DABE MURPHY has been dancing with Tom and Debra since the GAP ad in 1997. A fixture of the DC swing dance scene, Dabe has Lindy Hopped all over the country, including San Diego, Denver, LA and Chicago, as well as competing in the American Lindy Hop Championships in Stamford, CT. Dabe will teach you what swing is all about: making sure you–and your partner!–are having a great time. Dabe@gottaswing.com
JANELLE JOHNSON MURPHY feels every venue has something special to offer, and enjoys them all! She has also danced around the country in cities such as Philadelphia, Detroit, San Diego and Cleveland. She enjoys learning and sharing what she has learned about dancing. Much as she enjoys dancing, as far as Janelle is concerned the icing on the cake is seeing others enjoy the dance with friends and family. Janelle@gottaswing.com

CRAIG AND SUSANNE SPARKS are like the yin and yang of swing dancing. Susanne started lessons with Gottaswing in 2003 as a result of her wisest New Year's resolution to date. Her smooth styling and devilishly good swivels have been gracing DC area dance floors ever since. Craig has been dancing since 1998 and learned to Lindy Hop at social dances courtesy of the generosity of many fantastic dancers. In the process he developed a unique and energetic style that earned him the nickname "Gumby." As a musician, his extensive knowlege of jazz music, history and culture inform his teaching and dancing. Together, Craig and Susanne share a deep love and respect for the history of the dance while creatively exploring possibilities for it's future. Tom and Debra are particularly proud to have Craig and Susanne spreading the joy of Lindy Hop since they are one of the many, many couples who met dancing at a Gottaswing venue.
Craig@gottaswing.com
Susanne@gottaswing.com

MIKE DANCEL

KATIE LOUGHLIN discovered lindy hop in 1997, took lessons from Tom and Debra, and…fell in love. As with most people in love, she told everyone about it, and soon had her parents buying two-toned shoes, and grandma shaking her tail feather. She loves teaching friends how to dance and is excited to partner with Mike to spread the joy this dance has brought to her life. Katie@gottaswing.com

(pronounced "Heh-DEEN") has instructed and performed extensively for Cleveland's Get Hep Swing as well as in workshops throughout America and in Europe. Aside from a love of both social and performance Lindy Hop, it is her passion to develop opportunities for follows in Balboa and learn every follow's footwork variation possible. Kate holds 1st place titles in the Eastern Balboa Championship's Invitational Jack & Jill (2004, 2006) and Intergalactic Strictly (2005), and the American Open Lindy Jack & Jill (2004). She is also proud to have held, along with her friends at Get Hep Swing in Cleveland, the Guiness World Record for longest dance party ever (52 hours, 3 minutes).

JOSEPH AND TABITHA ROBINSON began their dance partnership in Orlando, Florida in 2001. Together they began to further their knowledge and fundamentals in Lindy, Collegiate Shag, Balboa and Charleston, focusing on the basics and maintaining the authenticity of the original dances. Joseph was a founding member of the UCF Swing Club and has one of the most extensive collections of vintage dance clips and movies from which much inspiration and source material is drawn. Shortly after becoming dance partners they began competing in local dance contests in Florida and then in Michigan, recently adding national competitions. Their most recent accomplishments are second place in the Advanced Lindy Open & Team Division at the 2008 Virginia State Open and second place at the 2009 San Francisco Shag Jam. They have also performed for numerous events including a PBS special for the Motor City Blues & Boogie Woogie Fest in 2006 and for the Governor of Maryland convention. They love to teach and show others this wonderful dance as well as continue to further advance their own dance and partnership.

While in her freshman year at Oberlin College, Lily co-founded the Oberlin Swing Society, known for its annual Oberlin Jazz Dance Festival. Lily has also peer-judged at the Eastern Balboa Championships, All Balboa Camp Detroit, Paris Balboa Shag Festival, and the Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown and has been winning Lindy competitions around the country since 2003 as well as earning top-ranking titles at events such as the All Balboa Weekend and the Eastern Balboa Championships. Lily has appeared in numerous films, TV programs, news specials and tributes, most notably performing for an audience of over 140,000 World War II veterans at the dedication of the World War II Memorial dedication in Washington, DC in May 2004.

DOUG VAN SANT Doug found lindy hop in the summer of 2006 in San Francisco, CA. After moving to Washington, DC in 2007, he fell in love with the dance and quickly immersed himself in classes, workshops and competitions. Since then, Doug has competed and placed in competitions such as Camp Hollywood in LA, Boston Tea Party, American Lindy Hop Championships, Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown and International Lindy Hop Championships. His style is influenced by the famous Whitey's Lindy Hoppers' of the venerable Savoy Ballroom in Harlem.  Doug has been teaching lindy for 3 years now and hopes he can pass along his passion for dance one swingout at a time.  You can learn more about Doug at DougVanSant>

DAVID REHM is a geek-turned-professional-dancer specializing exclusively in the partnered swing dances, Lindy and Balboa, and widely considered one of the top Balboa dancers and instructors in the world. He is regularly featured teaching and judging at the most prestigious events dedicated to those dances throughout North America, Europe and Asia. In addition to numerous awards, in 2006 David captured both the American and European Balboa titles (with two different partners) by winning the American Classic Balboa Championship and the Euro Bal Cup. He is also the creator and co–host of The Experiment, the world's most intimate and intensive Balboa workshop, as well as the founder of the Northeast Balboa Corridor (NEBC) project. David is best known for his ability to capture and teach both broad thematic abstractions and technical details all in the form of conceptual principles.
DavidRehm>