The best in national & PNW instructors

INSTRUCTOR

Jenn Lee (she/her) is a renowned swing dance instructor with a passion for fostering an inclusive and collaborative learning environment. She emphasizes the importance of follow voice, ensuring equal attention to both leads and follows.

As a professional follow without a dedicated partner, Jenn’s versatile dance style adapts to various partners and teaching collaborations, enhancing her abilities as an instructor. Her strong music background allows her to seamlessly integrate rhythmic concepts and musicality into her classes, helping students express themselves on the dance floor.

Jenn is deeply aware that jazz, including swing dance, is a Black cultural art form, and she strives to honor its roots by teaching with respect for its history and the community that created it.

Jenn's love for social dancing and the swing community is evident in her warm approach and adaptable style, making her a valuable addition to any dance event she participates in.

INSTRUCTOR

Jeremy Otth (he/him) amassed a great amount of knowledge on the historic essence of vintage swing dances and personal stories and interactions with some of the original jitterbuggs and swing dancers. His interest has focused on the Lindy Hop, Balboa, Jazz and Collegiate Shag.

Along with his seemingly inexhaustible amount of energy, Jeremy’s natural talent and dedication led him to accumulate championship titles at many acclaimed dance competitions such as the International Lindy Hop Championships, National Jitterbug Championships, American Classic Balboa Championships, California Balboa Classic and the US Open Swing Dance Championships.

Jeremy is now able to share that breadth of knowledge and passion for these classic partner dances by entertaining and educating feet from Southern California to around the world.

INSTRUCTOR

Desiree (she/her) has loved dancing her whole life. At the age of four, she began learning Irish Dance. Soon after, she was competing around the country and started teaching dance in early middle school. Around 2002, Desiree switched her focus to swing dancing and began studying Lindy Hop, Blues, and Balboa. In 2018, Desiree also began exploring collegiate shag.

Desiree has received awards from many events including California Balboa Classic, Hot Rhythm Holiday, Whistlestop, Rocky Mountain Balboa Classic, Dayton Swing Smackdown, Eastern Balboa Championship, Toronto Toss Out, All Balboa Weekend, and more.

Desiree has three graduate degrees in education and provides training for teachers in Chicago public schools. She is currently working on her PhD in Instructional Technology. In 2011, Desiree started Chicago Balboa Underground, and she remains dedicated to growing the swing dance scene in Chicago and across the globe. She has taught workshops across the United States and internationally.

She currently runs both Great Lakes Balboa Escape and Great Lakes Shag Escape. She is also on the board of Fizz Swing Dance in Chicago. As an instructor and swing dance organizer, Desiree values inclusive practices, trauma-informed approaches, and social justice.

INSTRUCTOR

Dominic (he/him) is a dancer and dance enthusiast based in the Triangle region of North Carolina. He has been dancing balboa for about 10 years, and is deeply fascinated by the elements that compose the feel and aesthetics of balboa. His dancing has been described as musical, smooth, playful, and connection centered.

As a local and regional instructor, Dominic is known for his open communication style, and his ability to tangibly share concepts in various forms.

INSTRUCTOR

Adam Brozowski (he/him) has been part of the swing dance community since the age of 10 and is a multi-disciplinary artist working across commercial, theatrical, and social dance spaces. Over the past decade, he has taught, performed, and competed extensively across six continents in more than 30 countries.

Adam is a respected voice for intersectional LGBTQIA+ advocacy in swing dance and is widely recognized for his work in queer-centered education. His teaching emphasizes a queer-positive approach, creating more flexible, collaborative dance roles and prioritizing musical conversation through mutual empowerment. Through classes and presentations, Adam invites curiosity around the significant contributions queer people have made on and off the dance floor.

Adam was also deeply shaped by his years assisting his mentor and close friend Norma Miller, “The Queen of Swing.” In her honor, he founded The Global Trickeration Project and remains committed to carrying forward her legacy by honoring and uplifting the Black community that created swing.

Performance highlights include New Yorks Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and touring with the tap musical 42nd Street. Adam has taught at most of the largest international festivals including the European Balboa Festival, Lindy Focus, Camp Hollywood, Herräng Dance Camp, Munich Balboa and Shag Fest, Balboa in Residence in Vienna, Austria, Mother City Hop in Cape Town, South Africa, and Hepcats Fever in São Paulo, Brazil.

Adam is the co-founder of Queer Swing Seattle, alongside his fiancé Bradley
Learn more at www.queerswingseattle.com

INSTRUCTOR

Dee Mathews (they/them) picked up Lindy Hop as a hobby in high school and fell in love with both swing jazz and moving to it. They began teaching balboa, lindy hop, and solo jazz in 2010, as well as competing and winning awards from national events such as Camp Hollywood, All Balboa Weekend, California Balboa Classic and teaching balboa both nationally and internationally.

They are committed to helping people play and connect to their partner at all levels of the dance, and explore connecting to music and movement in new ways. They run local events for Lindy Hop and Balboa in Durham, NC. They can be found on Instagram at @dmbalboa.

INSTRUCTOR

Theresa (she/her) has been a dance enthusiast for as long as she can remember. She has extensive experience in ballet, modern and aerial arts, but nothing captures her heart like jazz music and swing dancing. She adores all styles, especially Balboa, Collegiate Shag, Lindy Hop and solo jazz.

As an instructor, Theresa is known for having a keen eye for body mechanics with a strong focus to encourage her students to listen to the music as a way to influence movement.

Instructor

Since 1998, Matt (he/him) has been honing his dance skills; starting with East Coast, he quickly moved into Lindy Hop and other Swing-era dances–with very short detours into Ballroom and Blues. He’s studied with top Lindy Hop and Balboa contemporaries as well being influenced by the original greats (Frankie Manning, Dean Collins, Maxie Dorf and Willy Desatoff).

From 2007 through 2011, he was one of the lead instructors for Get Hep Swing (assisting the incomparable Valerie Salstrom) and helped choreograph Hustle and award winning Swing routines. He strives to bring solid fundamentals and just-the-right amount of connection to Lindy Hop and Balboa, while creating room for musicality and playfulness. In 2011, he relocated to his hometown of Austin, Texas, where he’s enjoyed teaching Lindy Hop and Balboa for Four on the Floor and the Austin Swing Syndicate, and is a contributing instructor for BalAustin.

Nationally and internationally, Matt has been an instructor at Boogie By The Bay, the Eastern Balboa Championships, Dance Renaissance, and the Canadian Balboa Championships, Northwest Balboa Fest, Hot Rhythm Holiday, BalAstOff, Rocky Mountain Balboa Blowout, GLBE, and the California Balboa Championships, among other great events. He competes regularly in Balboa, consistently making the finals, invitationals, and has several placements at ABW, EBC, CalBal, ILHC, and Camp Hollywood.

He was also a stand-in for Kevin Bacon in Footloose.*

*Recreating the famous dance scene in a skit. C’mon, he’s not that old.