Artists

Sonia and Héctor both have been teaching Lindy Hop on a regular basis in various dance schools in Barcelona since 2003 and they have been partly responsible for promoting the success of the Lindy Hop boom nationally. They are now traveling all around the world involved in “spreading the Lindy Hop word”, venturing on as many attractive projects as possible. Sonia and Héctor are keen to demonstrate their love and enthusiasm for Lindy Hop through their work in the hope that others too can enjoy and learn the same.
Héctor and Sonia’s teaching perspective is focused on the fundamental aspects of what they find interesting in Lindy Hop; bouncing, partner communication and quality of movement form the basis of their teaching. From their own creative standpoint, teaching “cool” moves or combinations is not the priority, although they use them as tools for enjoyment and as a way for students to remember what they have absorbed during the classes.

As an instructor, Mike strives to create a learning environment that is fun, challenging, and inclusive. The goal is for each individual student to find their next step forward and enjoy that process of growth. Mike loves seeing students’ eyes light up when they understand a concept or feel a movement work naturally in their body for the first time.
Mike has taught dance in 21 countries and counting. He currently teaches Lindy Hop, Air Steps, Solo Jazz, and many different Blues styles. Mike has not only placed in and won respected competitions across multiple genres but also thrown down hard in unofficial late night dance-offs.
Mike lives and breathes dance. He is constantly honing his skills and developing new ideas. If you run into him at a grocery store, an airport, a museum, or a mountain top, you’ll probably catch him dancing.

Currently living the nomadic life, Jamica Zion takes pride in being a groovy solo dancer, a dynamic follow, and growing lead. Jamica aims for range, not just in connection and style, but across genres too! Jamica’s approach towards sharing dance with others includes a critical understanding and appreciation of its history and culture, while simultaneously ushering students to build their own styles and meaningful connections to it. Jamica draws on their professional training from various social justice organizations and a long educational background which includes nearly three degrees in Sociology. This unique blend of experiences, teacher training, and knowledge allows Jamica to deliver inclusive and culturally responsible classes that are creative, thought provoking, and original!

About Jacek, it can be confidently said that his obsession with Lindy Hop has been ongoing since 2016, and he has a great fondness for Charleston and BiRol dancing. He is not only a regular participant in festivals and a laureate of many dance competitions in Poland and abroad, but above all, he is a passionate, authentic, and creative dancer. He places special emphasis on the connection between partners and attentive following of the music. Without a doubt, taking classes with him brings a lot of joy and positive energy!

It’s been over 11 years since Michał directed his feet on the lindy side of the street. For as long as he can remember, a joy of sharing a dance with other people and a significant influence of music on his improvisation have been essential for his dancing. He is passionate about both dance and music history and continuously searches for inspiration digging into vintage clips. Focus on the origins of jazz helps him understand the roots of the dance. Having deep respect to African-American heritage and realizing his responsibility of passing it on, he broadens the knowledge of art, culture, history and traditions. He runs the Swing Avenue Dance School and grows the community in Warsaw.

Larissa and Heiko have been dancing and teaching together for more than a decade. They love to spread the joy of swing dancing in their local dance school Basel Jitterbugs and all around Europe. Both dance various swing dance styles, like Lindy Hop, Shag and Balboa and mix them based on the tempo and energy of the music. In class they share their immense passion for swing dancing to help you grow as a swing dancer and develop your own voice on the dance floor. They are also the hosts of their festival Jitterbugs Delight in Basel.

Within fifteen years of his dance journey, Daniil has explored various facets of Jazz Dance, winning numerous competitions in Europe & the USA. He has travelled to over 23 countries, sharing his passion for dance through teaching and performing. While having a reputation as a world-class dance artist, on the personal level Daniil always stays an introverted coffee lover that simply can’t resist a good swinging beat of Duke Ellington’s music.

Eveline has been passionately dancing various partner dances for over 24 years. In 2012, she fell in love with West Coast Swing and continues to further her education at international events regularly. She has been teaching West Coast Swing for more than 10 years and founded West Coast Swing Winterthur in January 2019. She is known for her well-structured lessons, keen eye for detail, and the importance she places on giving her students personal feedback. Her greatest goal is to promote and expand the West Coast Swing community in Eastern Switzerland.

Tommy only started dancing after the age of 30. However, he was all the more active on social dance floors in various countries. When Tommy discovered West Coast Swing in 2012, this musical dance immediately became his passion. He continued to educate himself over many years at international events. He has several years of experience teaching Discofox, West Coast Swing, and children’s dance classes. When teaching, he is known for his well-structured lessons and clear, easily understandable communication.

West Coast Swing is a trendy partner dance that originated on the American West Coast. It is known for its dynamism, creativity, and the versatility of its music, including blues, funk, pop, R&B, and much more. Instead of a basic step, there are foundational patterns and techniques that form the basis of the dance. Due to the improvisational nature of the dance, dancers adapt to the music and incorporate elements from other solo or partner dances.

Jeanine is a passionate movement performer and teacher.
She especially loves Fusion dancing because she can feed these conversations with all sorts of her movement and listening qualities. Be it the undulation and breath work from Wutao© and Systema, the embodied bio-mechanics from the Alexander Technique, the more acrobatic stuff or, even the quiet appreciation of an exquisite cup of tea.

Driven by her exploration nerdiness, Jeanine encourages us to refine our (self)awareness, tuning in deeply with each other so that unfolding and much fun can happen!

The The Swing Up Orchestra is made up of jazz musicians from the Rhône-Alpes region (south-east of France), and takes you back to the golden era of the swinging 40’s. The band brings alive the music of jazz legends such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Artie Shaw, and many more. With a strong rhythm section, and feverish solos, the Swing Up Orchestra recreates the energy and excitement of the Swing era!

A warm welcome to:
Grégory Aubert, guitar and band leader
Lou Rivaille, vocals
Fermin Muñoz, tenor xax
Valentin Meylan, trumpet
Lucas Verrière, piano
Damiens Larcher, double Bass
Nicolas Serret, drums

The Sheiks are six passionate musicians who play swing and original music just as they did in the wild 20s: fresh, loud and humorous. Their energetic insouciance delights audiences from old to young. Since 2018 they have been accompanying the workshops at the Stir It Festival in Zurich.

We are very happy they will be joining us this year as well as concert band at the Sunday party:
Valerio Lepori, trombone
Roger Greipl, tenor & baritone sax
Benjamin Danech, trumpet & flugelhorn
Tobias Künzli, piano
Jonas Künzli, double bass
Flavio Viazzoli, drums

Blues and more and Stir It! join forces again to bring you live Blues music from “Stompin’BluesBuddy” at this year’s Saturday party in an extra ball room.

André “Buddy” Bernath alias Stompin’BluesBuddy was infected with the guitar virus in the late 1960s and has been developing his skills largely self-taught ever since. In his search for further development and independence, he discovered the Farmer Footdrum two years ago. This now enables himself to lay the rhythmic foundation that is so important in the blues – the “One Man Bluesband”.

Do you think Blues dance is just slow and cuddly? Discover the vibrant world of Blues dance styles like energetic Chicago Triple, Struttin’, Stride & Strut, Texas Shuffle, and more. Originating from Afro-American communities in the early 20th century, these dances are far from what you might expect. And even if blues dancing is not yet your thing, come unwind :-).