Silesia Swing Festival 2024 | 10 – 12.05.2024

From a young age Elle was already exploring various dance styles from Modern Jazz to Ukrainian Folk Dance. However, when she stumbled upon Lindy Hop in her hometown of Adelaide, Australia, there was no turning back. Committed to fostering individual expression and improvisation in both Lindy Hop and Solo dance, Elle empowers her students to embrace their unique qualities through movement. Her greatest source of inspiration is the conversational nature of jazz and she continuously strives to deepen her connection to and awareness towards the African American roots of the dance and the music.

Joris Focquaert comes from Belgium, and is currently living in Berlin, Germany. While he has a background in physical theater (The Commedia School, Copenhagen, 2007), his road evolved towards dancing and more specifically African-American Jazz dances like the Lindy Hop. As a dance instructor, he gives his best, always seeking answers in the roots of Jazz. Learning to play the clarinet and trombone has developed his understanding of Jazz as movement. Founder of Crazy Legs Dance School in Ghent, the city where he honed his skills, he looks forward to seeing what’s there for him behind the corner, curious for new projects.

Genia’s dancing story begun when she was 6 years old. She is a lindy hop and blues dancer from Kyiv, Ukraine. She likes to learn, teach and explore. Really appreciates the process of teaching, working with people, sharing energy and ideas. On the classes mostly works on discovering body motion, body control, joy of listening to music and being moved by music.

Michał - From enthusiastic beginner to committed Lindy Hopper. He stumbled upon Lindy's first class by chance and immediately realised that he had been waiting for this moment for ages! The carefree joy of music and dance, the boundless freedom of improvisation and the warm connection with other people made him curious about the universe of Swing. And he invites you on a journey through this universe during his classes.
Thanks to his extensive experience in other dances, after only one year he was given the opportunity to inspire others as a teacher. Since 2013, he has managed to visit a triple-digit number of festivals in several countries to constantly improve his definition of jazz dance by listening to versatile mentors and... He still doesn't feel enough!

Kari is a dancer, teacher and choreographer from Poland. A pioneer of Chorus Line dance in Poland, an enthusiastic facilitator at Herrang Dance Camp in Sweden, and a creative co-founder of Two To Jazz (YouTube project). Kari started her dance career in Poland 10 years ago. At the same time, she was studying Theatre and developing her acting skills. After many years of dancing and teaching in Cracow and Katowice, playing in theaters in different cities in Poland, she decided to move to the Portugal and teach in Lisbon. For two years she was teaching in Little Big Apple School in Lisbon. Kari truly loves to get people together around Jazz music exploration, discover acting potential in dancers and tell historical facts about roots and old timers of Jazz.

Henrique is a swing dancer and teacher from Lisbon. He started dancing Lindy Hop and Solo Jazz in 2015, and by 2017, he began teaching at Little Big Apple and played a significant role in bringing Collegiate Shag to Lisbon's dance community. In his dance, Henrique values groove, creativity and a deep connection with his partner and everyone around him. He's playful and spontaneous, always carrying a warm and goofy energy with him. Inspired by various art forms like street dances and theater, Henrique views dance as a universal language, offering an organic way to connect and communicate. In his view, just as grammar structures sentences, connection structures dance moves. Connection in all forms, foundational to his dance, is what offers him the endless possibilities to express oneself within each partnership. Teaching at Little Big Apple has allowed Henrique to develop effective teaching methods where breaking down concepts in clear ways blends with a fun, energetic environment. While he primarily focuses on dancing and teaching, Henrique has also dabbled in choreography where his love for storytelling becomes evident. Additionally, Henrique has been active in community building, organizing both local events and international ones such as Little Big Swing Camp and Blue Skies Lindy Exchange. Simply put, while Henrique has a deep passion for swing dance, it's the people that truly captivate him. He's always eager to engage, whether through dance, laughter, conversation, or any other facet that binds a community.

Vasco André Uate (known as “Mitó”) was born in Tete, Mozambique and is an artist and choreographer of traditional Mozambican dances, contemporary modern dances and afro-swing. Mitó currently lives in Leipzig, Germany. Mito has been a professional dancer since 2008. His professional career includes performing at dance and swing festivals in Mozambique, participating in international festivals and conducting unique workshops. He continues to collaborate with artists, choreographers and musicians from around the world. Mito teaches highly physical and dynamic techniques influenced by the diversity of traditional Mozambican dance, postures, shapes and movement designs, aesthetic feelings and interpretation of people and the environment. Her classes include physical coordination exercises, strength, smiles, joy. Dance is like a garden, where I plant my emotions and feelings through movements and body awareness. Mito is one of the main representatives of the Afro-Swing movement, Afro Amapiano, Pantsula, Mozambican and Afro dances that combine swing and Lindy Hop with their African roots.