Tabitha Robinson and Joseph Robinson began their dance partnership in Orlando, Florida in 2001. Together they began to further their knowledge and fundamentals in Lindy Hop, Collegiate Shag, Balboa and Charleston. They draw inspiration from vintage dance clips and have a very large collection of these.
Their focus is mainly on the basics, maintaining the authenticity of the original dances, and being creative within that structure. Shortly after their partnering they began competing and then teaching. They most recently placed 1st in the Strictly Shag Division and their dance team, Rad Youth a collegiate shag team placed 4th in the Team Division at Camp Hollywood 2016. They have also performed for special events, including a PBS special for the Motor City Blues & Boogie Woogie Fest and for the Governor of Marlyand Convention. They love the dances and teaching others as well as continuing to further advance their own dance and partnership techniques.
Michał Oblaciński and Kasia Dybowska fell in love with swing dancing in 2005, successfully launching the Lindy Hop scene in Warsaw in 2009.
Since they came across Collegiate Shag in 2014 they are spreading their love for it all around Poland and Europe (Italy, Spain, Hungary, Lithuania, Belgium, Germany) supporting its global revival everywhere they go. Alongside their students they started the Collegiate Shag fever in Poland.
In Warsaw Michal and Kasia manage the SWINGOUT.PL Swing Dance Studio in which they teach weekly Collegiate Shag classes and run the Warsaw Shag Team dance troupe.
They are also initiators and some of the main organizers of one of the biggest in Europe Shag festivals – the Warsaw Collegiate Shag Festival.
In Collegiate Shag they are looking for a perfect balance of a general swing dancing technique, natural movement, leading and following skills with a lot of childish craziness, musicality, fun and raw energy.
Rokas and Simona coupled up in 2014 when they both started digging into St. Louis shag. Everything started from the huge wish to expand their dancing abilities and try out something fresh and new.
Besides being crazy about Lindy hop, both call themselves swing era dancers in general: Simona is in love with authentic jazz, enjoys slow dance and balboa, while Rokas is mad about tapping.
What unites this couple, is their big passion for St.Louis shag dance. Both believe it’s not about the number of steps you know, but about the feeling that will make you move your feet on the dancefloor.
Get ready to fall in love with St. Louis shag!
Stephen Sayer and Chandrae Roettig are dancers/instructors who specialize in LA/smooth style lindy and collegiate shag. While they have a love for all things that swing, their primary influences and inspirations come from the Los Angeles Jitterbugs of the 1940’s and 1950’s.
Their partnership began in late 2010 and together Steve and Chanzie have taken First Place titles in several national swing competitions. In 2011 they won 1st place in the Lindy Hop divisions at the National Jitterbug Championships and US Open Swing Dance Championships.
In 2012 they took 1st Place in the Lindy divisions at Camp Jitterbug and again at the US Open. In 2014 they regained their 1st place title at the National Jitterbug Championships and also took their LA Shag team to a 1st place victory in the team division.
In addition to those titles, Steve is also the 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014 National Collegiate Shag Champion. In 2012 Steve was inducted into the California Swing Dance Hall of Fame. Steve and Chanzie are based out of Los Angeles where they teach weekly in North Hollywood, but you can find them teaching and performing all over the United States, Europe, Canada and Australia.
They are committed to improving and pushing the limits of their own dancing as well as those who take their classes, while keeping their regional style of swing alive.
More info: http://www.boogielounge.net/
Check this out: http://www.boogielounge.net/videos.html
Marcus and Bärbl are from Munich Germany and are now dancing together since 1991. Without a doubt, two of the finest TEACHERS of dance in the world. Not only are they amazing Balboa dancers, but their attention to detail on HOW they teach makes for some of the best classes you can take in the world.
They both started with ballroom dancing in 1984 before they lost their hearts to Boogie Woogie and Swing. Marcus was also deeply involved in building up the Boogie Woogie in the German Rock’n’Roll- and Boogie-Woogie-Federation in his function as a sports manager.
For 13 years Marcus and Bärbl also have been part of the organization committee of the famous Boogie-Bären Witsun camp. Traveling and teaching all over the World they brought Boogie Woogie and Swing in many corners of the globe.
With an excellent synthesis of Boogie Woogie, Lindy Hop and Hollywood Style they formed their own style with their own outstanding character. This unique character made them so popular and let them win so many competitions.
Their performances and classes are full of energy and fun. Join them and you will see. They started the scene of Collegiate Shag too and you will be amazed since their style is unique. We are very proud to have them this year at Barcelona Shag Festival for the first time!
More info: http://www.worldofswing.de/
Check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r1pR36hiyA
Pol Prats is the founding director of Spank the Baby School in Barcelona. He has taught in different festivals in the UK, Sweden, Portugal and Finland including Stir it, Gnsh and London Swing Festival. He has been finalist in Good Night Sweetheart and Barswingona Jack and Jill competitions and Semifinalist at Frankie ‘ 95 in NY, as well as being a member of the Barcelona Jazz Cats performance troupe. African dance, tap dance, Alexander technique and others have been part of Pol’s interests and is recently fond of acrobatic dance. Co-founder of the BCN SHAG FESTIVAL & Groovin’ & Movin’ Festival & Rock it!.
Sara Planas started dancing classical ballet when she was 4. Ballet, contemporary, hip hop…dance has always accompanied Sara. It was not until 2009 that she fortunately discovered lindy hop and has been a passionate dancer and teacher since. Even though she has another profession, she has been spreading shag and acrobatics in other cities in Spain and outside the country in the last 4 years.
Co-founder of the BCN SHAG FESTIVAL and Groovin’ & Movin’ Festival and Rock it Weekend, member of the EURO SHAG Team. We have been the first promoters of Collegiate Shag in Spain and organizers of one of the biggest festivals of Collegiate Shag in the world together with Warsaw Shag Festival and Camp Hollywood and Rock that Swing.
Last awards: 1st place Showcase Savoy Cup 2016 2nd place Showcase AM Camp Hollywood 2016 4th place Shag Strictly Camp Hollywood 2016 1st place Shag Strictly MBSW 2016 – 1st place J&J Shag MBSW 2016 – Sara 1st place Shag Battle at Rock that Swing 2017
Coming straight from the heart of Lithuanian Swing Dance scene, partnered up from the very first dance Arnas & Eglė are dancing, performing, teaching and inspiring the community at hoppers’ dance studio everyday.
Passion and joy for Lindy Hop & Collegiate Shag gained their name as international instructors in regular small workshops around Europe, specially in Poland, where they inspired Warsaw Collegiate Shag Festival.
Rich experience in teaching every day classes grants quality and fun with clear explanation of their material by expressing swing music and yourself in it. Arnas is also a part of well-known swing DJ duo project Rhythm Lord Brothers.
Together with Eglė they are Co-Organisers of the one and only Balboa & Shag festival in Lithuania – Swing Paradise. Arnas and Egle along with SWINGOUT.PL community are the creators of Collegiate Shag scene in Warsaw and in Poland. Since 2014 they taught several workshops which were the very first opportunity for Polish dancers.
More info: http://shag.lt/arnas-egle/
CHECK THIS OUT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRvIFG8IiD4