Get yourself a ticket to ride and join Mersey Swing for Lindy in the Sky with Diamonds Swing Dance Festival.
Featuring international teachers, adventurous learning, and three parties in two boss venues, you’ll wish this weekender lasted eight days a week (it’s only 3!).
Teaching Lineup
Stephen Atemie & Korantema Anyimadu
Stephen is a fresh young talent emerging from the new generation of Lindy Hoppers. In 2017, Stephen travelled to South Africa to spend a month working with the charity Sing Inchanga. There he shared skills with local children & young people across their own dance styles and Lindy Hop. Stephen’s performance/competition credits include 10 Downing Street, Harrods, Savoy Cup (France), ILHC (USA). His latest projects include organising talks, webinars and advocacy for cultural appreciation within the Lindy Hop/AAVJ communities across the world as a board member for Collective Voices For Change (CVFV).
Korantema Anyimadu is a dancer from London and fell in love with African American Vernacular Jazz in 2014. She has tapped for Zadie Smith and performed at the 2012 London Olympics. When she’s not dancing, Korantema is a curator and zine maker, and runs an award winning creative project called Black Hair Stories. She is passionate about the cultural links between the past and the present, and the stories of the African and Caribbean diaspora. Korantema was the former co-leader of the chorus line troupe, The London Starlings (formerly known as The Dinahs).
Angela Andrew
Angela Andrew is a multi-disciplined artist from London, UK.
Her dance story began with the first generation of hip-hop dancers on the streets of Hackney, where she was born and raised. She began lindy-hopping in 1991. By the time Angela started teaching Lindy-Hop, she was already an established educator working in schools, colleges, other institutions, and festivals.
Angela’s artistic work is varied and trailblazing. For just over 6 years, Angela was the Artistic Director for Rhythm Tap N’ Swing association based in Lyon, France (where the Lindy Hop started its French journey). Her mission there was to reboot the scene and forge strong links between music organisations and other dance disciplines in Lyon and across France; a goal which she vibrantly achieved.
Maria Mallan & Clàudia Fonte
Swing dancers (Lindy Hop and Authentic Jazz), Maria and Clàudia’s work is focused on developing their own context for couple dancing. While having learnt from the classics, from Lindy Hop and Authentic Jazz roots, showing admiration and gratitude they also look for expressing their own interpretation and voice always adjusting their individual moves to each other.
Although working on the dynamics from both roles, they believe in initiating the movement from the body as a whole; as one unit. Body awareness is one of the foundations that enables them to develop and work on a continuous and flow of movements, adding rhythmical contrasts.
Their objective is to find different ways to understand movement and rhythm changes in order to apply it to Swing music and give way to playful interpretations. What they believe is that the more open we are to learn and explore, the more freedom we can feel to fill the dance with personal characteristics united with the partner and enjoy the swing songs together.
Ithalia Johnson – Joyful African Rhythms Taster
A co-founder of Movema, an award-winning dance charity, and the creator of Dancing Queens, Powerful Gal, and Circle of Joy, Ithalia is dedicated to empowering communities and fostering inclusivity through movement. As a qualified ADHD coach, Ithalia incorporates her understanding of neurodiversity into her teaching approach, creating safe, supportive spaces where individuals of all abilities can explore self-expression and connection through dance.
As a visiting lecturer at the University of Salford and UCLAN, she uses dance to bridge cultural divides, address societal issues, and inspire self-expression. Her work is rooted in the belief that movement is a universal language and a catalyst for healing and belonging.
Wendy Okoli – Afro Dance Taster
This taster will be a fusion of popular African dance styles that has taken the world by storm! Suitable for all levels
Wendy Okoli is a self-taught dancer of Nigerian Heritage. She first started dancing at the age of 14 performing hip-hop on stage from secondary school to University. After moving to England Wendy learned other dance styles; Salsa, Dominican Bachata, Merengue, Semba, Kizomba and Brazilian Samba. She specialises in teaching and performing Afrodance and Brazilian Samba.
Wendy is the co-founder of Samba Livre, a dance troupe that has performed all over the country and beyond, at events as well as commercials and TV. As an Afro dancer, Wendy teaches at colleges and youth centres as well as giving dance workshops in collaboration with various CICs such as Afrodance Academy, Movema, and Wigle Dance Dance CIC to name a few. Wendy is also an actor and model represented by Urban Talent and has appeared in various films, tv programmes and commercials.
Live Bands and DJs
Friday – Ma Bessie and Her Blues Troupe
Nicknamed the ‘Empress of the Blues’, Bessie Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s/30s. She is often regarded as one of the greatest performers of her era and was a major influence on other jazz singers.
Ma Bessie and Her Blues Troupe perform a narrated show, featuring music such as ‘Alexander’s Ragtime Band’ and ‘Ain’t Nobody’s Business’, as well as showcasing many of Bessie’s songs. The show chronicles Bessie’s life from a one-room shack in Blue Goose Hollow, to becoming the highest-paid black entertainer of that time, to the tragic accident on Route 61 in September 1937 that ended her life aged 43 years.
Saturday – Castle Rock Jazz Band
The Castle Rock Jazz Band are in the business of serving up hot swing music, played by dancers for dancers. They draw influence from the great jazz artists and orchestras of the Swing era, while their experience as dancers ensures that the floor will be kept full all night. When they’re not on the stage, they’re busy jamming, working out new arrangements and throwing down on dance floors in Edinburgh and beyond.
Weekend DJ – Laura Knight
Laura has been DJing in the swing scene for almost 16 years. She has worked as a staff DJ at Herrang, Lindy Focus and London Swing Festival and has kept the dancefloor swinging at countless other events in Europe and around the world. Laura is passionate about music and connecting through music, so if you hear something you like, or you just want to chat about music and dance, do come and find her in the DJ booth.
Workshop Streams
All streams will have sessions with all the core instructors, and you’ll have access to the panel discussion and taster workshops.
We are a community of dancers who are IN community – all growing, learning and playing together. You will be alongside others at all times, people perhaps with different strengths to you. We believe that you get out what you put in, so whatever Stream you pick, it’ll be boss because you are boss :)
Ringo – Develop
- your octopuses garden is really growing. Like all good drummers you are hearing rhythm everywhere and exploring how to express it.
- This group will be best for people who want to develop creativity and rhythm whilst working on key core concepts
Paul – Innovate
- The first few albums went down well, you’re ready to bring in the whole orchestra and plan an international tour
- This group will be best for people who are ready for a challenge. ‘Tain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it is the key theme here. You’ll be expected to have very good rhythm and timing and good adaptability to new ideas at a range of tempos.
George – Grow
- ‘Lindy’s really got a hold on me’, and you’re ready to add new songs to your playlist.
- This group will be best for people who want to work on a key concepts and go into good depth on them. Learning speed moderate.
The Venues
Classes:
- The Arts Bar on Hope Street
- Liverpool Guild of Students
Party Venues:
- Friday & Saturday Night – Mountford Hall, Guild of Students
- Sunday Night – Stanley Theatre, Guild of Students
