Yu Wen (she/they) is a lifelong dancer and has roots all over the world. Born and raised in Malaysia, she moved to the States and found her love for swing dancing with the West Philly Swingers at the University of Pennsylvania. It was also with the West Philly Swingers that she discovered the joy of teaching dance! A teacher at heart, Yu Wen loves learning with her students and exploring teaching practices that challenge traditional student-teacher divisions. Among other things, Yu Wen also loves: jazz, books, solo dancing, cats, and a good, stanky brass section.

Andrea (she/her) began taking dance classes in primary school where she fell in love with Irish step dancing.  She performed, competed, and taught Irish dancing for over two decades. She began studying Lindy Hop in Durham, North Carolina during graduate school. After moving to Boston in 2014, Andrea dove into Lindy Hop at New School Swing, and later at Boston Lindy Hop. Eventually, her swing dance curiosities led her to Charleston, Balboa, and Authentic Solo Jazz, St. Louis Shag, Collegiate Shag, and of course more Lindy Hop. Since then, she’s traveled to numerous swing dance festivals, competitions, and workshops. As a student and teacher, Andrea loves rhythm, music, and focused practice. She strives for expressive, athletic dancing and loves sharing and evolving ideas with other dancers.

Cari (she/her) got her start dancing in 2009 when she accidentally tried out for Penn’s West Philly Swingers dance troupe. She was hooked from the first triple step, and hasn't stopped swinging out since! After graduating, she became involved in teaching and organizing for Lindy and Blues in Philadelphia, and picked up a serious dance-travel bug. In 2013, Cari moved to Boston to start graduate school, and, of course, to do more dancing. She loves creativity, comfortable connection, and communication in all her dances, and would be happy to talk your ear off any time about dancing, teaching ideas, and/or ways to practice dance at home alone and not wake your neighbors.

Katie (she/her) began her dance career as a toddler in her mother’s dance studio and has since spent her years training professionally in dance and Musical Theater Performance. As dancing was always her favorite form of expression, she was thrilled to be introduced (by her hubby) to a social dance that went with every jazz song she ever loved: the Lindy Hop! She is now a regular in the Boston scene, dancing Lindy Hop as well as Balboa, West Coast, Charleston, and Authentic Solo Jazz. Katie travels out of state regularly to social dance, compete, study, and perform. She is also a passionate, high energy, and approachable teacher who focuses on how to make social dancing fun and feel great with every partner at every level. It is her greatest joy to share these dances with anyone who wants to learn.

Helen started dancing Lindy Hop in 2017, when she signed up for her first Boston Lindy Hop class, shortly after moving to Boston from Chicago. Lindy hop combined two of her passions - dance and jazz music - and she was hooked from the first swingout. Since then, she’s had an opportunity to keep dancing as both a lead and follow in Boston and as part of the Green Line Stomp performance group. She also plays the piano regularly at swing dances as a member of the River Street Six. Helen is passionate about dance as a form of self expression, as well as a way to connect to a partner and to music.

Edgar (he/him) hails from the booming metropolis of Frackville, Pennsylvania where he learned how to build a fire, cut keys, and change a tire -- but not do a swingout. A guitar player with a background in theater – Edgar figures that music and dance have been a part of his life for three decades. He began studying Lindy Hop in Boston around 2009. He's learned from dancers here and around the country, and spent considerable time working under Daryl Begin and Jennifer Stout at Providence Swings in Rhode Island. Edgar can be seen regularly on the social dance floors here in Boston and at the occasional regional or national event. He's also competed in Jack & Jill competitions both regionally and nationally (with mixed results). As a teacher, Edgar believes strongly in the music, watching video, and practicing your dancing. He strives to move with purpose and dance with conviction and hopes to inspire his students to do the same. He's also emceed dance events and competitions including Providence Swings' Dirty Dozen Weekend and Beantown Camp. When not dancing, Edgar is a radio host and producer for 89.7 WGBH – Boston Public Radio. He leaves you with this: “When you are dancing with your partner, for that two and a half minutes, you are in love with each other…It’s a love affair, between you and your partner and the music." -Frankie Manning

Kevin (he/him/his) started dancing a long time ago when he was dragged to a lindy hop dance by friends. Since then, dancing has dragged him all over the country, where he has gotten to meet and dance with hundreds of cool people. Kevin values relaxed posture, clear communication, and strong musicality in dancing. In fact, Kevin also plays jazz guitar. You can sometimes find him playing guitar with the Boston based jazz band 'The River Street Six' or several other bands. 

Ken (he/him) started Lindy Hopping with New School Swing when he moved to Boston in 2010, and was immediately hooked!  He started teaching with New School in 2014.  Ken thinks that social dancing is an excellent way to have a fun conversation with a friend or a stranger, and values equally both creativity and clear relaxed partnership.  If you social dance in Boston, you'll probably see him out.  Ask him to dance!

Maria (she/her) started dancing at her college swing club, and was quickly drawn in by the sense of play in Lindy hop and jazz. She has since had the opportunity to learn from a variety of instructors, practice and perform with teams including Boston Lindy Bomb Squad and The Riff, and compete at local and international events. Her favorite part of the dance scene is the community, and she can be found at many social dances in the Boston area. Maria is a firm believer that everyone can dance and has the capacity for beautiful and unique movement.

Cassie's (she/her) nickname as a kid was “dancing fancy”. She loved to dress up and dance in front of the giant mirror in her family’s hallway. Obviously, her dream job was to be a tap-dancing orthodontist. While her dream career never took off, the need to groove stayed strong and in 2013 she went looking for dance classes in Boston. Lindy Hop’s focus on connecting with the music and your partner was love from the beginning. Well almost. Cassie didn’t go out social dancing for over nine months. Learn from her mistakes. Go out social dancing. Anyway, after a year of Lindy Hop she started Balboa too, and loved learning new ways of partner dancing and showing the music. Cassie values individuality and strives to learn and teach how to make dancing work for yourself and fit with your partner. She thinks you can pretty much dance any way you want so long as it’s connected and you feel like the music made you do it. In addition to social dancing and teaching, Cassie also organizes for a few Boston swing dance organizations. When Cassie’s not dancing, she probably cooking or trying on outfits (ok, and dancing) in front of her mirror - some things never change.

Mariel (Mari) Adams (she/her) has been swing dancing for more than two decades (literally 2/3rds of her life) starting the first time when she was taken out dancing with her mom in 1998 (instead of getting a baby sitter – boringggg), and she still loves it! She has worked as a dance teacher since 2007, teaching and choreographing a variety of dance styles in high school and college, and has since focused on Lindy Hop and vernacular Jazz for much of her adult life. She has a background in performing arts (vocal & theater/improv) and other dance styles (Latin dancing, west coast swing, hip hop, jazz, ballet, modern, west African), which makes for an eclectic style of emotion, character, and dynamics within her dancing. Dance is one of her favorite forms of expression because it includes the entire body and mind at once. It’s a great way to exercise and reduce stress! Dance frees people to move, enjoy their bodies, and express themselves. Mari is a huge proponent of dancers exploring their individual movement and inspiring each other through a conversation with the instruments/musicians and dance. She has a special place in her heart for soul, blues, and classing swing music, and to her Social Dancing is the most important reason for spreading the love of Lindy Hop.

Nathan (he/him) Riedel (rhymes with beetle) has been teaching dance for over a decade after falling in love with the history and community. His classes emphasize that approaching dance with respect and playfulness is what makes you a better dancer, and that we can use refined technique to more clearly express ourselves to our partner - and listen to them in return! He has taught dance classes for all ages, high school math, and tutored just about every subject under the sun, and it's easy to see that he loves teaching.

Nathan moved to Boston in 2020, and has loved every step in getting to know the local dance scene. His background is primarily in Lindy Hop, Balboa, and Blues, but no matter where you ask him to dance, he'll be excited! (The West Coast dancers told him he was bouncy, though.)

Dancing is the most joyful form of expression he has ever found. He believes that dancing can bring you that same joy, and he hopes it'll bring you the same community and confidence too!

Mari Foster (she/her) remembers the fateful evening she heard the song "Shiny Stockings" by Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald at a dance event. This was the moment she knew she had to learn Lindy Hop. Mari spent her early days learning from Sylvia Sykes, who taught local classes at a beautiful historic ballroom in Santa Barbara, CA, and soon fell in love with the playfulness of the dance. In 2011, she and a few co-conspirators formed The Lindy Circle, a non-profit dance organization dedicated to spreading the joy of Lindy Hop, Charleston, Balboa, and Vernacular Jazz. She regularly taught, DJ'd, and organized social dances and workshop events for the Santa Barbara dance community until she moved to Boston in 2016 to pursue a career in public education. As a teacher both on and off the dance floor, Mari is passionate about building an inclusive community where everyone feels empowered to explore self-expression and connection through music and movement.

Andrew Selzer (he/him) began swing dancing and teaching at The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) Swing Dance Club. A native of Southern California, Andrew had a unique swing dance upbringing, learning and dancing on both coasts of the United States. These days he is the owner and director of Boston Lindy Hop, where he continues to teach.

He has almost 15 years of teaching experience between weekly series classes and weekend workshops. In addition, he has had the privilege of dancing around the world and those experiences have provided him with a smorgasbord of influences to draw upon in a classroom setting.

When it comes to teaching, Andrew has three priorities: partnership, musicality, and self-expression. In addition to his dance experience, he also plays clarinet in the jazz band, the River Street Six. To learn more about Andrew check out his webpage andrewselzer.com.