bbM 27'
Lineup

Teachers

Sylvia Sykes

MSylvia Sykes began dancing in 1966, competing in 1970, and teaching in 1979. She has studied with many of the dance greats, including Frankie Manning, Dean Collins, Maxie Dorf, Willie Desatoff, and Connie Wydel. Her extensive studies and travels have made her an expert on regional dance styles and she is known for her expertise in, and the preservation of the older forms of Swing dance. In addition, she is credited with helping to preserve the Balboa by introducing the dance World Wide. Her dance troupe (with Jonathan Bixby) ran for fifteen years, performed with some of the great Swing bands, and nurtured other International teachers. She is a founding partner of ILHC, has taught at the University of California, and has appeared in many TV shows and in several documentaries on Swing dancing over the years.

Sylvia is actively judging and teaching various forms of Shag, Balboa, and Lindy Hop, throughout the U.S., Europe, Australia, and Asia. No longer an active competitor, she has won or placed in virtually every Swing event she has entered, in a multitude of Swing forums.

Her Partner is Matt Richey

Matt Richey

Matt has more swing titles than most people have socks. Two time California Hall of Famer (yes, already!), he’s known for blending Lindy Hop, Balboa and West Coast Swing into one big happy rhythm family. When he’s not dazzling on the social floor, he’s teaching dancers of all ages in Orange County how to have more fun, dance better, and maybe even find their triple step in life.

His Partner is Sylvia Sykes

Peter Loggins

Peter Loggins is a dance historian and a musician as well as a dancer.

Peter has done hundreds of interviews the past 20 years, with the likes of ragtime dancers in NY, Charleston Champions of the 1920’s to National Champions 30’s through the 50’s, including State Champions of Swing dance. Originally known for his research of early Jazz dance in California, and the owner of the Dean Collins’s archive and collection, this brought on other donators and research that lead to other cities regional area’s of the United states.

Spending many years helping with the Savoy Ballroom and Lindy Hop researcher and Historian Terry Monaghan. Allowed the possibility of working on projects with Frankie Manning both for the Heritage foundation, in London, as well as a national grant, for the University of Idaho, in Documenting Frankie’s Choreography.

In recent years the studies have been Nineteenth century origins of jazz, from a social approach based on Lawrence Gushee’s research, with a focus on African American influenced vernacular dance.

His Partner is Katja ZavrŠnik

Katja Završnik

Katja Završnik is a renowned professional dancer, swing dance instructor, and choreographer. With a passion for dance ignited at the age of five, Katja has dedicated her life to the art of movement. In 2010, she transitioned from a career in video and film editing to pursue dance full-time, a decision that has seen her travel the world teaching, performing, and inspiring others. Katja’s dance education spans various disciplines learned throughout her childhood in multiple dance schools. She has honed her skills by attending international workshops specializing in swing dances. Her extensive training includes acrobatic rock and roll, ballet, modern jazz, gymnastics, modern dance, and ballroom dances. Since 2005, she has focused primarily on partner and solo dances from the jazz age and swing era, mastering styles such as Lindy Hop, Balboa, Charleston, St. Louis Shag, authentic (vernacular) jazz dance, and ragtime dances.

Known for her versatility and expertise, Katja is celebrated as one of the top followers in the swing dance scene. Her deep understanding of reactivity and connection sets her apart, making her a sought-after instructor and performer. Since 2010, she has been a fixture at swing dance festivals and special events worldwide, sharing her knowledge and passion with a global audience.

In addition to her dance career, Katja is a certified pregnancy and postpartum exercise specialist, holding certifications as an IFPA (Pre and Post Natal Instructor) and FemFit Instructor. This qualification underscores her commitment to supporting women through all stages of life with tailored fitness and dance programs.Outside of dance, Katja enjoys traveling, meeting new people,exploring different cultures, and spending quality time with her husband, daughter, and two dogs. Her life is a testament to her love for dance and her dedication to enriching the lives of others through movement and connection.

Her dance partner is Peter Loggins

Valentina Heck

Valentina started dancing ballet when she was four years old and developed a deep love for movement. At seventeen she discovered Swing Dance and has been captured by it ever since. From Solo Jazz and Lindy Hop to Balboa and Slow Swing, Valentina brings a diverse mix of experience to the dance floor. She’s an analytical dancer who picks up new techniques quickly, and uses that skill to teach in a clear, easy-to-understand way. A constant learner, Valentina draws inspiration from everywhere – other dance styles, music, life in general. As a regular teacher at Swing Base in Berlin, she brings both energy and a fresh perspective to every class, helping students build confidence, have fun, and find their own rhythm.

Her partner is Vasu Sharma

Vasu Sharma

Vasu discovered Swing Dancing at the University of Florida and has been hooked ever since. His dedication to the art takes him around the globe to dance socially, perform, compete, and teach in Lindy Hop, Balboa, and Collegiate Shag. Renowned for his precise technique and enthusiasm for swing dancing at any tempo, Vasu loves pushing the boundaries with unconventional rhythms, shapes, and connections. With a special affinity for Pure Balboa, he constantly seeks to innovate and redefine traditional dance partnerships. Whether he’s dancing all night on the social floor or rigorously training for competitions and performances, Vasu’s passion for swing dancing is evident. A lifelong learner, he is equally passionate about sharing his extensive knowledge with others.

His partner is Valentina Heck

MICHAELA JORDÁNKOVÁ

Michaela met swing by a set of coincidences and gradually turned her life both upside down and inside out. Of the swing dances, Balboa became her thing that she shares with her life-partner and their students in Prague.

When dancing, she perceives it as a dialog without words, so naturally partnership and social dancing is her biggest treasure. Especially if you can ride on a flow at the same time, the feeling gives her wings.

Her partner is Stepan

ŠTĚPÁN JORDÁNEK

Swing dancing and tap dancing from his teens, Štěpán dedicated most of his life to dancing – teaching, DJing, helping organize events and festivals in Prague, or simply just dancing.

In the bottom of his heart, he is a natural geek about body awareness and music. Go ahead, ask him a dance- or music-related question and let’s get nerdy!

His partner is Michaela

CAROLIN

Carolin discovered her passion for dance early in life, but it was in 2017 that she truly found her rhythm through swing dancing. Ever since, she’s been a constant presence on the dance floor dancing Lindy Hop and Blues. Her journey naturally led her to Balboa and Slow Balboa, where her graceful lines and elegant movement found their perfect expression. In both her dancing and teaching, Carolin values emotional presence, relaxed connection, and a balanced partnership. She is known for her beautiful shapes, textured footwork, and nuanced musicality. As an instructor, she combines clarity with empathy—offering structured, methodical classes while tuning into her students’ needs, knowing when to challenge and when to support. Her teaching strikes a thoughtful balance between technique and the sheer joy of dancing.

Her partner is Iacopo

Iacopo Longo

Iacopo started is swing dance journey in 2017, quickly channeling his passion into Balboa and Slow Balboa. Off the dance floor, he works as a mathematician—a background that directly shapes his clear, structured, and analytical approach to movement. Iacopo excels at breaking down intricate rhythms and mechanics into intuitive, bite-sized concepts. Known for his keen eye for detail and passionate teaching style, he brings warmth, precision, and unmistakable Italian enthusiasm to every workshop.

His partner is Carolin

Bands

GramophoniA HOT JAZZ ORCHESTRA

The Gramophonia Hot Jazz Orchestra is one of Hungary’s leading swing and jazz ensembles, founded and directed by trumpeter, arranger, and singer Tamás Bényei. With a deep passion for the music of the 1920s–1940s, the band recreates the golden age of swing and hot jazz with both authenticity and a fresh spark that makes every performance unforgettable.

Their repertoire spans the great classics of Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Fats Waller, while also bringing to light hidden gems that surprise even seasoned jazz lovers. Bényei’s charismatic leadership and vast experience in international jazz festivals add an extra shine to the band’s sound, ensuring that the music is not only historically faithful but also irresistibly alive.

Whether on a concert stage or in the middle of a crowded dance floor, Gramophonia delivers the kind of energy, drive, and elegance that makes swing dancers and jazz fans alike feel like they’ve stepped back in time to a Harlem ballroom or a Parisian jazz club. Their mission is simple: to keep this joyful, swinging tradition alive and share it with audiences everywhere.

Hot jazz band

The Hot Jazz Band is a Hungarian jazz band honored with the Kossuth Prize (the highest musical award given by the Hungarian state), primarily encompassing jazz songs from the 1920s to 1940s, both American and Hungarian, in their repertoire.

The band was founded by Tamás Bényei in 1985, and he has been its leader ever since. Their formation can be attributed to compulsory military service, specifically a talent show called „Who Knows What?” organized within the barracks.

They virtually uniquely undertook the authentic performance and release of practically forgotten Hungarian songs and film hits from the 1920s to 1940s, sometimes difficult to access, within the country. The Hot Jazz Band dedicated multiple albums to the authentic presentation of these songs, aiming for perfect sound quality and period accuracy, thereby reintroducing them to public consciousness. For authentic interpretation, Tamás Bényei developed a unique singing style reminiscent of what can be heard only on old Hungarian gramophone records.

The Hot Jazz Band is rightfully famous among European swing dancers, and we can’t wait to party together to their wonderful music.

Canarro

About Canarro’s music:
The style of Django Reinhardt,
the manouche swing, spiced with traditional Hungarian musical elements, recalling the atmosphere of live gypsy and jazz music in old-fashioned Budapest cafés, with a hint of Paris.

STEVEN AND HIS HUNGARIAN FRIENDS

Steven Coombe

International band leader and Swing Dancer Steven Coombe is based in London, UK. Since starting Lindy Hop in 2009, Steve has led bands and danced all over the world playing for Lindy Hop festivals and competition weekends. His knowledge of musicality is unparalleled and has taught classes and workshops at hundreds of events.

After deciding to start competing last year, his recent competition wins include Dragon Swing, Korean Lindy Hop Championships, Lindylicious and Lindy Szau Birthday Jam. He is now booked all over the world applying his experience and knowledge in his work as a Lindy Hop teacher, band leader, MC and DJ.

Djs

Dj Tony

Tony’s first introduction to Swing dancing was back in 2004 by his sister, also a Swing dancer. Even though it took him another ten years to fully enter the Swing dancing world, since 2014 Tony has been catching up on all that he missed, and is now one of the core dancers in the Prague Lindy Hop community. Tony regularly DJs weekly dances and festivals in Prague and internationally, with a rich mix of tunes from the classic Swing era to post-war and groovy R&B. He believes that the most important thing for a DJ is to inspire dancers through the music and to keep the constant flow on the dance floor.

Dj Peter

DJ Peter, Brno’s resident DJ, dancer and vintage hep cat always ready to share his love for music for all your dancin’ delight. He brings big bad heat and cool riffs from mellow strolls to uptempo stompers.

Krisztina

Kriszta’s love affair with swing dance and swing music started in 2014. She was a residential DJ in Budapest, and now in Vienna, and appeared at a couple of international festivals too. In the last almost decade she was traveling around Europe and got influenced by the teachers and DJs all over her journey. What made her turn to be a DJ? She has always been fond of music… the rhythm, the feelings and the very message it carries. It was always crucial to her to spread the love of the music and musicality even in her dance classes as a teacher. She has started early to dig into the different eras of jazz. Beside fizzy big band songs and classics she likes to play records from the modern jazz era as well as tunes of original records of the jazz masters. She always loves to bring something surprising and new.For Krisztina the danceroom is a playground, the music is the toy to play with and the DJ is the gamemaster. Krisztina’s greatest joy is to see the dancers get enchanted by the music she plays.

Ákos

Ákos is a well-known figure of the Budapest swing scene, both as a dancer, teacher, and DJ. With more than two decades of experience, he brings both musical knowledge and a dancer’s perspective to his sets. His deep love for Balboa and swing-era music shines through in every selection, keeping the dance floor buzzing with rhythm, elegance, and energy. A regular presence at international swing dance events, Ákos is known for creating a flow that inspires and excites dancers everywhere.

Dj Thom

Thom first discovered swing in 2005, and balboa in 2007. He started swing dance schools in Edinburgh (in 2008) and Newcastle (in 2012), before moving to Budapest in 2017. He is most happy dancing socially to great music, and his attitude to DJing is to not try to be too clever: just play what feels great to dance to.

Dj Máté

Máté is a familiar face in the Budapest swing scene, both on and off the dance floor. As a DJ, he loves music that makes you want to move — swinging, energetic, playful, and always with the dancers in mind.

His sets are all about keeping the floor alive: finding the right balance between familiar favourites and little surprises, following the energy of the room, and giving dancers plenty to play with.

We’re very happy to have him behind the decks at BBM again.