SWING RALLY

Shannon and Anthony first met at a jive class in Peter Parker’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Club, a tiny basement off London’s Tottenham Court Road. You could say they both got caught in the dance web and have been dancing together ever since. Their primary passion has always been the social dancefloor, the nuanced communication between lead and follow, and the joy of sharing musical moments with dancers of all experiences.

Vancouverite Shannon started swing dancing when she moved to London in 2009, on a 2-year working holiday adventure in the UK. A trained musician and music therapist, she has a natural feel for musicality, meter and phrasing that she loves to explore in her dancing. Shannon has attended workshops, dance weekenders and more socials than she cares to remember, expanding her dance literacy, and has been teaching various swing styles since 2017.

Londoner Anthony has tried various dances over the years, first dancing ballroom in the early 2000s, but once he witnessed a swingout at the infamous Rivoli Ballroom in 2008, he was instantly hooked. A disciple of the smooth Hollywood style, Anthony has had the good fortune to have learned from some of the world’s best practitioners, attending events in London and Barcelona amongst others. He has been teaching since 2013, including several large dance weekenders in the UK, been a member of two dance performance troupes and can be seen dancing on-screen in five productions. His brief cameo in a BBC dance documentary is his Mum’s proudest moment.

Shannon and Anthony live and dance in Victoria, BC, teaching as part of the Red Hot Swing dance school, where they have become somewhat accidental collegiate shag ambassadors.