Instructors

Nathan Bugh — Biography coming soon.

Erin Morris has been teaching, performing, and competing in jazz and swing dancing for over 25 years. She has enjoyed international artist residencies in Vienna, Berlin, and Krakow but above all loves contributing regularly to her local communities and students. Erin received her MFA in Dance in 2023 from Washington University in St. Louis and is now adjunct faculty at several Missouri universities. Her art-making focus has been on blending her background in Black social jazz dance with personal explorations in postmodernism, and she finds that all paths return her to the importance of improvisation and collaboration with musicians. In 2024 she launched the performance initiative “Jazz Shift” with renowned drummer Steve Davis (her husband), aiming to shift perspectives on how jazz sounds, how jazz moves, and what is possible when the language of jazz explores both fluency and futurism. Whether in the studio, the classroom, or the jazz club, Erin is committed to laying bare cultural roots and discovering a present that is individual, informed, aesthetic, and connective.

Nii (Phil) Attoh Okine — Biography coming soon.

Hannah Lane (she/her) is a Lindy Hopper and Jazz dancer from Baltimore, Maryland. In addition to her love for jazz music and social dancing, Hannah is passionate about historical research. Her work focuses on historical jazz dancers and nightlife venues in Black American communities from her home state of Maryland to cities throughout the United States. Hannah’s project “Queens of the Nightclub” explores the lives, artistry, and careers of Shake Dancers, and seeks to uplift their legacies in the history of Jazz dance and in American popular culture.

Angel Jenio(they/she) is a lifelong dancer with more than 20 years of experience teaching movement. She first found swing dancing in 2003 when a friend took her to a Lindy Hop dance in Detroit and has been hooked ever since, expanding her repertoire to include many other swing era dances. As a teacher, Angel values exploring with curiosity, helping dancers find their own voices, and building foundations that are rooted in the origins of each dance form.

Ann Sychterz began swing dancing (lindy hop, balboa, solo jazz, collegiate shag, and a hint of blues) in Waterloo, Canada (not far from Toronto). Though now living in the US, she co-founded, organized international workshops, and taught at Swingtime Lausanne in Switzerland which included lindy hop, solo jazz, balboa, and collegiate shag. She holds titles for competitions in balboa and lindy hop from the USA, Canada, France, and Germany. As an academic and a dancer, she finds joy in teaching by breaking down intriguing concepts on partnership and rhythm while keeping a comfy dance.