Online Partner Charleston Dance Lessons: "Side by Side Charleston"

Bill Borgida (Austin, TX, United States)

Highly regarded for his teaching skills, Bill's instruction has had a profound influence on the Swing & Lindy Hop scene for the past 14 years. He has taught on 4 continents and in over 30 countries. He has been on the teaching staff at many international dance camps and has judged at numerous Lindy Hop Championships.

Known as the teacher's teacher, many of his former students have gone on to international acclaim (Skye, Ramona, JoJo Jackson, Andy Reid, Sarah Spence, Caitlin George, to name a few recent ones...).

What makes Bill's instruction unique?
Bill believes that to become a great Lindy Hopper it is first important to thoroughly master the fundamentals. His workshops help all levels of dancers become more aware of how their body works, how to use it to communicate and more fully express music and connect to another person. You will not just learn "the rules", but you will understand how technique really applies to your dancing. And how to differentiate between "styling" and "technique". Bill's unique approach to teaching will not only make you a better social Lindy Hopper, but you will learn techniques that will apply to everything, including Blues & Balboa. No matter what your level, Bill's classes will give you an abundance of information to move your dancing up a few notches!

Julee Mertz (Chicago, IL, United States)

Julee Mertz discovered the small Lindy Hop scene in Chicago in 1997. Instantly hooked by the music, the sense of community and the energy of the dance, her adored hobby fast became a career.

In September of 2001, Julee was asked to join the cast of "Swing! The Original Broadway Musical" and toured nationally from Sept 2001 to February 2002. After completing the tour, she was asked to return to NYC to train the next touring cast of "Swing!"

Having traveled the country to learn from the best, Julee now travels herself, teaching the dances of the swing era. Known for her dynamic styling and musicality, she has been a featured instructor at many workshops across the country and around the world (including Switzerland, Netherlands, England and Australia) with teaching partners Bill Borgida (TX), Manu Smith(SF) and nationally with Chris Yee (Seattle) and Scott Angelius (TX).

Julee's is truly the follower's voice - her attention to follower's needs in classes has been praised around the world. She's known for her attention to detail and clarity of explanations for both the leads and follows. Girl knows what she wants!