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Instructors

RYAN MARTIN

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Ryan Martin’s love of jazz music initially inspired him to start swing dancing in 1996.  Since that time, the music and dance of the swing era have become the primary preoccupations in his life.  He has been dancing and teaching various swing dances off-and-on for the last twenty-plus years.  Ryan has travelled around the country collecting interviews with dancers from the original swing era and has completed a documentary called "The Rebirth of Shag", which focuses on Collegiate Shag.  He was one of the original co-founders of the Hot Rhythm Foundation and was, for the first eight years, involved with running the organization's main event, Hot Rhythm Holiday.  Today Ryan travels to teach and compete in Collegiate Shag, both domestically and abroad.  He currently holds regular dance classes in Dallas as well as other major cities in Texas. 

KEIRA HANSEN

Keira was first introduced to the world of swing dancing through her sister well over ten years ago. She spent her formative years throwing down at swing dance events all over the Midwest before moving to Texas, where she now continually challenges herself to hone her craft through teaching, competing, scene building, and event organizing. Although her first love was Lindy Hop, she has spent the last several years exploring the worlds of Balboa, St. Louis Shag, and Collegiate Shag. She finds fulfillment in giving her students the tools they need in order to make their own creative choices about dancing.  And she strives to make everyone she dances with walk away with a smile on their face and a sense of belonging in their heart. 

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AMANDA PINCOCK

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Amanda began swing dancing in 1995 in Southern California and did her first swingout a year later. After moving to Austin, Texas in 2014, she fell in love with Collegiate Shag and immediately began competing, winning the first competition she entered. She has been teaching and performing regularly since that time.

Amanda loves spreading her love of Shag and other swing dances with new and experienced dancers alike, and regularly travels nationally to instruct. With a background in gymnastics and classroom teaching, she brings years of experience of teaching adults to her classes, and enjoys blending serious technique with fun and love for the dance.  Currently, she teaches regular Collegiate Shag classes at Four on the Floor in Austin, Texas, and leads an all-female Collegiate Shag team, The Shag Hags.

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