What Is Swing into Spring?

Swing into Spring is a two-day workshop held annually on St. Patrick's Day weekend in Kamloops, BC. We open our weekend on Friday night with a DJ’d social dance that is open to the general public. Saturday is a full day of lessons from our lovely instructors divided into two skill level groups; one for newer dancers and another for those of an intermediate to advanced level. That night we have more social dancing featuring live music by Kamloops very own local big band, Beyond Brass. Sunday is our second day of lessons, closing up at 4pm. Additional Sunday activities and class content vary from year to year. Detailed schedule will be released closer to the event.

The Instructors

Shane Allen has poured his heart into Lindy Hop and Jazz Dance for over a decade, since he did his first swing outs in Houston, TX's historic Eldorado Ballroom. Built on his education at HSPVA Houston and subsequent career as a piano player, Shane's understanding of the music's history is exceptional. Communicating the depth and relevance of jazz as social dance music is central to his teaching. Now based in Eugene, OR, he has taught hundreds of Lindy Hop classes with Track Town Swing, led dance musicality workshops at Herräng Dance Camp (Sweden), and taught at many workshop weekends around the Pacific Northwest. He has led bands at major Lindy Hop festivals, including Track Town Throwdown, Camp Jitterbug, Portland Lindy Exchange, and participated as a sideman in swing dance bands around the world.

 In February of 2013, Nika happened to see a poster advertising a free swing dance lesson and wandered into a Wednesday night class hosted by Nick Davis (now an international swing dance DJ.) 

At her second class ever, she asked if you can mix together the 6-count and 8-count footwork, and now, Nika is delighted to answer that same question (and more!) for new dancers every week at Track Town Swing in Eugene, OR. 

She is proud to support a local community of the most warm, welcoming and dedicated dancers, and to put on some banger yearly festivals: Track Town Throwdown and The Riff Weekend.

Nika has a special passion for solo movement, is a fiend for historical clips, and loves losing her mind to great swing dance music, whether it's Gordon Au's late night Louis Armstrong Tribute at Lindy Focus or Shane dropping a Dinah Washington deep cut in the kitchen.

Bailey McCully has learned, taught, collaborated, and performed across North America and internationally. While traveling and dancing in new communities is a privilege Bailey is so grateful for, Bailey happily calls Bellingham, Washington home. Bailey works with dancers of all ages, from teens and tinies in Bellingham schools to adults. Her work in education has made pedagogical excellence both a passion and defining quality. Bailey aims to create a classes in which students feel supported and uplifted as they learn. She focuses on using technique as support for play and expression, encouraging students to discover how they can move rather than how they should move. Just as jazz music lets you hear the personality of the musician, Bailey loves to see students bring their whole self to the dance. Dancing with a partner or dancing solo, Bailey endeavors to share her joy with everyone she gets to dance with.

Damian grew up in a household infused with jazz and is descended from jazz musicians. He has spent his adult life in the Swing and Tap dance communities- researching, listening, performing, teaching, and celebrating. He presents Jazz dance in its historical and cultural context, and connects it back to its African American roots. He holds the connection that can take place in dance - with the self and with the community - to be sacred. He competes regionally and abroad, and his awards include ‘Favourite Competitor’ from the Lindy Hop Championships in Western Canada.