Meet your instructors
Who's teaching this thing, anyway?
April Jennifer Choi
April Jennifer Choi is a movement artist and 23-time Guinness World Record holder who translates 30 years of dance experience into controlled yet fluid precision. By breaking down body mechanics research to the social dance scene, she provides dancers with a logical, high-performance blueprint for elegant frame communication.
Bethany Byrnes
Bethany Byrnes is a veteran dance instructor with 15 years of experience teaching and performing across the United States. A masterful communicator, she specializes in translating complex movement into clear, actionable guidance for her students. Her unique approach to fusion dancing is informed by 30 years of dressage and horse riding, utilizing subtle non-verbal cues to encourage fluid, responsive movement between partners.
Khiem
Khiem is a community builder and Lindy Hop and Blues scene leader based out of Lakeland, FL. Drawing dancers from all around the state of Florida (and beyond), Khiem has helped grow, teach, and inspire dancers with his playfulness and focus laden in every lesson he teaches, every event he hosts, and every cypher he jumps into.
While Lindy is his main dance style, Khiem has branched out into Freestyle, Salsa, Bachata, and Blues to grow as a dancer. This has led him on a mission to find the through line in dance and bring other dancers (hip-hop, Latin, etc) into the Swing community!
Eddie & Shannon
Eddie & Shannon have been dancing together since 2019 and have become familiar faces in the Gainesville swing dance community. As local instructors, they are especially passionate about Balboa and love sharing both the technique and joy of the dance with others.
They regularly travel to workshops, exchanges, and dance events around the country to continue growing as dancers, bringing fresh ideas, inspiration, and knowledge back home to share with the community. Whether they’re teaching a class, social dancing late into the night, or helping welcome new dancers onto the floor, they strive to create a fun, encouraging, and welcoming environment for everyone.
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Your local hometown favorites, Eddie & Shannon are excited to share their love of dancing with you!
Entertainment
Porch Swing
Porch Swing is a Gainesville based jazz ensemble and a staple in the local music scene. With a reputation for smooth melodies and swanky rhythms, they have become regulars of GSD events and fan favorites amongst our local dancers. Porch Swing puts heart, soul, and smiles into every performance.
Swing Theory
Swing Theory was formed in 2015 as an instrumental jazz sextet and took off later that year when their star, Becky Sinn, joined the band. Since then, the group has performed over 200 times at various venues in Gainesville and surrounding area.
DJ Salem Stuffie
With a reputation for high-energy sets at major flow festivals and dance events nationwide, Salem Stuffie is an expert at keeping the floor in constant motion. Mentored by DJ Volter, he blends fun, upbeat vibes with peppy swing to create a powerful, immersive experience tailored for dance events.​
