Meet the locals
Todd & Alice
27, New Orleans Avenue
Todd Yannacone has been teaching since he was just 16! He is a dancer and musician from New Orleans, the homeland of jazz music. Over the years he has developed a very unique style and he is also a highly respected teacher. He has had great success as a performer, winning more than 100 international prizes since 2001 in Lindy Hop and Balboa competitions.
Alice Mei comes from Montpelier (Fr), the new place to be for swing dancing in Europe, home of many outstanding dancers. She is a very feminine and instinctive follower, qualities that have earned her numerous world class prizes. Fun and authentic, her classes are engaging and she is attentive to all of her students.
Todd & Alice have won many prizes together, for example second place at Washington International Lindy Hop Championship (Pro Classic division) in 2013 and the Lone Star Championship (Strictly Lindy All Star) in 2010.
Vincenzo & Simona
95, Charleston Boulevard
Vincenzo Fesi is by far the best swing dancer in Italy, widely recognized for his elegance. His classes are fun and have a strong focus on technique. Interested in the history of Swing, he is a big supporter of the Savoy Style. Vincenzo is extremely versatile: lindy hop, solo jazz, balboa… he excels in every field and never stops studying to improve.
Simona Pogosian is a talented follower famous for her extraordinary choreographic ability. Together with her usual partner, Mindaugas Biskaukas, has been one of the pioneers of Lindy Hop in Vilnius. She started dancing when she was 4 and when she met the Lindy Hop in 2004 all of her time and energies have been dedicated to Swing dances. She teaches and performs in Lithuania and abroad.
Les Cavasas
8, Saint Louis Street
Anne-Hélène and Bernard Cavasa are partners both in life and on the dance floor, aside from the numerous prizes they have won together as choreographers and performers (the only not-american couple to have won the American Classic Balboa Championships), they are best known as passionate and generous teachers of Lindy Hop, Balboa, Blues and Charleston.
They organize swing events in Toulouse, France, the most famous being the Studio Hop, a three-week camp every summer, now in its tenth year. Their lessons are fascinating and upbeat, their style is flowing and harmonious. The great experience of Anne-Hélène as a dancer (before her career in swing she studied classic dance and modern jazz) and Bernard as a musician, make them truly unique, musical and creative dancers. Impossible not to fall in love with them!
Alex & Christina
67, Harlem Alley
Returning this year we have Alex Marinis, a dancer, choreographer and organizer of important swing events such as Swing and Swim in Salonicco, Greece. Dancers from Torino fell in love with his enthusiasm and his music-interpretation classes, along with his complicity on the dance floor. Together with Christina Loukaki, he had the honour of teaching at the legendary Herräng Dance Camp in 2014. Alex and Christina teach in Greece and around Europe to spread the purest and most enthusiastic spirit of Lindy Hop. Learning whilst having fun is their slogan!
The music is going to be the main feature of Torino Swing Festival. Eight world famous artists will be teaching during the day and performing at the evening events. Musicality will be one of the main focuses in the classes, some teachers are also musicians, so be prepared for some surprises!
