List of Instructors (click for more details)
Trisha Anderson
Steve Conrad
Dabney Hopkins
Mike Johnson
Josh Leitz
Jonathan Lindsey
Paul Maranto
Adriane Perkins
Janet Tolifson
Mike Johnson & Trisha Anderson
Mike Johnson & Trisha Anderson have been dance partners in the Arizona swing dance scene for the past six years. Mike & Trisha collectively have ten years of experience teaching Lindy Hop. They have also performed with Scat Cat Entertainment and the Twist On Rhythm Swing Dance Troupe at various corporate events for the past five years. They have competed in Lindy Hop competitions locally and nationally over the past four years placing first at the 2002 and 2003 Falcon Field USO dance contests, finishing in 6th place at the American Lindy Hop Championships in 2003 and placing first at the Hurricane Bay - Boogie by the Bay Dance Contest/TV Show in 2005. Mike and Trisha are also founding members of the AZ Swing Network, a non-profit swing dance organization.
Contact Mike at 602.762.8800
Contact Trisha at 480.620.6353
Steve Conrad
Steve Conrad first discovered swing dancing in high school in 1992 - he was asked to do a dance with the pom-pom squad which involved mostly aerials and a bit of dancing. Years later, after finding swing dancing at the Rockin' Horse, Steve was hooked and soon became a founder of the AZ Lindy Hop Society. He has been teaching/performing Lindy hop and East Coast Swing for over 11 years. He has taught at the Desert Dance camp in Las Vegas and Laughlin, Carnage Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA, Albuquerque, NM, and throughout Europe. He worked with the Mercury hip hop squad, the Phoenix Suns dancers, and the Arizona Sidewinders, teaching or performing at half time. He also performed with the Judds for the Millennium New Years Eve reunion (and taught Ashley Judd aerials backstage). Steve has taught more than 15,000 people how to dance through workshops and clubs, school districts, classes at Borders Books, and over 10 years of lindy hop classes in Arizona. He was also the promoter/DJ/instructor for the Bash on Ash for 5 years. In the past 11 years Steve has produced over 90 concerts including Indigo Swing, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Royal Crown Revue, Sam Butera (of Louis Prima fame), the Count Basie Tribute at the Biltmore Resort, and more. For 9 years he presented the "New Year Swing Jam" with Frankie Manning. Steve has been a jazz host on KJZZ 91.5 FM (NPR and Jazz ) for over 7 years and teaches jazz/dance history in schools.
Contact Steve at 602.717.2787 or steveconrad@cox.net
Dabney Hopkins
Dabney has been teaching, dancing, and competing for over 7 years. He has founded and currently runs The Kats Korner, the weekly Saturday night swing dance in Mesa, and Hepkats, the weekly Monday night swing dance in Mesa. He also organizes the annual Phoenix Lindy Exchange, an event where lindy-hoppers from all over the world come and dance in Phoenix in the fall. He has taught workshops in Florida, California, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, all over Arizona, and on Carnaval Cruise Lines. He has placed in various national swing dance competitions, including: Lindy-Hop at the National Jitterbug Championships, the Jack and Jill at the National Jitterbug Championships, the Balboa Contest at the National Jitterbug Championships, the Strictly Lindy at Lindy On The Rocks in Denver, and was invited to participate in the invitation only Champions Jack and Jill at Lindy On The Rocks in Denver and the invitation only Champions Jack and Jill at Rhythm Is Jumpin' in Los Angeles. He has also performed regularly for corporations and television. His passion is the original form of swing from the early twentieth century, and his goal is to spread these dances to keep them alive. He specializes in East Coast, Lindy-Hop, Charleston, Balboa, and Collegiate Shag (and Salsa).
Contact Dabney at 480.205.4151
Josh Leitz

Josh Leitz has been swing dancing since 1998. He has been involved with multiple dance troupes and has made guest performances with the old-school California based troupe, the Flyin' Lindy Hoppers (Fantasia 2000 and Monsters of Swing 2000). Josh has placed in many Arizona contests, (such as Jone’s Soda, Phoenix USO Shows, Sizzlin’ Slam and others) as well as the American Lindy Hop Championships in 2001. Josh has also taught at weekend events including workshops in Tucson, Flagstaff, and the Frankie Manning Weekend. Currently, Josh is teaching the Scottsdale Community College Swing Class with his wife, Stephanie, as well as the Club Red Swing dance lesson with Janet Tolifson.
Contact Josh at 602.882.1888
Janet Tolifson was the first female to teach Lindy Hop in Arizona. She has been instructing, performing, and choreographing since 1995. Janet has traveled to many countries to swing dance including Switzerland, Sweden, and Singapore. She also owned and ran a studio dedicated to swing dances for four years in Australia. Janet has taught along side many top instructors of the swing world including the legendary Frankie Manning. In 2003, she was inducted into the Arizona Swing Network’s Hall of Fame. Today she focuses on performing and teaching vintage dances from the swing era sharing with others the art form she loves.
Contact Janet at 602.291.3250
Paul Maranto
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Paul teaches Lindy Hop and all forms of swing dancing, Hustle, Salsa, All the Latin Dances, All the Ballroom Dances and Argentine Tango. He teaches everything from beginning social dance to advanced competition dance, since 1983.
Contact Paul at 310.874.4074 or paulMaranto@cox.net
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Jonathan Lindsey
Jonathan Lindsey has been teaching, dancing, and performing for over 11 years. Jonathan has taught throughout Arizona and across North America in Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, and at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. A prolific choreographer, Jonathan specializes in dance styles of early 20th century America including lindy hop, charleston, and classic jazz. Over the past 11 years, in addition to numerous corporate and non-profit shows, he has performed on stage in Phoenix, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh; has performed on court during mid-game shows with the Phoenix Mercury hip-hop squad, the Phoenix Suns Dancers, and the Arizona Sidewinders; and has been featured on multiple ocassions on various Arizona news channels. He is a founding member of the AZ Swing Network, a well-known DJ, and an organizer/producer of workshop and dance events. Jonathan is also the co-founder and choreographer of the performance company "UpTempo" which will be making its debut in December 2007.
Contact Jonathan at 602.743.4360 or jm_lindsey @hotmail.com
Adriane Perkins
Bio coming soon...
Contact Adriane at 623.206.1747