LEARN

Classic City Swing offers four track levels taught by incredible instructors, so you can get the most out of the weekend to improve your dancing.

Track Descriptions

Instructor Bios

Track Descriptions

Four class tracks will be offered a Classic City Swing 9.

Please consider these descriptions when determining where to place yourself when filling out the registration form.

Beginner (includes beginner workshops and all dances)

Brand new to Lindy Hop? Been studying it a short while but still perfecting your swingout, circle, and basic turns? Been away from the dance scene for a while and want to re-establish a strong foundation? This is the track for you! The beginner track will have a dedicated set of instructors for the entire weekend. What better way to learn or focus on Lindy Hop basics than with an intensive workshop that also includes dances with amazing live music! (Make sure you sign up for the beginner pass!)

Intermediate (includes leveled workshops and all dances)

This track is for dancers who are comfortable social dancing Lindy Hop on a regular basis. You have a solid foundation in Lindy Hop technique and can confidently and consistently execute a swingout, circle, turns, and other basic 8 and 6 count moves. You can easily mix 6 and 8 count moves. You are comfortable dancing at moderate tempos but may still struggle at slow or fast speeds. This level will improve the execution of vocabulary, and also provide more challenging material. Ideally, you have been exposed to Charleston by this level.

Intermediate Plus (audition required – includes leveled workshops and all dances)

This level is for experienced dancers. Students showing up at this level are confident, technically knowledgeable, and fairly fluent in the rhythmical language around the dance form. With a very good control of basics, you are now getting bolder with exploring variations and musicality. You can lead or follow clearly and are getting comfortable with slow and fast tempos. At this point, you are very interested in improving your quality of movement, not just learning more moves. You have begun to explore other jazz era dances, most notably Charleston. This level will be challenging: rhythmically, technically, and tempo wise.

Advanced (audition required – includes leveled workshops and all dances)

You are more comfortable on the dance floor than off – Lindy Hop is your comfort zone. You dance outside of the box with numerous variations, and musicality is reflected in your movement choices. You understand partner connection and can adapt your dancing to different partners. You welcome the challenge of dancing at all tempos, although you still want to improve your control in doing this. Your basics in solo jazz are solid and this is obvious in your partner dancing. You have been exploring other jazz era dances, primarily Charleston, Balboa, and/or Shag. Working on dance concepts and connection is more important to you than simply learning moves. This level will be the most challenging: rhythmically, technically, and tempo wise.

Meet Your Instructors

Jenna Applegarth

Jenna found swing dancing in 2004 in her small local scene of Wenatchee, WA. Since then she has spent countless hours expanding her dancing repertoire and sharing her love and knowledge of these dances with others. Her energy and passion create the perfect environment for learning.

Jenna has attended, coordinated, and taught various workshops and exchanges all across the globe. Some of her favorite highlights are performing at Benaroya Hall in The Jump Session Show and teaching for Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night Swing in New York City. Above all else she believes that learning to dance should be fun, and rooted in the music and history. With over 15 years of teaching/coaching/training experience, she loves finding new ways to connect with other dancers on the floor and in the classroom and to create challenging yet applicable lessons in the classroom.

Photo by Samantha Kunz Photography

Jon Tigert

Jon is a world recognized Swing Dancer and musician. Specializing in Vintage dances such as Lindy Hop, Balboa, Blues, and Charleston, he has won titles from the International Lindy Hop Championships, The Canadian Swing Dance Championships, Lindy Focus, and many more. Swing Dancing since 2005, Jon has made a home in the swing community as a teacher, an MC, a performer, an organizer, and a musician. As a teacher, Jon is well known for his historical and musical knowledge, clear and concise communication, and endless supply of terrible dad jokes.

Jon now lives in Baltimore where he teaches at the Mobtown Ballroom and sings and plays drums with The Corner Pocket Jazz Band.

Photo courtesy of Jon Tigert

Shelby Johnson

Shelby is a dance instructor, DJ and lecturer based in Columbus, OH. He’s been in the scene since 2011, but he grew up dancing to Hip Hop, R&B, Funk, Electronic, and, due to the local Latin scene, Salsa. Growing up, he also experienced a wide array of Jazz music ranging from Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, George Benson, and David Benoit. So when he started dancing Lindy Hop in Orlando, Florida, he already had a knack for solo movement, musicality, and, fairly quickly, partnering. Over the years, Shelby has developed a wealth of knowledge not just of Lindy Hop and jazz dance steps, but connected the dots between the cultural customs and traditions of these and other dances to those of current Black dances and spaces. Shelby isn’t just a keeper of classic steps and choreographies, but also of stories of how these jazz dances came to be and how they evolved over time, along with the music and events that shaped them. In 2021, Shelby became a board member for Collective Voices for Change, an international organization founded to educate regarding the issues of racial inequalities and cultural appropriation in the Jazz dance community in Europe and around the world.

Photo courtesy of Shelby Johnson

Jamica Zion

Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Jamica Zion takes pride in being a dynamic follow. Jamica aims for range, not just in connection and style, but across genres too! Jamica holds multiple titles in Blues and Lindy Hop contests from top US events including Lindy Focus, Beantown, and Camp Hollywood. When Jamica is not social dancing, teaching, or working on choreography, they are likely working on dissertation research which focuses on these scenes (that Jamica has been a part of since the age of 15)!

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 is a Frankie Manning Ambassador for this approach both in the Atlanta community and as a guest instructor in other scenes. Jamica draws on the professional training received while working with organizations like the Anti-Defamation League and educational exposure via a sociology doctoral program which allows Jamica to deliver inclusive, responsible, creative, and original classes.

Photo by Sam Delos Reyes Strickland

Nicole Zuckerman

Nicole’s first foray into Lindy Hop occurred in 2003, and they immediately threw caution and all other hobbies out the window to chase swing outs relentlessly. Since then, Nicole has developed their unique style, and an unmistakeable sense of fun and whimsy in their dancing. Though their primary dance role is as a follow, they also love leading, and solo jazz-ing like a weirdo. Nicole has also won numerous competitions across the US for Lindy Hop, solo jazz, and Balboa.

As an instructor, Nicole keenly articulates connection, rhythm, and creativity in an accessible way, with enthusiasm and the occasional sound effect. When not swinging out and gesticulating wildly, Nicole can also be found re-visiting their own extensive training in tap.

Photo courtsey of Nicole Zuckerman

Rachel Pitner

Rachel Pitner has been dancing all of her life. From dancing down the aisles at the grocery store to performing on stage and everywhere in between. Rachel’s life is full of movement and exploring connections. She has performed around the country as a cast member of SW!NG OUT and in other productions including the Disney movie "The Haunted Mansion." Rachel has a degree in dance with a focus in Graham-style modern from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia.

Rachel loves dancing, and she loves nurturing her dance community. You can often find her organizing or supporting fellow organizers throughout the Southeast and at various events, but especially at Hot Jam and Atlanta Varsity Showdown (the hometown events that she runs). Rachel loves the personal growth and the exchange of ideas that occurs with partner dancing and the freedom and energy of Lindy Hop and the flow of solo dancing. You’ll often see her dancing to the music in her head.

Photo by Jennifer Stockert

Dave Barry

Dave hasn't said no to a dance since finding Lindy Hop in 2012 (seriously). As a teacher, Dave focuses on simple, driving rhythms and deep applicability of foundational concepts. His classes place high value on dynamic following, and inclusive reactions from leaders with body mechanics always at the root of his lead/ follow focus. Dave has placed in major competitions at national and international events including ILHC, Lindyfest, ULHS, Midwest Lindyfest, Arctic Lindy Exchange, and Atlanta Varsity Showdown. At home in Atlanta Dave gives warm homes to wayward CDs and records.

Photo courtesy of Dave Barry