Guest Instructors

Sugar Sullivan

Sugar grew up in New York’s Harlem and started to visit the famous Savoy Ballroom during a period in the late 1940s when swing, as well as be-bop and Latin rhythms, influenced dancers all over the U.S.. Her talent and ambition soon lead her in the direction of professional dancing and during the decade to come, she was featured in the Mura Dehn documentary Spirit Moves, won the Harvest Moon Ball in 1955 and became a member of touring dance company Sonny Allen and the Rockets. During the 1960s and 1970s, when vernacular American jazz dancing suffered a severe decline, the company was one of very few that still kept the Lindy Hop and Harlem dancing in general alive. In the early 1980s, Sugar teamed up with legendary Savoy Ballroom dancer Albert Minns and started to perform again. After Albert’s passing in 1985 and the foundation of the New York Swing Dance Society, she gradually experienced an interest from the embryonal but slowly growing modern day Lindy Hop community, and soon she found herself on and off involved with a new generation of Lindy Hoppers. Sugar is today one of very few dancers from the old-school generation still out and about passing on the Harlem dance traditions to proselytes all over the planet.

Barbara Billiups

The Savoy Ballroom was able to collect and host talented African-American dancers and during the 1950s, Barbara Billups was no doubt one of them. In the middle of the decade, she had positioned herself as one of the top swing dancers hanging out at the Savoy, and a few years later she teamed up with Sugar Sullivan and Sonny Allen forming the Sonny and the Rockets. The troupe was to become successful presenting a mix of old-school dances, 1960–1970s trends as well as vocal numbers, touring especially in Canada and the U.S.. In recent years and in tune with the growth of the contemporary Lindy Hop community, Barbara as well as other still active old-timers, have experienced a second wind in their dance careers, now passing on the Lindy Hop and other vernacular jazz dances to a new and eager generation of international Lindy Hoppers.

Chester Whitmore

Dancing since 1974 and a protege of Fayard Nicholas (of the Nicholas Brothers) Chester has been dancing his way around the world. These days he is a dancer, teacher, performer, choreographer, director, stunt man and entertainer. His choreography can be seen in music videos for Boys II Men, Sugar Ray, Teena Marie as well as working with artists such as Savion Glover, MC Hammer, Prince and many more. Also a highly renowned drummer and band leader he has worked with some of the best in the entertainment industry. He has performed with his dance company Black Ballet Jazz, with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra and the great Miles Davies. Chester exudes boundless positive energy and passion for dance and is a born entertainer. His contributions have been far too many to name them all. He can only be seen to be believed.

Dr. Marie N’diaye

Dr. Marie N’diaye (PhD) is a Jazz Dance choreographer, performer and educator as well as a dance researcher. She specialises in Jazz Dance (African American Jazz), including the partnered form (Lindy Hop), focusing on the legacy of Harlem dancers from the Savoy Ballroom as well as the chorus line tradition from night clubs and theatres (such as the Apollo Theater, the Cotton Club,  Connie’s Inn…) and has applied her scientific method and dance education to conduct an embodied practice-based research of Jazz dance through the study of archival films, and collaborations with elders and other established dancers.

Marie is the founder of the non-profit organisation “Collective Voices for Change” aiming to promote cultural appreciation and respect of African American Jazz Dances. She is also a board member of the “Black Lindy Hoppers Fund”, whose mission is to support and promote Black dancers and artists in their practice, performance, and transmission of Jazz Dances especially Lindy Hop.

She completed her Masters in Anthropology of Dance & Ethnochoreology in 2023, as part of the international ERASMUS program: “Choreomundus” involved with the safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).

www.mariendiaye.com

Felix Berghäll

Felix Berghäll is an internationally recognized dancer, choreographer, educator, and DJ, deeply rooted in Lindy Hop and African American Vernacular Jazz. Having danced since the age of 8, his passion for the rhythms and history of jazz has led to a dedicated career exploring, preserving, and sharing these expressive dance forms with the world.

As an artist and choreographer, Felix has created and participated in numerous stage productions at prestigious venues globally – from the Apollo Theater in New York and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao to the Friends Arena in Stockholm. His background also includes competing at an elite level as part of the Swedish national team in Boogie Woogie and Lindy Hop. He has produced his own works such as “Swingin’ at the Savoy Show” and “Rhythm Korea Show” in Seoul, toured with live bands, and is a sought-after performer and instructor at over 60 festivals and events worldwide. His work is characterized by a strong connection to the origins and cultural context of the music and dance.

Alongside his stage work, Felix is a dedicated educator and coach, including serving as Co-Head Coach for the Swedish National Lindy Hop team and lecturing on jazz history and culture. His engagement also extends to organizational work; he co-founded the non-profit organization Collective Voices For Change (CVFC) and has held several key coordinating and administrative roles at Herräng Dance Camp, the world’s largest Lindy Hop camp.

Felix Berghäll is a dynamic and versatile force in the jazz dance world, constantly working to develop both his own artistry and the community around him through performance, education, production, and social engagement.

Davis & Claudia