and a performer from İzmir, Turkey. Serpil mostly inspired by Afro-Cuban Jazz and she enjoyes to express herself through jazz dance. She is also the founder of Lindy Hop İzmir and one of the organizers of İzmir Swing Festival and a member of the Lindy Hop Team Turkey.
Originally pressured into taking Lindy Hop classes by his mother at the tender age of 12, Skye soon found that social dancing really is the best thing in life. Over the past 18 years he has performed, taught, and competed both nationally and internationally, gaining recognition as a talented and dedicated dancer.
Sylvia, an internationally recognized authority on most types of Swing Dance, has been teaching for 25 years throughout the US, Europe, Asia and Australia.
Sylvia studied with the great dancer Dean Collins, and was a member of his last dance troupe. She studied Balboa with Maxie Dorf and Willie Desatoff and spent years learning from the greatest Southern California Balboa dancers.
Sylvia is an inductee into the National Swing Dance Hall of Fame as well as the California Swing Dance Hall of Fame. She won the US Open twice, was the NASDE top point winner, third place in the National Carolina Shag Dance Championships, won many Strictly Swing contests in Lindy, Balboa and West Coast Swing through the US.
Tadas Vasiliauskas is Lindy Hop and Authentic Jazz dancer based in Vilnius, Lithuania. Tadas has been dancing, competing, actively performing and choreographing for over 10 years. He is most proud of leading a performance troupe, bringing Lindy Hop on the theater stage and founding Harlem Speaks Easy jazz club in Vilnius. These days he is mostly traveling and teaching in festivals around the world. Tadas can be frequently found playing jazz trombone too. On the dance floor, you can recognize him for his playful dance style and great energy.
Thomas is a tap dancer, singer, musician & teacher. Widely travelled, he has performed for audiences around the world in North America, much of Europe, Canada, Japan, China, Singapore, Thailand and Russia.
Since 4 years of age Thomas has been on stage. His early years were greatly influenced by teachers Grant Swift (Australian Tap Wizard and Pioneer) and Christopher Horsey (Tap Dogs founding member). Before long, he had fallen in love with tap dance.
From 2010 to 2013 Thomas was a principal dancer with Tapestry Dance Company. Based in Austin, Texas it was then the only full time professional dance company in North America specialising in tap dance. He owes much to Artistic director Acia Gray and the dancers with whom he shared those 3 years.
Until 2019 he was living mostly out of a suitcase, based briefly in Barcelona, Rome, and Reykjavik Iceland whilst travelling to work in festivals and various projects.
From 2020 to 2023 Thomas led various Jazz groups in Australia in addition to studying a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Monash University.
In 2023 he started to live mostly out of his suitcase again, performing a tour of Asia and studying the dance and music of Guinea.
I've been dancing for as long as I can remember. In fact, my earliest classroom was my home, or wherever my family gathered. My earliest teacher was my mom. Over the years, I've established a background enriched and informed by many movement traditions, some of which include capoeira, waving, and stepping. I discovered vernacular jazz and Lindy Hop in 2017, and I haven't looked back since.
As a teacher, I love to share historical and cultural context, weaving this into how I explain my approach to movement. My highest goal is helping you to develop your own approach.
I'm currently studying house, and continually growing in many street styles. In dance, I value lineage, authenticity, community, partnership and fun. I strive to incorporate these elements in my classes as well. I’m eager to collaborate with everyone!
Ursula Hicks began her dance training over 20 years ago in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and later Modern and Contemporary dance. Ursula graduated with B.A. in Dance Studies from Texas Woman's University in the summer 2013, where she studied with Marry Williford-Shade, Sarah Gamblin, Jordan Fuchs, and Gladys Keeton.
Ursula brings such musicality and enthusiasm to the dance floor, it's no wonder that she has placed in multiple lindy hop competitions including the International Lindy Hop Championships in Washington, D.C., LindyFest in Houston, TX. , and a number of other competitions. Ursula has also been on the board of directors for The Fort Worth Swing Dance Syndicate, and served as president of The Dallas Swing Dance Society.
Ursula takes pleasure in collaborating with fellow artists and social dancing in the DFW area and enjoys teaching dance to students of all ages. She is an absolute joy to watch and learn from.
Guests & Honorary Guests
These remarkable artists have experienced the swing era in first person
These remarkable artists have experienced the swing era in first person. How incredible is it that they cross the big blue every year to spend some time with us and to help us connect better with their rich history. This year will feature:
Text here
Text here
Text here
Text here
Sugar Sullivan (Week 1, Week 2)
Barbara Billups (Week 1, Week 2)
Chester Whitmore (Week 2, Week 3)
Denise Minns Harris (Week 2)
Sylvia Sykes (Week 1)
Extravaganza
Want to learn some of the classic routines, or even take part in other captivating new performances? What better opportunity but to learn them first hand from our special guests. You might even be able to join them shoulder to shoulder in a tap jam!
Library Talks
Community means being kind to each other and learning about other peoples’ cultures and experiences. Our special guests will share their vibrant energy with us at our Library Talks, don’t miss the chance to listen to them in person!