International Workshop Series

Pamela Gaizutyte

Humorous and dynamic, keen, full of heart and a touch of the anarchic, Pamela was spellbound by Lindy Hop energy and community at the age of sixteen when she started her first classes at Lindyhop.lt Club in Vilnius. Despite her young age Pamela has already brought herself to light constantly learning anything related to dancing, be it music, psychology or anatomy. As a dancer, Pamela cherishes individuality and freedom. For her, Lindy Hop is not as much about impeccable technique as it is about musicality and awareness. As a teacher, she shares her values and encourages people to find their own way of dancing: “Learn to be ok with the way you are and how your body moves. It’s all about you.” Nietzsche once said, “You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star”.

Tyedric Hill

Tyedric first started dancing in 2004 with his siblings. Together, they would sing and dance regularly at local churches in Dallas, Texas. Through this, he established a foundation in liturgical and modern dance, before eventually connecting with hip hop and other urban dance styles in 2010. Over the years, he's established a background enriched and informed by many movement traditions, including capoeira and stepping. He discovered vernacular jazz dancing three years ago, and hasn't looked back since. He's been distinguished as a Frankie Manning Ambassador, and he has earned various competition titles at events such as Lindyfest and The Uptown Swingout. He values personal movement, musicality and partnership. His enthusiasm and energy create a space where students feel comfortable with being challenged. When not dancing, he teaches at a preschool. To be honest, he dances there a whole bunch too!

Peter and Naomi

Naomi Uyama discovered lindy hop in her hometown of Washington DC during the late nineties. Over the past decade, she has taught workshops all around the world and performed for dance and music legends alike. She has won the champion title at such prestigious competitions as the ALHC, the ULHS, and the U.S. Open Swing Dance Championships.

Peter Strom started in 1998 and has taught at dance camps from Australia to South Korea to Herrang, Sweden. In addition to teaching, he brings with him his skills as a sought after DJ and experienced Master of Ceremonies. He is currently a member of the renowned team the Silver Shadows and the founder of Uptown Swing in his hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

LaTasha Barnes

LaTasha “Tasha” Barnes is an internationally recognized and awarded dancer, choreographer, educator, performer, cultural ambassador, and Tradition-bearer of Black American Social Dance from Richmond, VA.

Currently based in New York, Barnes is globally celebrated for her musicality, athleticism, and joyful presence throughout the cultural traditions she bears: House, Hip-Hop, Wacking, Vernacular Jazz, and Lindy Hop. Her expansive artistic, competitive, and performative skills have made her a frequent collaborator with Dorrance Dance, Singapore based Timbre Arts Group, and Ephrat Asherie Dance. Her leadership and business skills have placed her in positions of service as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Ladies of Hip-Hop FestivalⓇ, Vice President of Marketing & Outreach for the International Lindy Hop ChampionshipⓇ, Board Member of the Black Lindy Hoppers Fund, the Frankie Manning Foundation and a contributing member to the NEFER Global Movement Collective. Expanding the scope of impact for the communities she serves, Barnes completed her self-designed Master’s in Ethnochoreology, Black Studies and Performance Studies thru New York University Gallatin School in 2019. Her thesis and continuing research are working to bridge the gap between communities of practice and academic cultural dance research, performance, preservation, and pedagogy. In concert with these efforts, she is honoured to be a part of the Brain Trust developing the ground-breaking stage production Swing Out, bringing the passion and power of Lindy Hop and its community to the concert stage. She is also honoured to be a developing partner of several intergenerational and intercommunal cultural arts exchanges and performances that will be presented in the near future. Also in support of this dialogue; Barnes is a contributing author to the forthcoming text 21st Century Jazz Dance: Africanist Aesthetics and Equity in Teaching and Choreography by University of Florida Press out in 2021. Through all her efforts, Barnes’ forever purpose is to inspire fellow artists and arts enthusiasts to champion artivism through cultivating an authentic sense of self and intention in their creative expressions and daily lives.