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. She is passionate about the swing dance community—how we learn and grow in dancing skill and education, how we care for one another in community, and how we celebrate and center the Black American communities from which these dances came.

Meet AJ Howard, a vibrant force in New York City's Lindy Hop scene. As a celebrated dancer, teacher, and competitor, AJ brings undeniable energy to the floor—his dynamic style and deep love for the dance have made him a standout at events across the globe. He’s performed in productions like SW!NG OUT! and earned his place in the California Swing Dance Hall of Fame.

When he's not dancing, AJ keeps the rhythm alive as an emcee, hyping crowds at world-class events like ILHC, Paris Jazz Roots, and the International Swing Dance Championships. Whether leading a packed workshop or lighting up the social floor, AJ blends skill and showmanship with a deep commitment to community, creating spaces where dancers of all levels feel welcome, inspired, and connected.

Andrea Gordon stumbled into jazz dance in the late ’90s with all the enthusiasm of someone who hated jazz — until she realized it didn't have to be all bland and mushy like that. Since then, she’s become an award-winning Lindy Hopper, a cast member (okay, really an understudy) of the hit stage production, Sw!ngOut, a sharp-tongued and crowd-loving emcee, and a voice for inclusion and equity in jazz dance spaces. Andrea’s teaching, emceeing, and ambassadorship are rooted in African American cultural values of safety, love, and respect for the community—and when the spirit moves, swinging out on beat.

Andy Reid has been part of the Lindy Hop community since the late '90s, known for his playful style, strong sense of musicality, and deep appreciation for the roots of the dance. Drawing inspiration from this Black American art form, Andy has taught and performed around the world and continues to explore the music and movement in New Orleans, where he now lives and plays bass with local bands. As a member of groups like Silver Shadows, Minnie’s Moochers, and Mad Dog!, he's been lucky to collaborate with many inspiring dancers over the years. He’s excited to return to the lovely Lindy Focus community and looks forward to sharing his experience with everyone there.

Annabel has been teaching Lindy Hop and Balboa around the world for more than a decade. She was addicted to the communication and spontaneity of social dancing in 2002 and has taken home top prizes in such events as the International Lindy Hop Championships, All Balboa Weekend, the California Balboa Classic, and Camp Hollywood, to name a few. In the classroom, Annabel is passionate about fostering a fun and inspiring environment that honors the history and legacy of the various swing dances while spurring her students to explore their potential and embrace their individuality. Currently, she resides in Washington, DC and is a founding board member and Director of Education at New Columbia Swing, DC’s premier swing dance organization.

Bobby White is an international instructor of Lindy Hop, Balboa, and swing era Jazz Dance, and a lecturer on swing era dance history. He is honored to be the co-director of The Harvest Moon Hoppers, a New-York based groups that strive to honor the Black American pioneers of performance Lindy Hop such as the Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers and Mama Lu Parks Dancers. He is the writer of the blog Swungover and the book Practice Swing.

Dan Legenthal is a blues idiom, vernacular jazz, and swing dancer living in Atlanta, GA. He specializes in early-to-mid 1900’s era African American improvised partner dances done to Blues and Jazz-Blues music. Dan’s approach to dancing and teaching dance are informed by his degree in classical guitar, and from lessons and conversations with Blues historians and legendary Blues players like Phil Wiggins, Gaye Adegbalola, Elijah Wald, Daryl Davis, and Rich Delgrosso, just to name a few. Since 2012 Dan has taught, DJed, and performed around the world at events like The Blues Experiment (USA), Seoul Blues Dance Festival (South Korea), Spooky Southern Blues (Australia), and Spoonful of Blues (Scotland).

If you are passionate about African-American dances and would like to give your support, please consider donating to a charitable organization such as the Ujima Foundation or the International Association of Blacks in Dance.

Dee is a balboa fan turned instructor who has been finding new ways to make bal classes playful, inspiring, and creative. They teach and organize in Durham, NC and have traveled the country teaching and competing since 2010. They are invested in exploring ways to make the dance more approachable and equitable, with classes that build confidence and challenge binaries.

Gaby Cook is an esteemed, active professional in the global lindy hop community. For 20 years, she has established her career performing and teaching for major swing dance festivals worldwide — including Lindy Focus, Stompology, Swing Out New Hampshire, Camp Hollywood, Beantown, Herräng Dance Camp, Lindy on the Rocks, and Paris Jazz Roots. On stage, she is a principal dancer for the acclaimed "SW!NG OUT", which premiered at the Joyce theater (2021) and tours regularly. She regularly advocates for lindy hop in industry dance communities and is consistently "on-call" with university dance programs. She is honored and excited to rejoin the staff of Lindy Focus, one of the best lindy hop events on earth!

Hannah Lane (she/her) is a Lindy Hopper and Jazz dancer from Baltimore, Maryland. In addition to her love for jazz music and social dancing, Hannah is passionate about historical research. Her work focuses on historical jazz dancers and nightlife venues in Black American communities from her home state of Maryland to cities throughout the United States. Hannah’s project “Queens of the Nightclub” explores the lives, artistry, and careers of Shake Dancers, and seeks to uplift their legacies in the history of Jazz dance and in American popular culture.

Jon Tigert is a world recognized Swing Dancer and musician. Specializing in Vintage dances such as Lindy Hop, Balboa, Blues, and Charleston, he has won titles from the International Lindy Hop Championships, The Canadian Swing Dance Championships, Lindy Focus, and many more. Swing Dancing since 2005, Jon has made a home in the swing community as a teacher, an MC, a performer, an organizer, and a musician. As a teacher, Jon is well known for his historical and musical knowledge, clear and concise communication, and endless supply of terrible dad jokes.

Jon now lives in Baltimore where he teaches at the Mobtown Ballroom and sings and plays drums with The Corner Pocket Jazz Band.

Kenneth Shipp hails from St. Louis, MO as an instructor who grew up dancing hip-hop and DJing breaking comps before jumping into blues. He has spent the past few years passionately studying the family of blues idioms, incorporating his nerdy personality along the way. Kenneth’s life experiences inform his dancing and teaching style so that students walk away with a better historical and contextual understanding. With every class and practice, he'll encourage you to approach social dancing with coolness, relaxation, or in other words “Chill The F$%& Out.” When he’s not dancing, you can likely find him ranting about the latest blockbuster movie, game, or nerd convention, or desperately trying to dismantle toxic institutions.

TLDR: Kevin dance good, teach Lindy Hop.

Kevin Weng hails from San Francisco. He is dedicated to sharing creative conversations with his dance partners while prioritizing comfort and clarity. He likes to think everything is a transition. He makes his partner feel seen and creates space that inspires spontaneity. He is inspired to spread the joy of dancing, and that enthusiasm has brought him to travel all over the world. Over the last 16 years he has been recognized as one of the favorite leaders in the global scene.

Mia Goldsmith, with her incredible string of competition wins and international teaching and performing gigs, excels in dances from the Jazz Age and is known as one of the best Balboa Swing dancers in the world.

Based in New Orleans, she is constantly inspired by the live music surrounding her. While she no doubt loves traveling the world, she’s most at home in a small neighborhood bar with a packed floor, getting down to that rhythm only New Orleans has to offer.

Her unique approach to teaching is full of energy and creativity, bringing a passionate and motivated air to the classroom. She is known for her highly impressive footwork, elegance, improvisation, and individual approach to the dance. Above all else, she is driven by her desire to create with both partner and band on the social floor.

Nathan Bugh is one of the world's leading exponents of Lindy Hop and vernacular jazz dance. His on-stage appearances include: Carnegie Hall (Swing Swing Swing w/ New York Pops), The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (Meet Ella, SW!NG OUT), The Apollo Theater (Swingin’ Frankie’s Way), and Jacob’s Pillow (Earthbeat!, More Forever, SW!NG OUT). He is also one of the creators and choreographers of the Joyce Theater's SW!NG OUT, the greatest proscenium, swing-dance show since SWING! the musical. An active swing-dance competitor since the late 1990’s, Nathan holds numerous first-place titles in Solo Jazz, Lindy Hop, Team, Invitational, Slow Dance, Showcase, and Mix/Match divisions at events like the International Lindy Hop Championships.

Timothy Christopher was first a musician! His journey with jazz starts with self taught piano from and old recordings. He stumbled into dance years later while looking for a jazz jam when got back to his home town from college!

He found himself in a room full of people moving there bodies around to swing music, but there was one couple that was dancing!

The next day he found himself in the couples house learning this lovely dance called the lindy hop!

Clearly he got obsessed with this dance and the culture surrounding the dance and now he is competing, dancing, and teaching internationally! He was in the most recent installment of the Swing out Show in New York 2023, has performed at the Lincoln center in New York and maintains good working relationships with most other instructors in the Lindy hop scene.

Viktor is a multi-faceted teaching and performing artist, with over a decade of experience specializing in Lindy Hop and other Jazz Dances. Having traveled multiple continents to share in and facilitate jazz dance, he brings together his varied experience and highly developed communication skills to teach stimulating classes and organize engaging performances.