Kristy

Kristy began Ballet and Jazz dance classes when she was in Primary school in Far North Queensland and enjoyed many Eisteddfod performances. At the age of 12 Kristy was introduced to Latin American Ballroom dancing and soon fell in love with the many different partnered dance styles available. Before long she was travelling to competitions Queensland wide.  After leaving school she found work dancing professionally in nightclubs and dance bands & troupes when in her early 20’s she was introduced to the Lindy Hop otherwise known as ‘Swing’. A fun quirky dance which suits Kristy’s fun outgoing nature down to the ground!

Rob

In Rob’s early 20′s he began taking ballroom classes where he became a
member of the Trocodero dance troupe. Performing in various venues around
Sydney the most memorable for him was being a part of the dance troupe that
danced on stage with John Paul Young performing his many hits such as ‘Love is
in the air’ at the Sydney Town Hall. By 2001 Rob had begun his Lindy Hop
journey taking classes with Jan O’Shea and performing with her troupe.

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I (Kristy) first saw the Lindy Hop Vintage scene while working at the Landsdown Hotel in Broadway, Sydney 2001 and was gobsmacked at the beauty of it!! Women were dressed to the nines in frocks, slacks and pretty skirts with big vintage rolls in their hair or massive flowers accentuating their classic styles. The men were dressed in Hawaiian shirts and zoot suits, bright mens suits designed to catch the eye and gives them that cheeky playful look I think there were even a few sailor suits out there! And the dance was to die for, smooth sophisticated fun!

I looked across the floor and saw this lovely man with a huge smile on his face as he danced along to the cool swingin’ sounds. His smile could have been attributed to the line up of women he had waiting to dance with him!! That was how I first met Robbie even though he had a line up of women waiting to dance with him I thought to myself ‘I’m gunna make him mine!’ and with a background in Latin American ballroom dancing, ballet and jazz I thought I’d give this Lindy Hop thing a go so I walked right over to this handsome smiling man and offered my hand and that was the beginning of the rest of my life!

I began training in the Lindy Hop soon after and enjoyed this new lifestyle where people went out to dance. Drinking and smoking weren’t even on the agenda which was a far cry to what I had been used to where drinking had an inflated status among young people and often left you broke and depressed.

So Robbie and I had been dating and going along to group and private dance classes for some time when I fell pregnant with our first son, we moved in together and started planning for our family. We still enjoying our nights out dancing and I remember lead singers of bands we would go out to asking if there was a doctor in the house ‘just in case’ this heavily pregnant lindy hopper had her baby then and there!

We were married Rob had finished Uni and I was pregnant with our second child when we were moved up to the Coffs Coast in 2006 for Robs work. We went out dancing as much as possible in the early years of our young family and really missed the Swing scene and our beloved Lindy Hop. When I saw in the local newspaper an audition for ‘Swingtime Canteen’ a war time sentimental musical set in the 1940’s, absolutely perfect for the Lindy Hop! So of course I called up right away and asked if they could use Rob and I in the musical and were told that that would be great. So we were back ‘on the horse’!

After the musical there was growing demand from the locals for us to start a beginners class in Lindy and we brought up our teacher Jan O’Shea to help kick start us off with workshops and classes and with her blessing we began teaching here on the Coffs Coast. Jan O’Shea is our mentor and teacher and with her guidance we aim to stay true to the Lindy Hop and bring with it the fun and excitement that we have for this amazing dance’.

If you like the sound of a dance that is for young or old and has a cheeky flavour that incorporates classic vintage style accentuated by fabulous big band sounds then this is the dance for you!

This is what our students have to say….

•        Highlight of my week –so much fun!
•        A fun group! Inspirational teachers!
•        You’ve changed our lives- we now dance and go out at night!
•        Swing/Lindy Hop is fantastic, come along and enjoy it’s a lot of fun.
•        Kristy and Rob are wonderful dance teachers. They demonstrate clearly and are very patient with beginners. They are also a joy to watch when they dance together.
•        The Swing Katz class has given me another recreational activity to pursue. It is fun, challenging and a good exercise workout. Patient and clear instruction is given-both group and individual. Don’t Stop!!
•        Why was I missing out! Finally joined my wife and started attending the Swing Katz dance classes and now I’m hooked…great teachers, great group, great night out. Come and Dance!

Coffs Coast Swing Katz dance troupe July 2010

Photo from At their performance for the Quota Club held at the CEX.