Teachers
Honored and grateful to have great guests teachers.
Chester Whitmore
Chester will be offering an exciting masterclass in solo jazz dance titled "The Jazz Evolution: Dance & Movement (1900 - 2023)."
Chester has been dancing since 1974 and is a protege of Fayard Nicholas (of the Nicholas Brothers). Throughout his career, Chester has traveled the world as a dancer, teacher, performer, choreographer, director, stuntman, and entertainer. His choreography has been featured in music videos for artists like Boys II Men, Sugar Ray, and Teena Marie, and he has worked with iconic figures such as Savion Glover, MC Hammer, and Prince, among others. In addition to being a renowned drummer and band leader, he has collaborated with the best in the entertainment industry.
Chester has performed with his dance company, Black Ballet Jazz, and has shared the stage with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra, and the great Miles Davis. Chester exudes boundless positive energy and an unbridled passion for dance, making him a true showman. His contributions are too numerous to list them all. The only way to truly grasp his talent is to see him in action!
Don't miss this unique opportunity to learn and dance with a jazz and entertainment legend. We are thrilled to have Chester Whitmore at the Lindy Maya Festival!
Tim Collins & Ruchi Aviles
Tim and Ruchi, will be offering a Lindy Hop course focused on partner connection.
Tim's love for swing dance began in 1998 during his high school years. He quickly embarked on a journey across the country and around the world to attend dance festivals, constantly seeking to expand his knowledge. Tim spent his summers working at the Herrang Dance Camp in Sweden from 2001 to 2012. In 2002, he studied Traditional African Dance in Ghana for a year. Between 2007 and 2012, Tim split his time between Europe and India, teaching Lindy Hop full-time and working in the Bollywood film industry in Mumbai. Since co-founding Swing México in 2012 with Ruchi and Pao, Tim has been dedicated to building the swing dance community in Mexico. He has organized numerous national and international events and festivals and taught swing dance across Latin America.
Ruchi is an architect and designer who discovered her wellspring of creativity in dance. Alongside her architectural career, she spent seven years traveling extensively throughout Europe, learning from influential masters of the global Swing scene. They inspired her to establish a national swing dance scene in Mexico and sow the magic of Lindy Hop and African-American Swing culture in uncharted territory.
In the early 2010s, Ruchi, along with her sister Pao, founded SWING MEXICO, and together with Tim, they have organized countless events, festivals, performances, and competitions at both national and international levels. They have significantly contributed to the dance community and the dissemination of this culture in Mexico.
Tim and Ruchi bring a wealth of experience and a deep passion for Lindy Hop to the festival, and we're thrilled to have them as part of our lineup!
More artists to be confirmed
Luciano Brigante & Alejandra Orozco
Luciano Brigante and Alejandra Orozco are dancers and tango teachers with more than 20 years of international experience. They are proud representatives of the Traditional Tango.
They exemplify the Villa Urquiza tango style with their elegance, softness and precision in walking. His refined dance reflects great precision, tradition, strength and dynamism.
They were runners-up in the World Tango Championship in the Salon Tango style and obtained third place in the Metropolitan Championship representing Club Sunderland in Buenos Aires in 2004. They are choreographers and dancers representing Argentina at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and are producers and promoters of the TANGO CULTURE all over the world.
In addition, they created the Tango Brigante teaching method and have been guest conductors in tango schools in Germany, the United States and Mexico. They have appeared as principal dancers in a music video directed by award-winning director Mel Gibson, and have been invited to perform exclusively for royalty and presidents in Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Argentina, and Mexico.
Luciano & Alejandra will give an introductory course to Argentine Tango and basic fundamentals for Lindy & Balboa dancers