PAOLO "P Lindy" LANNA
Instructor/DeeJay

Paolo has been specializing in early social partner dance since 1993. He has toured as a featured partner dancer with Wynton Marsalis and The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (see publications), as well as “Swing Dance America” and “Forever Swing” The Big Band Musical Revue. He has also appeared on numerous Television programs from CNBC’s Great Stuff to The David Letterman Show. In 2003, Paolo won First Place at the New York Lindy Hop Open Swing championships and has previously won the Showcase Division at the American Swing Dance Championships. Paolo has been a featured performer and instructor at the prestigious Mid SummerNight Swing every year at Lincoln Center since it's inception. Drawing inspiration from dancers such as Frankie Manning, Dawn Hampton, Dickie Harris, all who have storied experiences from the original Ballrooms of Harlem, Paolo continues to perform and teach these fabulous dances from the Lindy Hop to the Collegiate Shag. He runs the web site savoycentral.org and is a staff instructor at Dance Manhattan. During Summer months, he hosts live music and dancing in Central Park

DeeJay "P Lindy" Paolo has been building his collection of jazz and swing for over 25 years. A solid music provider for the New York Lindy crowd for over 6 years, he began his long lived music consultant relationship at Swing 46 from the very first opening providing them with solid standards and unique collection that spans 60 years. Paolo has been in DJ rotation at the New York Swing Dance Society (Irving Plaza) since the late 1990's and had been featured at:
Frim Fram (Club 412 NYC), Connolly's (NYC), MidSummer Night Swing at Lincoln Center NY (1999-present), Dog House (San Francisco), Lindy Groove (Pasadena,CA), Jacks Joint Fridays at Jack Rose NYC (2000-2004), Cache in Times Square NYC (2001-2003), Nells NYC (2002-2003), Supper Club NYC (1999-2003), Pier 25 Hudson River Park (N. Moore St on the Hudson River), The Manhattan Center Dance Party NYC (2002) DogHouseHop NYC (2002), 92nd Street Y NYC (2003), The American Lindy Hop Championships (Stamford, CT) Frim Fram Jam Swing 46 NYC (2001-2003)

Performances and Tours
The History Channel tribute on the USS Intrepid, 2005
The Italian Tour, Winter 2004
Swing Dance America Tour, Winter 2002, Fall 2003
Forever Swing The Big Band Musical Revue North American Tour, Winter /Spring 2001
For Dancers Only Tour with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra , spring 2000
Dudley Moore Tribute Carnegie Hall , NY 2001
"JAZZ " Premiere Ken Burns documentary, Harlem, NY
Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Special 1999 CBS
Swingin’ the Duke Centennial Special with Wynton Marsalis , PBS
Great Stuff CNBC , Today Show NBC , City Arts PBS , The Swing Thing, VH1, Good Morning America ABC, The David Letterman Show CBS, Natalie Merchant Music Video "Break your Heart", DisneyWorld Event featuring Bill Cosby, Gracie Mansion The Mayor’s Party 1999 , The Waldorf Astoria, The Manhattan Center, The Supper Club, Swing 46, Irving Plaza, Roseland Ballroom NYC, The Nasdac at Times Square, Mid SummerNight Swing at Lincoln Center

Education Programs, International Instruction
Dance Manhattan Studios, Staff Dance Instructor/Promoter
Lincoln Center Young Adult Program, Mid SummerNight Swing at Lincoln Center, Guest Instructor
New York School of Visual Arts, New York University Medical Center Program, Visiting Instructor
Swing Ring Montreal, Houston Swing Dance Society Houston, Melbourne Dance Exchange Australia - Visiting Instructor

Championships
2003 1st Place "Open Routine" New York Lindy Hop Open
1998 1st Place Showcase Lindy Hop Champion American Swing Dance Championships
1997 1st Place Jack and Jill Champion Virgina Open
1997 Lindy Hop Open Champion Virginia Open

Paolo credits contemporary dancers Steven Mitchell, Ryan and Jenny Francois, Marcus and Barble, Sylvia Sykes, Eric and Sylvia, The Rhythm Hot Shots, The Jiving Lindy Hoppers, for their inspiring styles and dedication to educating future Lindy Hoppers.

 


DORIANA GALLIANO
Dancer/Instructor Balboa/Lindy Hop

Doriana has been dancing and performing acrobatic rock and roll and boogie woogie for over 15 years.
Since moving to the States from Italy, she has focused on the Lindy Hop. Recent performances on NBC’s " Today show", the Off-B’way play, Shakespeare "As you like it", Mid Summer Night Swing "dance festival" at Lincoln Center, and "A night with Tony Bennet" at Radio City Music Hall.
She is a guest choreographer for Swing Dance America , a touring swing dance company, and she is currently teaching at "You Should Be Dancing" dance studio in New York City.

 


JANICE WILSON

Dancer & Singer

Janice Wilson, winner of 11 national, regional and local Swing Dance competitions, specializes in African-American Vernacular Jazz Dance* of the twentieth century. She has been a staff instructor at Dance Manhattan since 1997 and played an instrumental role in building the Lindy Hop program there. She now heads up the American Institute of Vernacular Jazz Dance as Founder and Executive Director.* Jazz dance as derived from the customs of early African communities and evolving through traditions as danced primarily by African-Americans, is comprised of such favorites as the Black Bottom, Big Apple, Cake Walk, Blues, Charleston, Lindy Hop and Hip Hop.

Tours
European Jazz Dance Festival Tour, Summer 2001
Dean Regan’s Forever Swing: The Big Band Musical Revue North American Tour, Winter 2000/Spring 2001
For Dancers Only: Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra National Tour, Spring 2000
Choreography Credits
Swingin’ the Duke with Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Produced by Wynton Marsalis
Eddie Bauer, In the Mood National Television Advertisement
Swingin’ Ain’t Easy Musical Revue, Swing 46 Jazz and Supper Club
Performances
Eddie Bert Tribute at Town Hall New York City 2002, Ken Burns’ JAZZ documentary premier screening at Schombergh Museum in Harlem
US Open Tennis Championships at Flushing Meadows 2001, 2002, Opening Act for Bill Cosby, Disney World
Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Special, CBS
Good Morning America, ABC
Today Show, NB
Break your Heart, Natalie Merchant Music Video
City Arts, PBS
The Swing Thing, VH1
Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, Live! AMC

 

Rodney López
Instructor/Performer Latin Dance


Rodney López is an accomplished Latin dance instructor and a fresh face in the New York Salsa scene. He is a staff instructor at Dance Manhattan, one of New York City’s leading dance schools and praised by colleagues and students alike for his entertaining and thoughtful teaching style. Rodney has taught and performed at major venues such as New York City’s First Night – including the Museum of the City of New York and the U.S.S. Intrepid; the Children’s Aid Society Annual Spring Gala; Club Getaway; and Baruch College. He has appeared on the WB11 Morning News, Fox’s Good Day New York and The Queen Latifah Show. He has directed and choreographed several salsa performance teams and is currently a member of the Addie-Tude Dance Company. Rodney has also moved beyond his Latin dance roots to perform and compete with New York-area West Coast Swing and Carolina Shag teams. He is a favorite at various private, corporate and non-profit events around the city for his ability to move a crowd. A devoted student of the history of Latin music and dance, Rodney has written about salsa history for various print and Internet news outlets. He currently teaches Latin music history and dance for the Bank Street College of Education’s I-LEAD program. Rodney began teaching in 1996 with Sanando Through the Arts, an arts non-profit organization based in New York City’s Lower East Side.

Most recently, the documentary "Mad Hot Ballroom" features his teaching work with the American Ballroom Theater's Dancing Classrooms program. His students from PS115 were highlighted in this documentary and were winners of the 2004 dance competition.
His teaching approach, highlighted in Newsday in an article about the New York dance scene, can be seen in his first instructional video on leading techniques which was released in December 2005. He is a favorite at various private, corporate and non-profit events around the city for his ability to move a crowd.

Mariana Parma
Instructor/Performer Latin / Tango Dance


Mariana Parma is an instructor, choreographer and performer and has a B.A. in dance from Rutgers University. She has been featured in motion pictures, national commercials and has worked with Broadway choreographers for musical and film productions. She specializes in Latin dancing: Salsa, Mambo, Tango, and Latin American Folk.

Her achievements have included:
Featured dancer in the national tour of SWING the Musical from Dec '05 through Jan '06. (receiving rave reviews!)
Produced and performed in the off-Broadway dance show Swango the Fusion 2002 - 2004
Worked with Hinton Battle, 3 time Tony Award winner, in the musical workshop, The Bronx Casket Company.
Featured dancer and co-choreographer of the Tango Show at the Thalia Theatre in Queeens 2001

Lou Brockman
Instructor/Performer Ballroom Dance

Comedian/actor/ballroom dancer Lou Brock has been entertaining all over the country for over 15 years. As a dancer, Lou was a member of the internationally acclaimed American Ballroom Theater, performing at such venues as The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., ABT’s 10th Anniversary run at The Joyce Theater in New York City, and representing ABT in numerous guest solo performances throughout Manhattan. Lou has also been a faculty member at New York University, teaching dance in NYU’s CAP21 Theater Program. The New York Times has proclaimed his style “slyly sophisticated,” and declared it a rare treat for the audience. Lou’s style is evident in every aspect of his work.
Over the past several years, Lou has choreographed for off-Broadway and independent film, and has written and produced two semi-autobiographical shows: Ballroom Dancin’ for Tough Guys, performed at the Duplex Cabaret Theater, NYC, in 1999; and Cool, performed at The Kraine Theater, NYC, in 2001. As a comedian, he has appeared at many of New York’s best comedy clubs, including the Boston Comedy Club, the Comedy Cellar, and The Improv. Most recently, Lou Brock and his partner, Mayte Vicens, have performed at various venues in New York, including the Viennese Opera Ball, and are featured dancers in the films Mona Lisa Smile and The Stepford Wives.

Maria "Mayte"Vicens
Instructor/Performer Ballroom Dance


Maria has performed extensively throughout Europe and America. Her classical and ballroom dance training includes ballet study at the Rosella Hightower School of Dance in Cannes, France and she holds a masters degree from the Royal Conservatory of Dramatic Art and Dance in Valencia, Spain. Maria Vicens has broadened her career as a prima ballerina with traditional Latin dance including Flamenco and Argentine Tango. Her fame as a Flamenco, Latin and Spaniard dancer and choreographer was enhanced by her directorship of the renowned Martin Vargas Flamenco Company.
In New York, Maria's recent successes include her engagement as a principal dancer at the 2003 Vienna Ball, Flamenco dancer for MCI exclusive telephone contract and this fall as a principal dancer in the upcoming movie "Mona Lisa Smile".

Mariela Franganillo
Instructor/Performer Argentine Tango Dance


Mariela, born and raised in Argentina, is dancer, choreographer and producer of events. She began her career dancing in Los Tangueros at Teatro Cervantes and at Casa Blanca in Buenos Aires. After moving to the U.S. she performed and taught at Stamford University. In New York City where she currently resides, her performance experience includes productions at Lincoln Center, Town Hall, and Carnegie Hall. She was a cast member of Forever Tango, NY Tango: Piazzolla & Beyond and X–Tango. Mariela was trained by Gustavo Naveira, teaches across the US and Canada, and was known to begin first Tango Practica in New York City. She conceived the full-length theater production Swango, her latest production, which mixes the two unique styles of Argentine Tango and West Coast Swing.

 

 

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