Main teachers
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. 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.”
Felix is a swing dance instructor, performer, choreographer based in Stockholm,
Sweden. 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.
He 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 in to their life. Because when he dances that’s is all he can think about and express. Pure happiness!
Alice started dancing at the very young age of 4 years old and have done numerous types of dances until she fell in love with Lindy Hop. She has now been swing dancing for 12 years and keep being fascinated by the art of improvisation. Connecting with her partner through rhythm helps her dance and follow, and is the most inspiring thing to her at the moment. She has been spreading the joy of lindy hop and authentic jazz in more than 30 countries through teaching, performing, competing and social dancing. She loves the diversity of movement and the freedom of expression this dance brings to the world, and hopes to keep learning things and keep on inspiring people for as long as possible.
Many ask how Felipe learned Lindy Hop so quickly: transitioning from a toilet-cleaning newbie dancer marvelling at the Folkets Hus floor to a Herrang instructor in three short years. The explanation is simple: his pre-Lindy life prepared him for what was to come. Training in theatrical acting gave Felipe body awareness and control as well as an ability to improvise. His experience playing drums, as well as his youth in Brazil –where the music and dance culture are rich — gave him an innate sense of rhythm. And finally Felipe’s days as a dancing party-animator for a live music club in Brazil gave him plenty of training for getting people excited about dancing in his Lindy Hop classes today. It is hard to find someone who doesn’t like Felipe. His warm personality charms every dancer he meets, and his ability to connect with people in conversation carries over onto the dance floor. He leaves every follower with a smile, and anyone who has danced or talked with him will confirm: he always makes you feel special.
Katja 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. She is an elegant dancer. At first, you’ll be seduced by her style based by subtlety and finesse. But if you look a little closer you’ll be surprised by her musicality and footwork. 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.
Rikard was inspired to start dancing at the early age of 7. Jazz music and movement became his language and today he’s a well recognized dancer in the swing dance scene and working full time as a respected professional dancer, teacher and choreographer. Except from swing dancing, Rikard also studied funk styles for many years with a similar interest in the original styles and their connection with music and culture. He sees swing dancing as an art form, a culture legacy and consider him self as a student of rhythm. “In the school of rhythm you will always be a student”. In the classroom the main focus lies in “how” and “why”. A student should leave the classroom with new knowledge and inspiration. His passion for teaching drives on dancers sharing their dancing and express together with him. Expect a challenge in different ways than what you are used to.
Elze and Peter are maybe just the right amount of crazy you’ve been looking for. She comes from Lithuania, while he comes from Los Angeles and together, they have this Euro-American style all about fun and connectedness. Their musicality, playfulness, and creativity are not just parts of their light-hearted personalities as dancers, but also as instructors. For them, Lindy Hop is much more than only leading and following… it’s dancing… trying to feel your partner… and in the meantime having a freaking great time!
Their energy is contagious and their class material is stimulating. Be prepared for loud laughs, crazy fun, and exciting new moves!
Laura started dancing in 2001 in San Antonio. It wasn’t a very large scene, and the people teaching her hadn’t been dancing very long, but she quickly came to love lindy hop, the music, the history and everything involved. Now Laura travels the world teaching, competing, performing and learning. She is a passionate believer in dancing with swing, with rhythm, and with presence. She constantly strives to find something genuine and fun, instead of finding the next cool move, and passionately believes that follows and leads are two vitally important sides of the same coin.
Remy fell into the Swing Pot at an early age. As an established competitor, he earned many awards such as the French and the World Championships of Boogie Woogie. He has been aswell an established teacher for many years now, travelling around many international camps and festivals, sharing his passion and knowledge. His approach to Swing Dances is special because it combines the authenticity and the respect of the dances – thanks to the education he has learnt from his elders – with an originality and creativity inspired by his experience of many styles of dance, with the addition of some spicy madness that characterizes Remy! What he likes to share the most is the joy that dancing provides. Then he is fighting against intellectualization of the dance and argues for fun and feelings. For him, dancing is… to live… to express!
Concept class teachers
Katie and Areski met for the first time at Chase Festival 2017 in Heidelberg, Germany. Their shared passion for teaching the dance and the dance itself, combined with the love for goof and fun was the base of their friendship. Before deciding to teach together, they trained their solo, talked about pedagogy, taught at the same festivals with different partners and finally decided to partner up to share their common core values with the students. Now, after teaching together at multiple events, they’re ready: be prepared for energy, structure, fun and sweat!
Ingvild and Ruben are Lindy Hop – and Boogie Woogie – dancers located in Bergen. They have a passion for teaching, competing and especially social dancing. The highlight of the week is the Friday social dance, where the floor is packed. They both embrace the joy, fun and spontaneity in swing dancing, and love to connect and play around with the “here and now” on the social floor. After they began competing internationally a few years ago, they have accomplished various achievements (listed underneath). They have also taught at different international events such as Athens Lindy Exchange, Wild West Christmas Festival and Swing Brother, Swing.
Rivital and Tomer are passionate Lindy Hop dancers. Their love for movement, dance and most of all Jazz music is what drew them to this dance. In their classes they put a large emphasis on dancing through connection to the music.
As they are strong believers in practice and training, they wish to inspire their students and show them that hard work pays off.
They teach regularly at Swing It dance school in Israel.
Although raised on opposite sides of the world – one in Australia and the other in Switzerland – both Earanee and Florian found Lindy Hop through their love of music. Each of them grew up listening to jazz, studying saxophone and singing in their school years – it wasn’t the flashy moves and air steps, but an interest in swing music that finally got them on the dance floor.
The pair met in 2017 after Earanee moved to Europe, and have since begun teaching and competing together. Sharing their love of jazz is central to Florian and Earanee’s classes, where they also aim to encourage and assist students in creating their own style, rhythms and repertoire.
Bands & MC
Jazzombies is David Skinner’s swing ensemble, with a lineup featuring some of the best swing musicians in Oslo. The band plays classic jazz tunes, by Benny Goodman, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, George Gershwin, and many more.
The Jazzombies have played for us at Winter Jump several times, including performing during teacher impro dances – check it out! This year they will play for us both Friday and Saturday!!
TBA
