To honour the brave and reckless souls who braved the prohibition, this weekly event held in Wellington is dedicated to having fun in the old fashion. Join us for music and dance every Friday and be sure to have a hell...
Racheal’s love of dancing started early and she was often seen pirouetting down the street in her pink fluffy slippers. Nicknamed “Twinkle Toes” by her local bus driver, she proceeded to impoverish her parents by attending every dance class under the sun.
After years of ballet and modern jazz, and snippets of everything else, Racheal attended a free Lindy Hop class in 2001 and caught the Swing bug. Obviously she is yet to discover a cure.
Now days Racheal teaches Lindy Hop, Charleston and Blues, enjoys Balboa and any other swing era dance that gets thrown at her, and generally keeps things ticking.
“For me the best moment is when the penny drops and someone who was previously struggling goes “Aha!”. The look on their face makes teaching so enjoyable.”
Phil has been dancing Lindy Hop since 2004, and due to a deep commitment, he has rapidly taken his dancing to a high level. He has taught special workshops at the Auckland Lindy Exchange (100% Pure), Art Deco Napier, and National Tango Festival.
Phil loves the culture of swing, especially the music and clothes. He is known for his sharp shoes and his extensive collection of hats!
At the age of 8, Saran gave up a promising career in artistic roller skating to start tap and jazz classes. Many years (and many ballet productions spent dressed as a flower or woodland creature) later, she discovered Lindy Hop and has never been the same since.
Now a total dance nerd with a passion for anything swing, Saran dances anything she can get her shoes on, including Lindy Hop, Balboa, Charleston, Tap and Blues. She spends her time teaching classes and workshops, working out routines and awesome moves, and traveling far and wide to learn as much as possible about these unique dance styles. Most recently she visited France to attend international workshops at Studio Hop Summer Camp.
Lauren started learning Lindy Hop in 2001, but didn’t consider herself addicted until she’d started over again in 2005 after a few years away travelling. She fell in love with Balboa during a weekend workshop in the UK in 2007 and hasn’t looked back since: Balboa’s smooth fast footwork and dreamy lead/follow connection never fail to bring a smile to her face.
Lauren’s dancing highlights to date include: asking Frankie Manning to dance in 2007, attending Studio Hop Summer Camp in 2009, participating in the Balboa Experiment in 2012, and busting out a few sneaky lollie kicks on an empty stage at Radio City Music Hall in New York City!
Andrew was inadvertently introduced to dance while acting as a wingman for a colleague. Having sharpened his shoes on the mean streets of Auckland, he moved to Wellington to continue his education in the ways of Swing.
Andrew enjoys sharing his passion for Swing with everyone who’s interested (as well as some who are not). He approaches dancing with a serious dose of fun and a side order of cheekiness. The discovery of the art of Balboa has left him a devoted student of the style, on top of his addiction to Lindy Hop, Charleston, and Tap.
Michael came to dancing from a martial arts background when he decided to give ballroom dancing a go to try to impress his girlfriend at the time. After trying out a variety of other dance styles, he found swing and has been hooked ever since.
Dancing Lindy Hop, Charleston, Balboa, Blues and more, Michael’s approach to dance is creative, lighthearted and fun. He is known for his dance-floor style and energetic choreography, and is one of the “boys in the back room” behind Wellington’s swing social events like Speakeasy.
Michael recently returned from a trip to Europe, during which he danced in various countries and was voted “sexiest person” during Lindy Week at Studio Hop Summer Camp in France.
