| Chad Fasca | Heather Flock | ||||||
Frankie Manning
The Ambassador of Lindy Hop, Frankie travels all over the world teaching jazz dance to Swing enthusiasts in Sweden, Singapore, Australia, England, Spain, as well as across the United States. We are fortunate and honored to have him on our staff since 1985. A Savoy Ballroom legend and the chief choreographer of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers and the Congaroos, two famous Harlem dance troupes of the 1930s-1950s, Frankie won a Tony Award for choreography for the musical Black and Blue. Frankie celebrated his 93rd birthday in May 2007. (But you would guess he's 45!)
A Savoy Ballroom great, Harvest Moon Ball winner, and member of the famed Harlem troupe Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, the late Al Minns established the Swing program in 1981. Persuaded out of dance retirement by the studio's business manager, Larry Schulz, Al spread his love and tremendous jazz dance knowledge to studio staff and students until his untimely passing in 1985. His imprint and memory remain with the program.
Paul Grecki
One of a select few to have studied extensively with Savoy Ballroom legends Al Minns and Frankie Manning, Paul began teaching at SCDC in 1981. He helped spark the Lindy Hop revival in New York with his teaching at SCDC, local clubs and Lincoln Center's Midsummer Night Swing. In his over 25-year teaching career, Paul has taught, lectured, performed and judged at Swing events in the U.S. and abroad. His efforts to promote and teach Lindy Hop earned him the Herbert White Award for contributions made to Swing dancing. In 1995, he and his wife, Carol, placed first at the American Swing Dance Championship in the Lindy Hop division. In recent years, Paul choreographed the dance sequences in the film, Swing City. In 2002, he was profiled in The New York Times. In addition to Lindy Hop, Paul is also an accomplished Peabody, Collegiate Shag, Carolina Shag, West Coast Swing, and Gold-level Ballroom dancer.
Midori Asakura
A native of Tokyo, Japan, Midori began her dance career in 1987 as a tap dancer. She studied rhythm tap with the late Chuck Green (her inspiration), Barbara Duffy, Mabel Lee, and Bettye Morrow, among others. In 1995, she began exploring Lindy Hop and other partner and solo jazz dances, studying primarily with Frankie Manning and Steven Mitchell, and, more recently, John Lucchese. She has performed and taught on television, on stage, and at venues throughout the tri-state region as well as Washington, D.C., Toronto, Chicago and Tokyo. In 2004, Midori and her partner Chad placed first in the American Lindy Hop Championship's Fast Dance division. In print, she has appeared in The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, Life Magazine, and on the cover of Lincoln Center's Midsummer Night Swing program and posters.back to top
Joshua Boroff and Devona Cartier
Devona first began swing dancing at the age of eight as a Carolina Shagger taught by her dad in his North Myrtle Beach kitchen. She took her first Lindy hop class in 1998, and her first Blues class in 2000. Recently she has taken top prizes in Jack and Jill Competitions at Down Home Blues and Jammin' the Blues, two national Blues events.
Joshua grew up loving music and moving to it. He took his desire for movement and put it into fencing, which he competed in and taught for ten years. He started Lindy hopping in 1998 and began Blues dancing in 2003.
Joshua and Devona began dancing together in 2003. They have a unique style of dancing to blues music that incorporates vintage blues dances with their own personal style. When they dance, they want to express the rhythms, styles, feels, and tones of the music, varying their style as the music changes. They have taught and competed extensively throughout the country for the past several years (and were finalists in the Blues Division at the Rhythmic Arts Festival,) but sharing their love for Blues dancing in a regular classroom setting is something that they look forward to at Sandra Cameron Dance Center.
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Roddy Caravella
Trained by Paul Grecki and Frankie Manning, Roddy has taught and performed throughout the U.S., Canada, Germany and Hong Kong. He was a principal dancer in the show Swing Dance America and has performed live with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Roddy has competed (and placed) in a number of competitions, such as The American Lindy Hop Championships and American Swing Dance Championships. Roddy has danced on a variety of television programs, including Good Morning America and The Today Show. back to top
Chad Fasca
Chad performs and teaches dances of the Jazz Age and Swing Era. He has appeared on stage, independent film, and local and national television, most recently the History Channel and CBS. Chad is privileged to have studied with Frankie Manning, John Lucchese, Paul Grecki, Steven Mitchell, Mabel Lee, and Marcus Koch, among others. While Lindy Hop remains his first love, Chad is a noted researcher of Jazz Age dance favorites, specifically Peabody, '20s Charleston, Varsity Drag, and Black Bottom. He and his partner, Midori, are working to keep these dances alive by reviving steps from archival footage and literature, learning from old-timers and sharing what they know through teaching, performing, and social dancing. The couple consults and choreographs on period productions involving dancing, particularly those set in the Roaring Twenties.
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Heather Flock, Director, Swing Program
Heather Flock has been dancing Lindy Hop since 1999. She is an avid social dancer, award-winning choreographer, popular DJ, and a leading member in the New York City swing scene. She teaches the "Cram Session" every Thursday night at Yehoodi.com's Frim Fram Jam. She was a member of the renowned troupe the Big Apple Lindy Hoppers and has been a leading member of the Brooklyn Bombshells for many years. Her troupe recently took first place at the 25th anniversary Coney Island Mermaid Parade. She specializes in teaching beginners the foundation for good Lindy Hop frame, connection and expression/musicality. back to top
Kimani Fowlin
Professional dancer, choreographer, African Dance Consultant to Once On This Island, and a native New Yorker, Ms. Fowlin received her dance training and Bachelor of Arts Degree from Sarah Lawrence College. Currently, she is working with the Harambee Dance Company, Umoja Dance Company, Andrea E. Woods and Richard Rivera. She has conducted workshops and choreographed throughout New York and South America. Kimani teaches Hip Hop at SCDC. back to top
Susan Fritz
Susan parlayed a childhood career in competitive artistic roller skating into a career in partnered dancing as an adult. Specializing in Hustle, she has won numerous amateur and professional titles. Most recently she placed 2nd in the Professional Theater Arts division at the New York Hustle Congress. Susan has also performed all over the tri-state area at various private functions, in the Catskills and been featured as a soloist on the Today Show. Considered one of the top female Hustle dancers, Susan is known for her sass, intensity and very exacting, sharp style. back to top
Jennifer Jhun
Bio to come. back to top
Akemi Kinukawa
Since Akemi fell in love with Lindy Hop in Washington, D.C. 9 years ago, she has been an avid social dancer who also performs, competes and teaches Lindy Hop. Most recently, she has performed with Lindy Hop All Stars, a New York based dance team, at several major events including the 2007 Midsummer Night Swing Opening Night at Lincoln Center. She is currently a member of Big Apple Lindy Hoppers and trains under Laura Jeffers. Most importantly though, she once held the Guinness World Record for Dance Marathon by dancing for 52 hours!!! Akemi has won or has been placed in major national and regional Lindy Hop competitions. She has taught at several studios including DC Dance Collective in Washington, D.C., and is very excited about her return to teaching and sharing her love for Lindy Hop at Sandra Cameron Studio. back to top
Bill Kline
Bio to come. back to top
Jessica Patz
Jessica Patz fell in love with dancing at the age of 2. She began her training in Miami, Florida with Mia Michaels. She graduated magna cum laude in 3 years with a BFA in Dance from Florida State University and subsequently joined the Cynthia Gonzales Modern dance company in Dresden, Germany. Jessi performs swing with the Big Apple Lindy Hoppers under the direction of Laura Jeffers and is a founding member of Adele Myers and Dancers . She has received numerous awards, scholarships and opportunities to perform, choreograph and teach all over the world, including New York, Europe, South America and most recently, the Mediterranean. She has been fortunate to train and perform with Daniel Lewis, Gerri Houlihan, Suzanne Ferrell, Jawole Zollar, as well as the entire staff at Sandra Cameron Dance Center. She takes great pride in teaching for the Swing for Teens Program at the 92nd Y Harkness Dance Center and the Bronx Arts Ensemble Outreach Program. Jessi most recently began "This Is Awkward" a Dance/Film Company that blends various Social Dancing techniques with Capoeira and her Modern movement vocabulary. back to top
Felix Pitre
Felix Pitre III is a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts where he studied theatre at the Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting. He later trained in Lindy Hop and other Swing Era dance styles at SCDC. In addition to teaching at SCDC, he currently teaches dance education at an elementary school in Queens. He has performed Lindy Hop with various groups, including the Big Apple Lindy Hoppers and Lindy Hop All-Stars, throughout New York City and in Washington DC. back to top
Lindsey Wells
Lindsey began studying dance at the age of four, and is trained in lindy hop, ballet, modern, jazz, and musical theatre. She is a graduate of SUNY Fredonia, with a degree in Vocal Performance, and minors in Dance and Arts Administration. Lindsey is a previous member of The Big Apple Lindy Hoppers, current Manager of the School of Music at the 92nd Street Y, and performs at various venues throughout the city. back to top
