Instructors
We are so excited to bring you a stellar lineup of amazing instructors this year! They can't wait to help bring your dancing to the next level.
Dancing in all forms has been a lifelong passion for Irina (she/her). In 2009, at the age of 15, she stumbled upon Swing dancing and it took only one night of social dancing for her to fall head over heels in love with it. Though Lindy Hop was her gateway into the world of Swing, Irina's passion quickly expanded to include Balboa, Collegiate Shag, and solo jazz. She is proud to have spent her formative years of dancing in Southern California, home to some of the best Swing dancers, teachers, and music in the world.
Irina has since received numerous accolades from events such as Camp Hollywood, The International Lindy Hop Championships, and Lindy Focus and has taught these dances all across the U.S., Asia, Europe, and Australia. Additionally, she is honored to have been inducted into the Camp Hollywood Hall of Fame in 2019 and the California Swing Dance Hall of Fame in 2022.
Irina's teaching style can best be described as patient and encouraging. Her goal is to guide her students through building solid foundations while inspiring individuality in personal movement, as well as helping build confidence through dance.
Felix Berghäll is a choreographer, performer and educator as well as a music researcher and DJ in Lindy Hop and African American Vernacular Jazz. He has studied Sport Coaching and Sport Science at the Swedish School of Sport and Health Science in Stockholm. He has been part of the national team as an athlete in Boogie Woogie and Lindy Hop and is now Co-Head Coach with his partner Mikaela Hellsten for the national team of Lindy Hop in Sweden.
He has also been working the last 5 years co-organising one of the biggest events in the world with focus on Lindy Hop and African American Vernacular Jazz, Herräng Dance Camp. He just resigned from his position at Herräng Dance Camp in November 2021.
Felix has been dancing since he was 8 years old, starting with training and competing in the Swedish dance style Bugg as well as Lindy Hop, Boogie Woogie and Double Bugg. All dances derived from Lindy Hop and African American Vernacular Jazz. He was in love from the beginning and was really, and still is taken by the music.
Currently, he is also part of leading a new NGO as board member and treasurer, Collective Voices for Change, along with other dancers and scholars in order to create a platform to address social issues in the Jazz dance community. The current focus of the initiative is to discuss the issues of cultural appropriation and racial injustice.
Felix is part of both the Swedish National team in both Boogie Woogie and Lindy Hop and made some fine results in the last 3 years. He sees swing dancing as a way to bring people together and bring happiness into their life. Because when he dances that is all he can think about and express. Pure happiness.
Sylwia Bielec is a curriculum designer, dancer and swing dance teacher from Montreal. Above all, Sylwia values collaboration, authenticity and community on and off the dance floor. She is a long-time teacher and community builder at Cats Corner in Montreal, teaching classes at all levels, working with teachers and facilitating choreography projects like the Lindy Project and the Cool Cats Coleslaw Collective. Sylwia has taught regionally with multiple partners including Alain Fragman, Aleix Prats-Ferrer and Meghan Gilmore and has led teacher development workshops with teams of teachers in cities across the United States and annually at Swing Out New Hampshire.
Beginning with his more traditional roots, Anthony started dancing at age 8 when his parents convinced him to learn and perform Chinese lion dances. At age 15 he was introduced to breakdancing at a speech and debate tournament, and shortly thereafter he found his home in the local swing community in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he quickly fell in love with Lindy Hop. Throughout his dancing career he has trained in several other styles from hip-hop to Argentine Tango to West Coast, but most of all he enjoys using this background to expand upon his technique and creativity in Lindy Hop. On the social dance floor, he is known to be playful, musical, and clear. He holds first place titles from events such as Lindyfest and Lone Star Championships, Montreal Swing Riot, Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown, Lindy Focus, and International Lindy Hop Championships. His teaching style focuses on energy, technique and connection theory, and his love of both leading and following has been instrumental to making the classes that he teaches both clear and intuitive. He is an active scene builder in his community and founded Salt Lake Swing, where he also teaches locally.
Dee started Swing Dancing at the age of four with her Dad in the basement, wearing her Mom’s heels and her favorite plaid skirt. With a hiatus into hip-hop during her school years, she was called back to Lindy Hop, becoming an influential member of the Minneapolis scene, where you can find her teaching at Uptown Swing.
Dee loves feeling free on the dance floor. She advocates for self-expression and individual creativity as the spirit of solo jazz and Lindy Hop. She loves Lindy Hop's particular way of encouraging collaboration between music and partner, priding herself on making each dance unique to the musical experience and partner.
Dee has taught, performed, and choreographed nationally and internationally. She specializes in vintage jazz, Charleston, and Lindy Hop.
Alain Fragman hails from Montreal and is one of the top Lindy Hop dancers and instructors in Canada. He has taught in countries as far away as Australia and can be seen regularly teaching workshops and competing in North America. In 2013, he won the coveted ULHS Showdown battle and placed 2nd in the ILHC Showcase division. Alain is a founding member of the Northern Lights Team and had the privilege of performing with them at Frankie95 and the Jump Session show.
A talented and musical dancer, Alain teaches dancers to connect to the music and to their partner through active listening and response. When he dances, teaches, performs, or competes, Alain’s purpose is to spread the joy of dance and inspire others.
Laura Glaess has been an influential voice in Lindy Hop competition, performance, and education for the past 20 years. She has won countless awards and acknowledgments at international competitions, and has taught at festivals in 19 countries spanning 5 continents. She is an original cast member in Caleb Teicher’s groundbreaking show Sw!ng Out, which has performed at the Joyce, Jacob’s Pillow, and has toured around the United States. Her Youtube channel dedicated to Lindy Hop history, vocabulary, partnering, and body movement is one of the most popular and influential in the scene.
Javier Johnson is a rocket scientist by trade. He is well versed in all the swing dances, but specializes teaching in Balboa and soul.
Katie Piselli has a passion for African American jazz dance and has been humbly teaching the dance, its traditions, and history for over 10 years. She has inspired students from as close as her home scene in Boston, MA to as far as Bucharest, Romania. Katie is also dance faculty at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she has been teaching Lindy Hop and Solo Vernacular Jazz for six years.
Katie grew up dancing in her mom’s studio in New Hampshire and went on to study musical theater performance at Emerson College in Boston. During a post-grad dance rehearsal in 2009 she serendipitously met her (now) husband, who taught her a swing out…. And she fell in love with him AND with Lindy Hop!
Katie is an approachable teacher and strives to help her students develop practical movement skills to support the evolution of their own unique style, musicality, and partnerships. While she has received a variety of awards for her own expressive dancing, Katie is most proud to be a recipient of the Spirit of Lindy Hop social dance award at Swing Out New Hampshire. Her favorite place is always on the social floor. Both as a follower and leader, she is thrilled to dance with everybody! When not dancing, Katie is a dedicated full-time mom to a train-loving little boy.
Rafal Pustelny is a vibrant dancer and instructor who is passionate about traditional dances from all around the world! Rafal moved to NYC in 2010 and there studied American Jazz dance forms, including Lindy Hop, Charleston, and Balboa. He quickly established himself as one of the top dancers in NYC, and has since earned acclaim in the international swing dance community.
His wide knowledge and skill in various styles has helped him win top placements in international competitions and has created opportunities for him to teach around the world. Rafal’s expertise and passion for dance shine in the classroom; he uses his technical prowess, upbeat sense of humor, and innate ability to connect with people to distill high-level content into accessible pieces that elevate multiple aspects of his students’ dancing.
Rafal continues his own dance education by studying Tap, Clogging, Hungarian folk dances, and Polish folk dances. As a performer, he works with several regional groups, including “Gatsby Entertainment,” “The Vanaver Caravan,” “Project Connect”, and “Harvest Moon Hoppers”, as well as community events and corporate parties. A Frankie Manning Foundation Ambassador, he teaches and performs locally with “You Should Be Dancing” studios. You can also find him at international events where he works with dance communities across the globe.
Annabel is known far and wide for her huge grins and prodigious laughter on the dance floor. A student of music all her life, Annabel caught the Lindy Hop bug in 2003 while a student at Colgate University. Addicted to the communication and spontaneity of social dancing, she continued to delve into swing dances while completing her Masters in Music History and Theory at Penn State where she was introduced to Balboa, Blues dancing, and Collegiate Shag. For the past decade, she has traveled near and far to teach and to compete, taking home top prizes in such events as the International Lindy Hop Championships, All Balboa Weekend, the California Balboa Classic, and Camp Hollywood to name a few. Annabel is passionate about fostering a fun and inspiring class environment that honors the history and legacy of the various swing dances while spurring her students to explore their potential and embrace their individuality. Currently, she resides in Washington, DC and is a founding board member and Director of Education at New Columbia Swing, DC’s premier swing dance organization.
Ana Lisa Sutherland is a powerhouse of energy packed into a petite frame, and she brings it all to the dance floor! She began her dance journey early in life in California, where she competed in Ballroom and Hip Hop before (accidentally) falling in love with Lindy Hop.
Since 2008, she has traveled across the country to compete and learn swing dancing from original legends and current-day champions. Ana Lisa holds multiple titles from prestigious weekend events like Northwest Balboa Fest, Lindy Bout, Camp Jitterbug, Lindy Focus, and Lindy On The Rocks. Some of her favorite performance highlights include Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night Swing and local cabaret shows in her current city of Seattle.
Ana Lisa believes that swing dancing is a cultural experience that allows participants to connect with the roots of this African American historical dance, contribute to its legacy, and shine. There truly is a place for everyone within it. Consequently, she loves drawing inspiration from historical sources and the legends that have paved the way, while also incorporating newer dance forms from her ongoing explorations in the world of dance.
In the classroom, she strives to inspire other dancers to authentically express themselves on the floor and encourages everyone to embrace their uniqueness. Ana Lisa helps her students approach each dance and class with the mindset that anything could happen, unlocking the unique conversation they can have with their partner and the music.