Teachers

Geneviève Vermylen is one of the founders of Apollo Swing, which began in 1996. It was her passion for the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s which naturally led her to Lindy Hop. Taking her first swinging steps at Herrang Dance Camp - arguably the most famous Lindy Hop festival in the world - she soon began travelling the world to train with and learn from top instructors.

Since 2016 Elise has been running one arm of Apollo and loves organising almost as much as dancing! Passionate about developing her skills across a wide range of swing dances including solo jazz, Charleston and Balboa, as a teacher Elise wants to bring this passion and enthusiasm to her students, and believes very much in making swing dancing accessible and fun for anyone brave enough to try it!

He introduced Lindy Hop in Belgium together with Geneviève, resulting in the creation of Apollo Swing in 1996. For over twenty years, Didier has been spreading his cheery disposition and sharing his talent in Belgium; both in Lindy Hop classes, and on the social dance floor. He remains as passionate as at the start of his career, and is always on the lookout for new inspiration.

Coming first from the Rock ‘n’ Roll world, with her father being the lead singer of the Belgian Blues-Rockabilly Band, The Wild Ones, Morganne spent all her life listening to Gospel, Swing, Blues, Rhythm’n’Blues, Country, Rockabilly and Rock’n’Roll. She grew up as an Old Soul, always attracted to and fascinated by things from the past; specifically, it was her love for African-American Culture that led her Lindy Hop.

Jerôme started dancing at Apollo Swing in 2012 and has been hooked ever since. He loves movies, good beers, otters, and of course - swingouts.

Helena has a passionate, creative personality. She worked for a well-known fashion designer and co-founded a dance school, of which she was the creative director and a full-time instructor. Inspired by the style of the early 20th century, Helena is now exploring retro hair styling, make-up (Retro Lena) and the design and making of retro clothing. If that were not enough, Helena also completed an intensive Yoga teacher training and currently teaches weekly Yoga classes. After retiring from dance for a few years, Lindy Hop reignited Helena's passion! It's not only the cheerful energy of the dance, but also the style, setting and atmosphere that make her heart pound faster. She has been an instructor at Apollo Swing in Mechelen since 2015.

Boris began dancing Lindy Hop as an Apollo student in 2014. What started out as a hobby quickly became the center of his social live and his source of positive energy. Today, he frequently participates in international festivals to push his dancing further and he is eager to pass on his knowledge and experience.

It all started with a fifties Fiat 500 - since then Verdiana has lived a life of vintage passion: from clothing to hairstyling, furniture and music. So it wasn’t long until she discovered the Lindy during her work as a vintage hairdresser for Radio Modern. Once she got the bounce in her bones, her life changed completely! You can regularly see Verdiana popping up at social dances in Belgium and attending international dance camps and workshops, catching the eyes of the innocent bystanders with her Italian-style Lindy moves. When it comes to swing dancing, for Verdiana it’s all about having fun and moving your body to the music. Musicality is the key for two individuals to become one on the dance floor.

Sven took his first dance steps as a teenager with the slow waltz, quickstep, jive, and disco swing. As a young adult, he stopped dancing because of judo, paragliding, canyoning, and to take care of his family. But a passion for dancing was always in Sven’s blood: a few years ago, together with his partner Elke, he discovered the joys of Lindy Hop and began taking classes at schools across Belgium to develop his skills. Now not a single day passes without him being occupied by Lindy Hop. The social dance floor is his habitat. Sven likes nothing better than passing his passion for Lindy Hop on to others.

Ayumi first discovered the world of dance during university through Rock ‘n’ Roll and ballroom dancing. For several years now she has been passionate about swing dance, which has become her daily source of energy. Dance is a universe in which everyone can express their inner-selves and share their emotions, while also challenging themselves. Ayumi seeks to transmit this to her students by sharing all her energy and passion. Taking her inspiration from old clips from the ‘30s and ‘40s, especially those of the Harvest Moon Ball competitions, in 2018, Ayumi started dancing with the Brussels troupe, the Jazz Maniacs.

Brieuc developed a crush on Lindy Hop while he was still a student. Like many students, he came across some incredible videos of fabulous dancers that made him curious to try it. It was finally arriving in Brussels and discovering all the dance parties and the social side of swing dance that finally ensured he was addicted. Always on the dancefloor for fun, his dance style is rather theatrical. A love of fun, bonding with people, and musicality are key to Brieuc’s dancing. Never hesitate to ask him to dance when you meet him, he will be happy about it! Lead, follow - everything suits him! After all; we're here to have fun!

Elena was born in Sicily and theatre was her first love. Although convinced that she couldn’t dance, a year after she moved to Brussels, in 2011, she registered with the Apollo Swing School for Lindy Hop classes. She was immediately hooked and a few months after her first class, she was already participating in international lindy hop, jazz solo, Charleston and blues workshops. She is aware that she still has a lot to learn about jazz and swing history and culture, of which she considers herself to be an attentive observer. In her classes, she aims at sharing her passion and help make everyone feel confident and happy while dancing. Jazz, swing and blues express values she strongly believes in, such as authenticity, freedom and a sense of community. As Elena explains, theatre was the place where she started looking for herself, and Brussels is the city where she can travel through various cultures and get inspired by them. “Jazz is an endless journey which started from my ears, infiltrated my body before reaching my soul.”

After a few years dancing Rock ‘n’ Roll, Camille fell completely in love with Lindy Hop when she discovered a video of the famous clip from Hellzapoppin’. The music, the rhythm, and the energy radiating from the dancers captivated her. Since then she has sought to learn everything she can, travelling to festivals and workshops abroad. In 2018 Camille started teaching at Apollo Swing, and is part of Brussels troupe, the Jazz Maniacs.

Ornella Macchia is a multidisciplinary artist. She's passionate about the Afro-American Swing Musics, Fashion and Dances of 1930s' 40s. With a background as a gymnast, classical dance and Argentine Tango, she definitly fell in love with the rhythmic and theatrical aspects of Lindy Hop, Charleston and Solo Jazz. In 2017, she joined the Brussels performance group Jazz Maniacs which is characterized by crazy acrobatics and performs in Belgium and abroad, in festivals and competitions... In her classes, she wants to combine Joy and Technique of Swing dances !

George has been dancing lindy hop and solo jazz since he arrived in Brussels in 2015. He loves the Brussels swing dance scene and the opportunities these jazz dances provide for self-expression and improvisation. He is a member of the Jazz Maniacs dance troupe, which trains and performs high-tempo and acrobatic choreographies in the spirit and style of the original lindy-hoppers.

Born in Italy but bred in Vienna as a dancer, I have been learning to stop worrying and love the dance since 2016. Jazz music is what got me into swing dancing but in turn dance has allowed me to deepen and broaden my understanding of music. During these years I have been exploring different styles: starting from lindy hop, then falling in love with shag and last but not least, having to make more space in my heart to accomodate tap dancing. If I learned anything in the time I spent dancing (definitely not turning out well in photos) is that what makes it meaningful over and over to me is first of all the quality of one’s rhythm and then the rewards that are coming from learning how to exert control on your own body. Oh, and that when in doubt, faster is always the answer.

Ezra Weill hailing from Seattle Washington is a circus artist to pay the bills and a dancer to feed the soul. He believes that everyone is a dancer and that we all just need a little help finding that funky groove we have hidden inside. Community, authenticity and freedom are among some of the values of back American culture, jazz, swing and blues and Ezra places them at the heart of his classes.

Carole has been passionate about dance and swing music from her young age, a natural attraction that quickly pushes her to take the road to Boogie Woogie competitions in France and Europe. It was only in 2014 that she discovered Lindy Hop in search of novelty and inspiration. Her favorite thing: " The social Dance", to connect, share, follow, build in pairs, give, learn from each other, exchange and enjoy this music that she adores. Very quickly, this interest in couple dance also allowed her to realize the importance and the positive impact of solo danse. A unique opportunity to enrich your dance with a better freedom of interpretation, a new vocabulary and a connection to the origins of this dance: the Jazz Steps and more particularly to have fun with simple or complex rhythms. In 2016, Carole began to teach, taken by the desire to share her passion while continuing to train as a dancer and as a teacher. Carole is an organic and passionate dancer who won't leave you indifferent and might even inspire you by watching her dance.

Charlotte started dancing at the age of 6. Through the years she learned different dance styles including Ballet, Jazz, Streetdance and African dance. Still, she missed something… After a break of a couple of years, in 2017, she rediscovered her passion for dancing in Lindy Hop. The energetic dance scene opened a whole new world for her. What attracted her in the first place was the musical variety and freedom the dance offered. Afterwards she learned the pleasure of good communication between a leader and a follower. This combined with the technical aspects keeps the dance exciting and challenging. Her love for teaching is reflected in her job as a teacher in high school. This love along with her enthusiasm for the dance make her suitable to teach others Lindy Hop.

Dean Started dancing Lindy Hop in 2014, practising with Apollo Swing in Leuven and Hasselt. What began as a hobby soon turned into a passion. Bringing his experience in sports education to dance teaching, combined with his enthusiasm for and love of music, Dean will teach anyone how to do the Lindy Hop!

A lover of social dancing and passionate about developing herself as a dancer, Lies hopes to inspire people to learn and enjoy dancing as part of their daily lives. No matter if it is Lindy, Balboa, or Collegiate Shag, you will always find her on the dancefloor with with a big smile on her face, jamming to all kinds of swing music. This energy brought Lies to teaching, where she is able to share her joy and passion with others. The social nature of Lindy Hop is very important to her; Lies loves being part of the dance scene, and feels privileged to have met so many great and talented people at various festivals both at home and abroad.

Pauline discovered Lindy Hop during her studies in Scotland and Germany. Fascinated by the rich culture of the swing era, she fell in love with this energetic dance and its warm community. Back in Belgium, she practices Lindy Hop on a weekly basis, focusing on developing her musicality and creativity. By attending international workshops she keeps inspired by the art of body movement, improvisation and connection. Having a good time and spreading the joy of the dance is her ultimate goal.