Jo Hoffberg is a force of nature. She is an international choreographer, a highly decorated competitor, a thoughtful mentor, a wearer of high-waist pants, and is best known for her teaching. She has taught Lindy Hop, Charleston, Vernacular Jazz, Aerials, Competition Prep, and Weekend Intensives both nationally and abroad since 2007. Her love and appreciation for various Black American art forms allows her to bring innovative versatility to the dance floor while simultaneously respecting the roots.

Jo's outstanding contributions to the Lindy Hop community have been recognized with inductions into the California Swing Dance Hall of Fame in both 2013 and 2022. Beyond her impressive accolades, Jo is beloved for her effervescent personality and unwavering commitment to fostering a vibrant and inclusive dance community. Through her transformative workshops, mesmerizing performances, and collaborative efforts, Jo Hoffberg continues to inspire and uplift dancers across the globe, leaving an enduring legacy for generations to come.

Her motto: possibilities over perfection.

Felipe grew up in an environment where music, dance, and rhythms are a part of everyday life.

Spending most of his youth in music studios, theatre productions and performing absurd

theatre sketches in a local theater in his hometown in Brazil, Felipe only encountered Swing Dancing when he moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to study film making.

Feeling drawn to Jazz Music and the beauty of the social dance culture, Felipe's pursuit in the Jazz Dances took him to the biggest dance camps and competitions around the world.

There he would learn more about the origins and history of this culture that had captivated him.

In the next few years, Felipe would establish himself as an avid performer and instructor, sharing his passion and love for Jazz history, music and dance.

Yana Sanamyantz is an active swing dancer, performer, teacher and DJ. She was surrounded by jazz since childhood, while dancing came much later. After the first lindy hop lesson, she fell in love with the swing scene and started devoting all her time to music and dancing. Raised with love in Moscow Swing Dance Society she shortly became a teacher there and in a few years started to travel for sharing and finding knowledge. In class, Yana is conveying joy, respect and love for the dance with her students. 

Joris Focquaert comes from Ghent, Belgium. He discovered the Lindy Hop in Copenhagen when he was studying at the Commedia School for mime & physical theatre. A background in the art of clowning, he takes his unique expressivity to his social dances & performances, forming his attidute towards the dance. 

In class, Joris tries to sharehis best of ideas. He is one of teh starting gures of swing dance school 'Crazy Legs' (Ghent) & vernacular Jazz dance troupe 'the Dipsy Doodles'. 

Today he is a busy working dancer in Belgium & abroad, next to studying the Jazz trombone.

AppenDixie is a band that driven by the local swing dance scene combine the elements of the early swing and traditional jazz with a slight touch of craziness.

The band has been given a great oppurtunity to play at big dance events and are a regular part of the Prague Swing festivals (PSSF and PSX). Along with the Prague’s festivals the AppenDixie has played for the lindy hop scene of Brno, Dresden, Pilsen and by the end of 2017 they’ll have played for VIenna aswell. (We all do like it hot!)

The band regularly organises dance parties themselves and raid the existing ones with their powerful live music.

Besides the swing festivals and local lindy parties they don’t hesitate to throw a corporate party, a wedding or another event where live old-style-jazz music would fit.

Fächerswing, that stands for a wide repertoire of always danceable, swinging songs. From the 20s to today, from blues to Lindy Hop to Shag: what more could a swing dancer ask for?

The musicians from Karlsruhe have set themselves the goal of making music that is specifically tailored to the needs of the Lindy Hop scene.

They present groovy classics of swing music and will thus provide us with the perfect opening of our festival!