staff

instructors

Sylvia Sykes

Sylvia Sykes is an OG of modern Lindy Hop. She 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 Wydell. 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.

Javier Johnson

Javier Johnson is a rocket scientist by trade, and he brings a powerful analytical sense which joins the mechanics of dance and the soul of expression. He is well versed in all the swing dances, and he specializes in Balboa and soul. As an international swing dance instructor, he's traveled around the world sharing his joy of teaching and his passion for jazz dances.

Christian Frommelt

Christian Frommelt is a passionate swing dance instructor, performer, and social dancer who has dedicated his life to bringing people together through music and dancing. His unique style blends an emphasis on traditional swing movement and a highly personal character. In addition to his renown as a lindy hop and solo jazz dancer, Christian is the foremost aficionado of St. Louis Shag, which he learned in his hometown from original jitterbugs through interviews and close study. Some of Christian’s proudest accomplishments include winning the 2014 and 2015 Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown Battles in New Orleans, Louisiana and placing 1st in the Open Showcase contest at the 2015 International Lindy Hop Championships with partner Jenny Shirar. Christian is thankful to travel the world doing what he loves most--dancing--but is equally grateful and proud of his projects in St. Louis, including organizing the Nevermore Jazz Ball & St. Louis Swing Dance Festival, cultivating a strong community of dance through the St. Louis Jitterbugs, and playing jazz piano. 

Other Staff

Michael Seguin - co-owner of Mobtown Ballroom

Michael started dancing in Seattle in 1999, and helped build the swing and Lindy Hop Program at the world famous Century Ballroom. In 2008 he moved to Baltimore. He began working on the dance scene by teaching classes and drinking with students on his porch. Michael has competed and taught all across the country, but he is devoted to the Baltimore dance scene and hopes to leave as little as possible. He is noted for a snarky style that only thinly veils how much he cares about his students. You can find him at the ballroom every night of the week, sometimes wearing a red sequin jacket when it’s time for announcements.

Sarah Sullivan - co-owner of Mobtown Ballroom

Sarah Sullivan also co-owns the Mobtown Ballroom and Lindy 500. She has been dancing since 2003 and has organized and taught in a number of cities including Baltimore, San Diego, and Boston. While Sarah has travelled extensively for Lindy Hop, her main interest is in the development of local scenes and the impact that Lindy Hop can have on the cities it happens in. Sarah also studies a number of other dances including Baltimore Club, West African, Breaking, Locking, and Popping. She dances with Guardian Dance, a dance preservation company dedicated to practicing, performing, and passing down historical dances in Baltimore. In her free time Sarah play jazz music with the New Old Fashioneds.