Rocktober Intensive Lindy Hop Weekend

Instructors

Audition Track A

Todd Yannacone has been a fixture on the international swing dance scene since he was a teenager. He is a California Swing Dance Hall of Fame inductee and Camp Hollywood Hall of Fame inductee. He holds countless titles from such prominent competitions as – The International Lindy Hop Championships, The European Swing Dance Championships, The American Lindy Hop Championships, The Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown, The U.S. Open Swing Dance Championships, The National Jitterbug Championships, Lone Star Championships – to name a few. He has been interviewed for Swing Dancer Magazine, “The Track” podcast, and various other publications both nationally and abroad. He has taught vernacular jazz, Balboa, Shag, Lindy Hop, Charleston, and other jazz era dances since he was 16 years old. His demand as an instructor, performer, and judge has taken him to 32 countries across five continents. He specializes in connection and musicality, which is apparent every time he steps on the dance floor. He has worked with dance and music legends alike – from Frankie Manning to Aretha Franklin – and is a member of the acclaimed dance troupe, the Silver Shadows.
Natalia Eristavi began swing dancing in 2010 at Atomic Ballroom in Irvine, CA, and quickly became one of LA’s up and coming Lindy Hop and Balboa dancers. Since then, she has won numerous competitions around the world, including at Lindy on the Rocks, Smokey Feet, and London Swing Festival. Drawing much of her inspiration from the original swing dancers from Southern California, she always seeks to maintain a level of attention to detail that is both authentic and creative. Her philosophies on dance stem from a desire for solid technique underneath a playful, musical approach to social dancing. Natalia loves to choreograph and perform but she is at the height of her self-expression when out on the dance floor dancing with different partners. There is something magical about creating an improvised dialogue of creativity with another person and she can’t get enough of it!

Audition Track B

Mony450Ann Mony strives to make every dance a unique and memorable one. Known for her playful style and the joy that she exudes while dancing, she travels as often as she can to share her love of lindy hop through classes, competitions, performances, and social dances. She is committed to preserving the improvisational link between lindy hop and jazz, empowering followers, and celebrating the cultural wealth of vernacular jazz dances.Ann fell madly in love with swing dancing in 2002. Over the next few years in Montreal she honed her skills as a dancer, competitor, and teacher. She holds titles from such events as the International Lindy Hop Championships, American Lindy Hop Championships, Canadian Lindy Hop Championships, Camp Jitterbug, and Lindy Focus. Through her classes and performances she hopes to add to the legacy of unique and powerful dancers in lindy hop.
CallowayRyan Calloway shines on the dance floor. His enthusiasm, buoyant rhythm and boundless creativity make him one of San Francisco’s best known Lindy Hop leaders. Most nights you’ll find him pounding the floor at one of the city’s local jazz and swing clubs.Ryan’s goal as a teacher is to inspire his students to find their own creativity. With an open and warm style, he welcomes individuals to not only learn the traditions of Vintage Jazz Dance, but to add to it as well. Having worked for seven years as a Visual Effects Artist for ILM, you might have caught some of his work on the silver screen. It’s this type of artistry that is so apparent in his dancing. It’s not just his technique that shines, it’s his attention to the aesthetic quality as well. For more on Ryan’s art, check out his site at www.ryancallowayart.com or on Instagram @ryancallowayart.

Non-Audition Track

Ben White has been addicted to all things swing since 2004. He has studied Lindy Hop, Balboa, Tap, and  Solo Jazz dance under masters from the original swing era and worked with world class contemporary swing dancers.He has had success both locally and internationally as a competitor and coach placing in contests such as The International Lindy Hop Championships, the National Jitterbug Championships, Camp Jitterbug, and many more.  He has also been involved in more than 100 productions as a performer, producer, choreographer, and technician.

Ben is well known for his clear instruction and ability to break down and communicate technique while keeping classes entertaining and engaging.  His instructional resume includes co-founding the venue Eastside Stomp where he works as manager and instructor, teaching at the University of Washington and other schools, and traveling to teach and perform at workshops all over the world.

Adrienne Weidert embodies the classic look & glamor of Hollywood’s Golden Era with a modern touch of Cyd Charisse. She is a Professional Swing Dance Instructor, Performer & National Jitterbug Champion who shines onstage. A New York City transplant from sunny Southern California & the LA swing dance scene, Adrienne made her NYC performance debut with The Public Theater’s production of ‘The Comedy of Errors’ at Shakespeare in the Park in 2013. While her classical dance foundation is rooted in training with the Milwaukee Ballet, Boston Ballet, and London’s Royal Ballet School, this Ballerina-gone-Jitterbug is most passionate about America’s Great Jazz Age and the dances that were born in NYC in the early 20th Century. She has been teaching & performing swing dance since 1996 with several top professional dance partners in the national circuit. Competitively she holds 1st Place National Jitterbug Championship, US Open Swing Dance Championship, as well as International Lindy Hop Championship Titles & was recently inducted into Camp Hollywood’s Swing Dance Hall of Fame! Adrienne is dancing, tapping and singing her way into musicals & productions on stages and screens from coast to coast, having choreographed & performed regionally at The Greek Theater in Los Angeles and Seattle’s Benaroya Hall, she also toured professionally with Lindy Hop company, Hot Club Stomp, and The Atomic Cherry Bombs – Los Angeles’ all-female chorus girl troupe, and has been a featured dancer in film (The Thirteenth Floor) and television, as well as music video. You can also catch her teaching at You Should Be Dancing…! Dance Studio as well as performing around New York City at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Lincoln Center’s ‘Midsummer Night Swing,’ B.B. Kings Blues Club, Swing 46 Supper Club, the Paramount’s Diamond Horseshoe, the Historic Battleship Intrepid at Pier 84, the Rainbow Room at the Top of Rockefeller Center, and on Governor’s Island at the semi-annual Jazz Age Lawn Party! Be sure to keep an eye out for her local performances with The Rhythm Stompers, The Lindy Hop All Stars, The Canarsie Wobblers and her own creative joint project & fellow ‘Bathtub Ginnys’ – New York City’s premier Vintage Chorus Girl group focused on Prohibition Era Entertainment with a Musical Theater flair.

Fundamentals