The best in national & PNW instructors

INSTRUCTOR

JENN LEE (She/Her) started swing dancing in 2001 and has loved being a part of this amazing community ever since. If there is great jazz music playing you’ll find her there, dancing until the wee hours with the most contented smile on her face.

Her devotion to swing dancing was first as a student, then later as an avid competitor, organizer, advocate, and now as a popular instructor.

Her teaching style reflects her creativity and playfulness. She has a strong music background and uses this along with a collaborative approach in her classes.

Jenn is one of the few professional follows who did not develop her craft with a dedicated partner, as a result she has a dance style that works with many people and is able to work with multiple dance partners for teaching and collaboration.

Her film titled “One Girl and Two Boys” won the Jazz Dance Film Festival, and she holds many titles including 1st place titles from the California Balboa Classic, All Balboa Weekend, the Eastern Balboa Championships, Hot Rhythm Holiday, the Snowball and, Lindy Focus. https://therealjenniferlee.com/

INSTRUCTOR

After a few years of watching Lindy Hop, Shag and Balboa at local swing clubs in Los Angeles, Mickey began his dance education in 1999. After moving to New York, Mickey began teaching local classes for the New York University Swing Dance Society. Traveling between New York City and Los Angeles during this period gave his dance education a unique perspective as he was able to meet and watch the old timers from both coasts on the dance floor. With this education, Mickey gained the confidence and vision that brought him to his first competitions, choreographies and performances in 2001. 

Mickey currently resides in Knoxville TN where he continues to travel, teach, compete and perform all over the world.

INSTRUCTOR

Travis Whetman has been sharing his love of swing dancing in the Seattle area since the early 2000s.

He is known for his ‘classic’ style of Balboa but also enjoys exploring how to take the dance in new directions. As a well-known Balboa DJ, Travis also loves talking about the music and how we can connect to it as dancers.

Connecting with your partner and with the music are always topics that are close to Travis' heart.

INSTRUCTOR

Jennifer learned her first rock steps a long, long time ago from Valerie Salstrom and Joel Plys in her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. After a foray into West Coast Swing and sparkly clothes, Jennifer returned to Balboa and Lindy Hop and began dancing competitively in 2010.  

When she's not traveling to events, competing, teaching Balboa classes in Austin, or coaching the Capitol City Feetwarmers (Matt and Jen's dance team), you can find her helping others organize dance events and volunteering for The Austin Swing Syndicate. This woman is all about community. 

INSTRUCTOR

Matt Lam started swing dancing in 2008, and has since participated in this community in many roles -- as a student, instructor, organizer, and general enthusiast -- both regionally, and locally in his hometown of Vancouver, Canada. Together with his partner, Angie Weddell, Matt was a founding member of the Vancouver Swing Society, a non-profit dedicated to the study, promotion, and enjoyment of swing-era music and dance.

As a dancer and instructor, Matt draws on his many years of experience as a jazz pianist and clarinetist to relate simple, natural movements to the underlying music. He seeks to present multiple approaches and framings for each idea, encouraging students to combine these in their own ways to create comfortable and meaningful experiences with their partners. Matt has placed and made finals appearances in a variety of competitions -- including the All Balboa Weekend, California Balboa Classic, and Hot Rhythm Holiday -- but remains most at home dancing the night away on the social floor with friends both old and new.

INSTRUCTOR

Angie Weddell (Vancouver, Canada) has been dancing all her life. She took her first swing dance class (both Lindy Hop and Balboa in four weeks!) with her dad in the early 2000s and for the last 15 years has made swing dancing a central part of her life. For ten years, she led the Vancouver Swing Society, a non-profit dedicated to swing-era music and dance, and has taught locally and regionally for nearly as long.

As a teacher, Angie focuses on practical exercises and personal feedback to build confidence on the social floor. Angie was drawn to Balboa (especially pure Balboa) by the relentless rhythm as well as the trust and reciprocity between partners. While she’s won and placed in a few competitions over the years, her primary focus is on social dancing. Every song is a chance to create something new and special with your partner, and she’s looking forward to creating these moments with all of you this weekend.

When she’s not dancing, you can usually find Angie on her bike, eating ice cream, or biking to go eat ice cream. She is excited to be back at NWBF this year, and beyond thrilled that this year’s venues are accessible by bike.

INSTRUCTOR

Desiree 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

Chisomo Selemani is a speech-language pathologist, professor, and dance enthusiast. She is from Zambia, but has spent much of her life in the U.S. Even so, her very first dance lessons were from her mom and sisters.

Chisomo became passionate about Afrobeats and dance fitness through dancing, performing and teaching with ZOCA dance Zambia.

She has taught and performed across the U.S., mostly in conjunction with another dance passion, Swing. She loves to dance, perform, compete, and teach Lindy hop and Balboa.

Part of her artistic journey has included an investigation of how these different Afrocentric dance styles collide. She and her teaching partners believe in collaborative and reflective teaching approaches, giving class participants the opportunity to explore, share, and grow. She is also the co-founder and co-host of the podcast Integrated Rhythm.  She and her co-founder, co-host, editor, international swing dance instructor, bestie, and all round amazing guy about town, Bobby White seek to have meaningful conversations around hard topics with featured guests on the Integrated Rhythm podcast.

Chisomo loves teaching, dancing, and sharing. It is a privilege for her to be a part of this event. 

INSTRUCTOR

Theresa 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 has been honing his dance skills; starting with East Coast, he quickly moved into Lindy Hop and other Swing-era dances--with a very short detour into Ballroom. 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 (run by 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 home town of Austin where he's enjoyed teaching Balboa for Four on the Floor.

Nationally and internationally, Matt has been an instructor at Boogie By The Bay, the Eastern Balboa Championships, Dance Renaissance, and the Canadian Balboa Championships. He competes regularly in Balboa, consistently making the finals and has several placements at ABW, EBC, and CBC.