SwingCats

STEVE

Steve has been dancing Lindy Hop ever since he came to Norway 11 years ago. His original plan was to ski, sail and rock climb, but this was disrupted in the first week in the country when a Swedish dancer insisted she be accompanied to a dance event! That evening he discovered that Lindy Hop could be as althletic as any sport - only it had rythm - and the participants were better dressed. A competitive spirit led to travelling to Lindy Hop workshops around Europe, taking classes on occassion from 1930-40s old timers and todays best dancers and teachers.

Today, Steve is equally comfortable dancing Lindy Hop, Balboa, Authentic Jazz or Blues and has just started to explore Tap. He is an avid collector of jazz music and has DJed at various international events. He has taught for many years locally in Stavanger and on occassion in other dance scenes, taking the best teaching methods from international workshops and using them in his classes... and he remains grateful to his introduction to Norway and the new hobby that came with it.

ALISON

Alison began studying Ballet, Tap and Contemporary dance at the age of seven and has been dancing ever since. Although she has long since put away her ballet shoes, she remains passionate about Tap and frequently travels to festivals across Europe in search of new rhythmical inspiration and to jam with others who share her love of this musical dance form.

Alison fell in love with Lindy Hop after someone asked her to dance at a tap festival – she had no idea of the steps but had so much fun she vowed to learn the dance as soon as she returned to Norway… a short time later she joined SwingCats and hasn’t looked back since.

Alison is currently enjoying exploring Balboa, which she loves for its fast footwork and rhythmical subtleties. She has also danced Salsa and other Latin dances for a number of years, and is the current leader of the SwingCats team.

GUNILLA

Gunilla learned to dance Lindy Hop (Hollywood style), Shag and Balboa in Los Angeles in 2001 and introduced these dances to Stavanger in 2002. She taught Lindy Hop until 2007, when she unfortunately had to stop teaching due to back issues.

Gunilla now loves to dance and teach West Coast Swing and travels far and wide to participate in West Coast Swing workshops and festivals.