Our Teachers
Sandy & Fancy
Hailing from Los Angeles, California, Fancy Dougherty fell in love with Lindy and Shag in 2008, with Balboa trailing not far behind. She’s been hooked ever since, constantly endeavoring to improve her technique on a never-ending quest for connection, improvisational freedom in social dancing and the true jitterbug spirit. She has performed, competed in and taught Lindy, Balboa and Shag all over the world, and is a five-time winner of the National Jitterbug Championships in the shag division. She loves to dance with new people and beginners, so be sure to ask her to dance!
Based in Barcelona, Sandy Lewis was born and raised in south Louisiana dancing to Cajun and Zydeco music. After moving to Spain, she began swing dancing and immediately fell in love with Collegiate Shag. Her style is joyful, free-spirited, and a little rascally when the mood
strikes. And her teaching style follows suit. You’ll learn while laughing and the lesson always comes with a wink and a smile...and maybe some swear words in between. She believes in empowering dancers to be themselves and encourages people to let their inner dancer shine
on the dancefloor. When she’s not dancing, you can find her emceeing various swing festivals around Spain, and also at home being a kick-ass mom. Her favorite color is red, and according to her son, her hair is fantastic.​​
Valentina & Vasu
Valentina Heck started dancing ballet when she was four years old and developed a deep love for movement. At seventeen she discovered Swing Dance and has been captured by it ever since. From Solo Jazz and Lindy Hop to Balboa and Slow Swing, Valentina brings a diverse mix of experience to the dance floor. She’s an analytical dancer who picks up new techniques quickly, and uses that skill to teach in a clear, easy-to-understand way. A constant learner, Valentina draws inspiration from everywhere – other dance styles, music, life in general. As a regular teacher at Swing Base in Berlin, she brings both energy and a fresh perspective to every class, helping students build confidence, have fun, and find their own rhythm.
Vasu Sharma discovered Swing Dancing at the University of Florida and has been hooked ever since. His dedication to the art takes him around the globe to dance socially, perform, compete, and teach in Lindy Hop, Balboa, and Collegiate Shag. Renowned for his precise technique and enthusiasm for swing dancing at any tempo, Vasu loves pushing the boundaries with unconventional rhythms, shapes, and connections. With a special affinity for Pure Balboa, he constantly seeks to innovate and redefine traditional dance partnerships. Whether he's dancing all night on the social floor or rigorously training for competitions and performances, Vasu's passion for swing dancing is evident. A lifelong learner, he is equally passionate about sharing his extensive knowledge with others.
Carolin & Iacopo
Carolin Meier discovered her passion for dance early in life, but it was in 2017 that she truly found her rhythm through swing dancing. Ever since, she’s been a constant presence on the dance floor dancing Lindy Hop and Blues. Her journey naturally led her to Balboa and Slow Balboa, where her graceful lines and elegant movement found their perfect expression.In both her dancing and teaching, Carolin values emotional presence, relaxed connection, and a balanced partnership. She is known for her beautiful shapes, textured footwork, and nuanced musicality. As an instructor, she combines clarity with empathy—offering structured, methodical classes while tuning into her students’ needs, knowing when to challenge and when to support. Her teaching strikes a thoughtful balance between technique and the sheer joy of dancing.
Iacopo Longo first stepped onto the social dance floor in 2017, when he discovered Lindy Hop – and swiftly fell head over heels for the entire swing dance family. Since then, he's been dedicating himself to the elegant intricacies of Balboa and Slow Balboa, balancing his passion with a career in mathematics (yes, really!). With a sharp analytical eye and a structured approach, Iacopo has a real knack for breaking down rhythm, movement and body awareness into clear, accessible concepts – perfect for dancers of all levels. And if he gets a tad too enthusiastic mid-class? That’s just the Italian charm coming through.
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Since forming their partnership, Carolin and Iacopo have travelled and competed across Europe, bringing their passion for Balboa and Slow Balboa to every dance floor. Their dancing is vibrant, elegant, and full of energy and flow - blending original vocabulary with timeless classic moves.
Rebecca & Adam
Adam and Rebecca arrived at Swing dancing through very different paths, but both came to the same conclusion - that Collegiate Shag is the best!
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Rebecca Brouwers-Harries has loved dancing from an early age and can’t stop grooving if there’s a good beat going. After a few years without dancing she started Lindy hopping at university after trying to find an open welcoming dance class, to get those feet moving again! Once her partner Adam discovered Collegiate Shag she got swept along by his enthusiasm and quickly fell in love with it too. Rebecca loves to sprinkle her classes with joy and grooviness, along with a good pinch of technique.
Adam Brouwers-Harries has played jazz for many years (and still plays in the Castle Rock Jazz Band) but it was only at university, at the suggestion of Rebecca, that he tried dancing to it. Together, they checked out the “Lindy Hop” and have been hooked on swing dance ever since. After a chance encounter at a swing festival in 2015, Adam also discovered Collegiate Shag, and very quickly fell in love with it. Adam loves bringing his musical background to classes, and building technique to channel the joy in the music.
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In all their classes the aim is to deliver the distinct feeling of Collegiate Shag, its history, and how it connects to and is built from the music. They want their students to feel creative and able to express themselves while still keeping the authenticity of the dance, and being conscious and aware of the African-American communities from where it originated.
Our Musical Line-up
Castle Rock Jazz Band
Another year of Save the Fast Dance, another band we’re bringing straight from Scotland to Cambridge for you — let’s welcome the Castle Rock Jazz Band!
The Castle Rock Jazz Band are in the business of serving up hot Swing music, played by dancers for dancers. They draw influence from the great jazz artists and orchestras of the Swing era, while their experience as dancers ensures that the floor will be kept full all night. When they're not on the stage, they're busy jamming, working out new arrangements and throwing down on dance floors in Edinburgh and beyond.
Elise Roth and Her High Standards
After last year’s unforgettable performance, we couldn’t resist inviting her back to Save the Fast Dance - the stage is yours, Elise!
Elise Roth & her High Standards are a 6 piece band specialising in hot jazz and early swing music from the 20s, 30s, and 40s for dancers and devotees alike! As a dancer herself, Elise delights in playing danceable tempos and sharing lesser known tunes for listeners to fall in love with. Elise and her bands have played for popular venues and vintage events in London and beyond, such as Evans and Peel, C Jam, Nightjar, Paper Moon, the Candlelight Club, the Twinwood Festival, and Jamboree, as well as dance festivals in Oxford, Bedford, Norwich, and Lombardy, Italy. Elise's vocal influences include Ivie Anderson, Mildred Bailey, and Annette Hanshaw, and she is lucky to be joined by some of the best players of this style in the UK as the members of her band. See you on the dance floor!
Django's Tiger
A firm Cambridge favourite, and following their success of bringing fast music to this festival in 2024 and 2025, Django's Tiger will return to finish off our festival. ​
Django’s Tiger is a Cambridge-based band playing swinging manouche jazz in the tradition of the Quintet of the Hot Club of France. The lineup is two guitars, string bass, clarinet, and singer. This music grew out of a melting pot of American swing jazz of the 1920s to 40s, Parisian “musette” dancehall music, and traditional Manouche songs. The band’s repertoire includes standards from the 1920s to the 1950s and a selection of contemporary Manouche-inspired music. The band has played at Camp Bestival, St Neots Festival, St Ives Blues & Jazz Festival and Strawberry Fair, and has performed live sets for BBC Radio Cambridge, Cambridge TV and Cambridge 105 Radio.​ The band was formed in May 2011 and has been busy ever since.
DJ Ania Apollo
Ania has been a jazz lover since she was little, spending many a happy hour rummaging through her parents’ CD collection, and falling in love with Ella, Nina, Miles and Chet at first listen. A later coup de coeur came in 2016 when she heard some of these childhood favourites being played at her first Lindy Hop class. Her latest enduring crush is the Balboa. She is resident DJ at London’s favourite fast feet social ‘Another Night’. Expect to hear swinging classics from the likes of Basie, Duke, Johnny Hodges, Earl Hines and John Kirby, alongside a spattering of later jazz, ranging from Bebop to RnB. As long as there’s groove and a driving rhythm section, it’s in!
DJ Artem
Once upon a time, Artem discovered old jazzy vinyl records in charity shops. He promptly made sure that all of his backpacks fit a dozen of 12-inch-long square objects, packed his shelves with jazz, and started playing sets for the local scene in Cambridge. For Save The Fast Dance, to get you kicking and scooting and shuffling, Artem's sets will take you on a journey from the '20s to the '20s with a diverse selection of tunes: sweet and hot, classic and contemporary, as fast as lightning.
DJ Jazzy Skeff
John’s passion for the origins of swing music and it’s social history means that you’re sure to hear tunes from both the swing era and today that’ll get you dancing. Artists in regular circulation in his sets at the minute include Roy Eldridge, Nirav Sanghani and the Pacific Six, Benny Carter, and Coleman Hawkins.
History Talk
Lewis Orchard
Lewis Orchard is a social Balboa dancer and occasional California Balboa Classic finalist. He is also known for his research unearthing missing film footage, disappearing dance technique, and the lost stories of original dancers. He has spoken at Snowball, Cal Bal, and numerous other events. His talk on 'SoCal Swing Origins' will feature unpublished film footage, photos, rare sound recordings and even a Venn diagram.​
Photography
Jack Childs
Since Jack began his first Lindy Hop lesson in early 2017, swing dancing has become a significant part of his life. Over time, this passion expanded into his professional work in sound, videography, and photography. Jack now also teaches collegiate shag and lindy hop classes locally in Essex, and while he thoroughly enjoys the various forms of swing dance, it’s the people involved that he values the most. Naturally, swing dancing has become his favourite subject to photograph, as he feels privileged to capture the pure joy that fills the room at every event. Jack also loves to social dance and meet new people, so don't hesitate to ask him for a dance between his photography duties at events.
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If you do not want to be photographed, please let Jack know directly, or talk with one of the safety secretaries at the event.
