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Name
Mike the Girl, Lindy Instructor
Contact Phone:
no phone inputted yet
Contact Email:
immaculateconnection@gmail.com
Location:
Philadelphia, PA, United States |
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My Story:
When my parents attended my first grade dance recitals, they were pretty much convinced that of all the things in my future, dance was off the list- I was terrible. I was a total wallflower all through middle and high school, and when I graduated high school, I got dragged to a ballroom studio. It was my first time following, and I was in love. I went off to college, and switched to east coast, since it was free. For a long time, I actually resisted learning lindy hop- it was hard, and I was pretty unsure about the folks teaching. But eventually I caved, and once I could stop counting to 8, it was all over for east coast. By the time I got to grad school, I was teaching constantly, and had very little patience for anything that got in the way. Eventually, I quit my grad school genetics program, and became a full time lindy and blues instructor, which is what I do today. Lindy took me from a shy, nerdy late-bloomer to a sassy, satisfied lady.
Instructor Bio:
Instructor
Mike's true loves in life are teaching, dancing, following, and music. There's no order, because for her, these things are intrinsically linked. In addition to national events like Lindy Focus and Enter the Blues, Mike has taught at countless regional events in Lindy, Blues, and Tango, as well as traveling all over the country to teach and perform. She performed in an all-girls Charleston troupe at Camp Jitterbug's Jump Session Show in 2007, and in the all-girl blues troupe, the Hoodoo Ladies, at events from DC to BluesShout in St. Louis. Additionally, she spent one month as the Instructor-in-Residence for Philadelphia Lindy and Blues, teaching 2 workshops, a masters' class, a performance troupe review, a four-week series, and over 60 private lessons. She considers it to be one of the most challenging, educational, and rewarding experiences in her career.
DJ
Mike's love of blues and jazz has been obsessive for some time, and once she started running a weekly blues dance out of her home in Atlanta in 2008, she committed herself to the art of DJing. She has since gone on to DJ sets around Atlanta, Orlando, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia Beach. She prides herself on providing a variety of styles and eras in each of her sets, and strives to create a sound that is both unique and inspiring; she also aspires to expose people to new music, and to challenge their dancing.
Mike combines an intuitive understanding of connection with an analytical speaking style to give her students technique, but also strives to challenge and inspire her students to push themselves further into the music. She aims to help leaders create artistic compositions that are clearly led; she wants follows to have the ability to be the completely literal follow, and the inspiration and freedom to be an imaginative and dynamic contributor. In the classroom or on the social floor, she seeks a connection that involves active communication from both partners, to make a dance together.
Website:
http://www.mikethegirl.com
Additional Questions
When/where did you first start doing Lindy Hop?
I went to a Bill Borgida workshop in Atlanta.
Why did you first start doing Lindy Hop?
I started lindy hop after I'd been doing east coast, which was cheaper than ballroom
What is the size of your local Lindy community?
Here we get about 100 dancers every week to our Tuesday night dance
How often do you go out dancing or take lessons?
I usually take Monday off.
What is your favorite thing about Lindy Hop (both as an activity and as a community)?
As an activity, I love following, and I love moving. As a community, I love that the average IQ blows the rest of the population out of the water.
What do you do for a living?
Lindy/Blues instructor
Male/Female:
Female
Year you were born?
1982
What bit of non-swing info about you would the Lindy community find interesting?
I dabble in everything artsy- I do some ok (like photography and painting) and some very badly.
How has Lindy Hop changed your life?
I dropped out of grad school for genetics to dance full time, and couldn't be happier with my decision.
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