Byron Alley - Swing Dance Teaching Resume

Bio

Director and founder of Ottawa's new swing school, Swing Dynamite, Byron has been performing regularly since he joined Montreal's Montreal's Montreal's Swinging Air Force in 2001 during its first year of international competition.

Byron's dancing ranges from smooth to dynamic, often in the same dance. On the social dance floor he combines vintage Lindy Hop, Charleston, Blues dancing, and Balboa with random stuff he makes up on the spot. He's known for his emphasis on connection, which enables him to pull off his random stuff with a maximum of comfort.

As a performer, Byron is known for fast dancing and acrobatics. As choreographer he's created routines for competitions and a variety of different performances.

Competitions

• Canadian Swing Championships 2006 - West Coast Swing JnJ - 1st place
• Swingin' New England 2005, Open Showcase - 1st place
• Swingin' New England 2005, Team (Swinging Air Force) - 1st place
• American Lindy Hop Championships 2005 , Open Showcase - 3rd place
• Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown 2005, Lindy Performance - 3rd place
• Canadian Swing Championships 2005 - Swing Couples - 2nd place
• Canadian Swing Championships 2005 - Fast Dance - 2nd place
• Canadian Swing Championships 2004 - Canadian Showcase - 2nd place
• Canadian Swing Championships 2005 - West Coast Swing JnJ - 2nd place
• American Lindy Hop Championships 2004 - Open Showcase - 4th place
• Canadian Swing Championships 2004 - Fast Dance - 1st place
• Canadian Swing Championships 2004 - Canadian Showcase - 2nd place
• Canadian Swing Championships 2004 - Blues - 2nd place
• Canadian Swing Championships 2004 - Strictly Balboa - 2nd place
• North Atlantic Dance Championships 2004 - Team (SAF All Bal Team) - 2nd place
• Michigan Classic 2004 (Detroit, Michigan) - Team (Swinging Air Force) - 2nd place
• Michigan Classic 2004 (Detroit, Michigan) - Lindy Open - 2nd place
• Eastern Canadian Swing Championships 2003 - Showcase - 3rd place
• Eastern Canadian Swing Championships 2003 - Swing Couples - 3rd place

Teaching History

• April 2006 - Lindy Hop and Charleston workshop in Ottawa, ON with Natacha Beausoleil
• November 2005 - Aerials at Swingin' New England in Cape Cod
• May 2005 - Lindy Hop, Charleston and Aerials classes at Canadian Swing Championships
• March 2005 - Lindy Hop and Charleston workshop in Norwich, VT
• February 2005 - Lindy Hop, Charleston and aerials in Kingston, ON
• January 2005 - Lindy Hop/Charleston workshop in Poughkeepsie, NY
• December 2004 - Taught classes in Charleston and judged competitions at New Year's Extravaganza in Danvers, MA
• October 2004 - Blues dancing, Charleston and aerial classes at the Lindy Hop Homecoming Weekend in Syracuse, NY
• March 2004 - Taught classes in Lindy Hop and aerials in Toronto, ON
• January 2004 - Taught musicality, Balboa, Lindy Hop and acrobatics in Waterloo, ON
• May 2003 - Taught workshops in Lindy Hop and Balboa in Sherbrooke, QC
• March 2003 - Created new syllabuses for advanced classes at Studio 88 Swing
• August 2002 - Taught workshops and performed with Swinging Air Force in Victoria, BC
• January 2002 - Co-Founded Studio 88 Swing in Montreal, created all-new syllabuses, and began teaching regular classes in Montreal
• Janurary 2001 - Founded Lindy Hoppers Anonymous in Victoria, BC and began teaching weekly lessons
• July 1999 - Taught a swing dance workshop to children at a summer camp in Montreal

Choreography and Performance

• May 2006 - Created a team routine in record time for collaboration with French swing dancers
• April 2006 - Choreographed a group Rock 'n Roll routine performed for several major corporate clients, including the Casino de Montreal
• April 2006 - Choreographed a small sequence which then taught to top VP's of a major corporate client in only a few hours, which they then successfully performed on stage in front of hundreds of employees
• May 2005 - Adapted swing dancing to 80's rock and roll music to create a four-couple routine as part of a collaboration with one of Montreal's top tap dance choreographers
• March 2005 - Began work on a single couple routine that brought home top three placement in four competitions across the US and Canada

Personal History

Byron has been swing dancing since 1998, and in 2001 he joined some friends in Montreal to become part of the Swinging Air Force dance troupe. After the troupe won 3rd place at the American Lindy Hop Championships, they decided to found a new company and start a dance school, Studio 88 Swing, to spread their vision of what these vintage dances can bring to people.

Why?

Byron started dancing because he believed it was important for a guy to know some form of partner dancing. Nowadays he's motivated by the music, the joy of movement, and the challenge of performance and competition, but he especially thrives on the interaction and creation with his partner.

Performance

Since 2001 Byron has performed in a large number of shows yearly. Here are some of the more memorable shows.

• May 2006 - Casino de Montreal (repeat performances)
• April 2006 - General Dynamics Spring Training in Charlotte, North Carolina
• May 2005 - Klaxson's Radio Tap
• Dec 2004 - New Year's Extravaganza in Danvers, MA
• December 2003 - 100 Years of Swing (1.5 hour Swinging Air Force show)
• September 2003 - With Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at Place des Arts
• September 2003 - Fondation Farha
• July 2003 - Canada Day in Ottawa (Parliament Hill)
• 2001 - Dance Pacifica (Vancouver Island Ballroom Dance Competition)

TV and Radio

• CBC/Radio Canada - Appeared as guest artist in performance with Swinging Air Force on the show Match des étoiles - 2005
• MuchMusic - Featured performing acrobatic swing dancing in Ruffneck video "On Trouve Le Moyen De Chanter" appearing frequently on MuchMusic, filmed June 2005
• CKUT Radio - Interviewed about history of swing dancing - 2004
• Gleason (Movie) - Swing dancing extra - 2003
• l'Explorateur Urbain on TVA - 2001

Other Random Tidbits

Byron realizes it's ridiculous to write about himself in the 3rd person, but figures that with the whole vintage theme he should stick to tradition.