STEVEN AND VIRGINIE

Steven Mitchell started his dance career by studying Jazz, Ballet, Modern, Ballroom and Hip Hop in both Los Angeles and New York. He started Swing Dancing in 1978 together with his partner Erin Stevens. They worked with Al Minns in New York in 1982, and brought Frankie Manning out of retirement in 1986.

Virginie Jensen began teaching Ballet and Ballroom at the age of 16, and has performed Ballroom and Jazz professionally for several years. She is also the winner of numerous dancing awards in France. Virginie began teaching Lindy Hop in 1997, and in 1999 paired up with Steven Mitchell to teach full-time internationally. Known for her unique style, spinning and connection, Virginie draws from her extensive dance experience to teach grace, frame and flash to the followers.

PAUL AND SHARON

Paul Overton and Sharon Ashe have been teaching and performing Lindy Hop in the Bay Area and around the globe for the past eight years. In that time they have built an extremely successful swing dance program based on their unique and effective style of teaching and have toured the U.S. and Europe spreading the joy of Lindy Hop. In San Francisco Paul and Sharon regularly taught over two-hundred students per month and ran one of the largest weekly dance parties in town called the 9:20 Special. They have had the good fortune to teach and perform at some of the biggest and most well respected dance camps in the world including Swing Camp Catalina, Swing Out New Hampshire, and Herrang Dance Camp in Sweden. Currently, they live happily in Durham, North Carolina with their dogs, Boyd and Pete.

SYLVIA AND JASON

Sylvia Sykes studied with the great dancer Dean Collins, and was a member of his last dance troupe. She studied Balboa with Maxie Dorf and spent years learning from the greatest Southern California Balboa dancers. She is a two time inductee into the California Swing Dance Hall of Fame. She won the US Open twice, was the NASDE top point winner, third place in the National Carolina Shag Dance Championships, won many Strictly Swing contests through the US. She also represented the US in the World Boogie Woogie Championships in Grenoble, France. She is the undefeated California Balboa champion.

Jason Christodoulou, a talented dancer, choreographer, and teacher from the San Francisco Bay Area will be joining Sylvia. Known for his incredible versatility, energy, and style, Jason knows how to motivate dancers! His performing group, Loose Change, took 2nd place this year in the US Open Cabaret Division (Hip Hop). He is also the co-founder of one of the most popular swing events in San Francisco, the Dog House Party.

DAWN HAMPTON

Dawn Hampton comes from a long line of musicians and entertainers. She has been a dancer since the time she could walk and watching her cut the rug is a musicality lesson in itself. Her presence is always one of the highlights of the festival.

CAREN CADILE

Caren has performed and choreographed for several Bay Area rhythm-based dance companies and is a member of Aguas da Bahia, Dancers Without Borders, and Quimbanda, a percussion ensemble. She has studied rhythm tap, jazz, ballet, ethnic, hip-hop, and modern dance extensively and feels fortunate to have studied with great hoofers such as Gregory Hines, Eddie Brown, Brenda Buffalino and Savion Glover. Currently she teaches rhythm tap classes at DanceMission in San Francisco. She encourages her students to incorporate a lot of body movement with emphasis on rhythm and personal expression. Caren is looking forward to seeing everyone bust out at the fest again.

HOMER LADAS & Charity Lebron

Homer Ladas is an inventive enthusiast of the popular "New Tango" school while also reflecting the traditional roots of the dance. Entering his ninth year of tango obsession and fourth year as a full-time teacher, Homer continues to grow and discover new ways to create a positive class environment where small epiphanies occur in his students all the time. In her own worlds, Charity Lebron is "absolutely obsessed with Argentine Tango!" Charity began her dance studies with classical ballet and folk dancing in junior high and high school, and studied movement while attending Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle for acting. She started learning tango with Homer in 1999 while simultaneously pursuing and teaching other social dances. Since then, Charity has become a full-time social dance teacher with focus on tango. She has developed a skill and passion for teaching dance to anyone - to take them to their full potential and beyond! Together, Homer & Charity focus on unifying and teaching open and close embrace tango ideas while emphasizing the social aspect of connection, musicality, and floorcraft. Their creative energy and utter joy of tango dance is simply beautiful to watch.

ERIC FENN

2005 will mark eric's second appearance at the osdf and we couldn't be more excited about it. He is an internationally known dancer/choreographer that has toured the world with the group Culture Shock and also provided much of the dazzling choreography for San Francisco's Loose Change. Eric is an excellent teacher with a strong ability toward breaking down all the movements. Do NOT miss his classes!

CATRINE LJUNGREN AND ELLIOTT DONNELLY

Catrine Ljungren-   Catrine is one of the original members of the legendary Rhythm Hot Shots, one of the groups responsible for the resurgence of Lindy Hop today.   She learned from Al Minns and Frankie Manning, both members of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers in the 1930's.   Catrine is known for her energy- she likes to dance fast and fly high. In Elliott Donnelley she has found someone willing to attempt to keep up with her, and they are a joy to watch because they really have fun when they dance.

CHAD AND MELANIE KUBO

Chad Kubo is the original Ambassador of Swing in San Francisco.   He has been dancing lindy hop for over 11 years, and has performed and taught workshops across the United States, including performing in and choreographing a stage play about swing dancing at The Berkeley Repertory Theater.   He is the co-founder of San Francisco's Lindy in the Park (www.lindyinthepark.com), and the co-founder and owner (with Melanie Moore) of The Doghouse, the Bay Area's largest ongoing weekly swing dance (www. doghouseswing.com).   Drawing on his 32 years of martial arts experience (black belts in aikido, judo, and karate), as well as a background in gymnastics, Chad emphasizes movement and body dynamics in his lindy classes, such as Zen and the Art of Lindy Hop, Creativity and Musicality, Aerials, Stealing and Switching Partners, Jazz Movement, and Floor Craft.   Chad and his partner, Melanie, together created the unique Psychology of Leading and Following workshop, exploring the beliefs and attitudes that can affect one's dancing. Melanie holds a Ph.D. in educational psychology, and works as an evaluation consultant with non-profit organizations and public agencies.   Chad and Melanie teach lindy hop at various venues in the San Francisco Bay Area, and recently have been teaching leading and following classes to non-profit and corporate groups.  

DAVE GRAYBILL AND DEBBIE GITT

Born and bred in Southern California, Debbie has fast become one of Los Angeles' favorite followers, known for her unique and innovative styling, creative musicality, and high energy on the social and competitive dance floor. She has had the privilege of training, competing, and performing with dancers all over the United States and Europe. Constantly adding to her repertoire of crazy yet musical styling variations, Debbie has also trained under many of the top West Coast Swing and Carolina Shag Dance Champions.  She is an Amercan Lindy Hop Champion, and is one of the key players in maintaining Los Angeles' largest weekly dance venue, Lindygroove (inspired by Paul and Sharon's weekly dance venue, the 9:20 Special). She can be found at LindyGroove every Thursday night teaching, dancing, and running around!!
 
Originally from the East Coast, Dave has been Lindy Hopping for well over a decade now.  He has been competing, teaching, judging, DJ-ing, and watching the dance for more than half that time.  He has competed, won, taught, and judged at many local and national competitions including the U.S. Open Swing Dance Championships, The American Lindy Hop Championships, and the Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown.  While he has bounced around a great deal in the past two years, he has finally landed right here in Oakland, CA, where he calls his home.  He currently fills in as a Guest DJ or a teacher around the Bay Area at the 9:20 Special, the Doghouse, and Swing Central in Redwood City.
 
Dave & Debbie are ecstatic to be teaching their class, Happy Feet, at the Oakland Swing Dance Festival this year!

BETH AUCOIN

Since 1999, Beth has dedicated her life to the study and practice of Iyengar Yoga. She as undergone an extensive, six-month apprenticeship with Sara Azarius Eichmiller in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She has also received instruction from Geeta Iyengar, Lois Steinburg (Advanced Jr.1) and has currently moved to San Francisco to study under Manouso Manos (Advanced Sr.1). She has taught full-time in Pittsburgh for the past three years and she has taught with members of the Pittsburgh Steelers in their Performance Complex. Beth focuses on alignment and healing in Iyengar Yoga and she is available for private sessions.

MANU SMITH

Manu Smith has been dancing Lindy Hop since December of 1997. Since then his love for the music and the dance has grown. Since 2000 he has been Dancing, performing, competing, teaching, DJing, and MCing Lindy Hop events. His teaching spans worldwide, including Singapore, Australia, Sweden, Barcelona, France, Korea, and Brooklyn. Dig it!

Some of Manu's proudest moments are:

1st place at NADC 2002 Strictly Lindy
1st place Swingin' New England 2002 Lindy Division
1st place Boston Tea Party
1st place Summer Hummer Advanced Jack & Jill 2001
and getting disqualified at ALHC in both 1998 & 2002

Born in New York, Manu currently teaches in San Francisco, CA at the 9:20 Special. He is also the co-founder of the Yehoodi.com Lindy website. When he's not dancing, Manu is probably staring at a video game screen trying to beat someone else's high score