This year we have some amazing teachers at CSF! The first couple to be announced are…. *drumroll please*
Loz Yee and Joel Kohn
Loz has been shaking her groove thing on some kind of dance
floor since she was about ten 
years old. In 2003 she discovered swing dancing and fell well and truly in love with the Lindy Hop. Loz is known for her energy, playfulness and creativity on the social dance floor and with a passion for solo dance, she has also become an accomplished authentic jazz dancer and teacher. Loz loves sharing her love of this dance and has taught weekly classes since 2005, including weekly venues and performance troupes in Melbourne and London. She is also lucky to have taught workshops in lindy hop, jazz, charleston and aerials all over the world, from the humid climes of Malaysia through to the snowy winters of Norway. She is a member of Echoes of Harlem, one of Australia’s premier swing dance troupes, and has a few competition titles to her name including the Australian Hellzapoppin’ Prize which she won with Joel Kohn in 2015. As a teacher, Loz wants to hear lots of laughter, see many a high five, and feel the buzz of a room full of students dancing in rhythm to the music.
Based in Melbourne, Joel Kohn began his swing dance career in 2005. Having trained as a jazz drummer for many years, Joel’s passion for the music is what lead him to dancing, and it continues to fuel his love of all things Jazz and Swing. Joel brings a fun, energetic and genuine personality to his dance classes and is known for being one of the busiest teachers in town. When not travelling around Australia to teach at Lindy Hop events, you’ll find him anchoring venues in Melbourne schools for both 1929 Studios and Swing Patrol. As a member of Echoes of Harlem, one of the most prestigious dance troupes in Australia, Joel regularly performs at events and festivals on the local calendar. He has also competed locally and around the world, with many awards to his name, such as winning the Australian Hellzapoppin’ Championship in 2015 with Loz Yee.
We are also super excited to announce that the next set of teachers for CSF this year are…
Jen Hale and Nick Kokay
Teaching in Christchurch for the first time, but certainly not dancing here for the first time, this Wellington duo have been regular attendees at our events, and fresh back from their attendance at the mecca of lindy hop, Herrang Dance Camp, we are excited to see them stamp their own brand of awesome on CSF as part of this year’s teaching line up!
Jen and Nick hail from Wellington, and have been dancing together ever since they met at university in 2012. Jen learnt to dance while studying at the Otago University, and was instrumental in running the scene in Dunedin for a fair number of years. Nick, meanwhile, learnt about swing dancing from his sister, and properly gave it a go while on exchange overseas.
Jen has a passion for a bit of everything (including attending the occasional hip hop class!) and is all about using her whole body to express herself: she definitely brings more than a little bit of sass and spunk to the dance floor! As an ex-jazz musician, Nick is drawn to the big band jazz classics and has eyes only for lindy hop. You’ll probably find him jumping and stomping around the place, and being a bit cheeky.
Since moving to Wellington, Jen and Nick have been part of the core teaching crew for Full Swing and have taught a variety of levels and styles over the years. As teachers, they bring an interest in musicality and creativity, and encourage their students to think outside the box and take ownership of their style. Most of all, they aim to boost their students’ confidence and give them the space to try new things out.
Akriti Rana
Akriti is a multi-passionate creative who has been dancing and teaching for 12 years and counting. A mega lover of Lindy hop and Authentic Solo Jazz, she has travelled all over the world to learn and expand her awareness and experience of her dancing and teaching. She absolutely loves dance and all that it has to offer the mind, body and spirit. Widely recognised in the New Zealand Swing Dancing community, she has won numerous competitions and taught all sorts of classes and workshops for experienced dancers, kids, teens, elderly and assisted in dance and movement therapy for special needs adults and young adults. She loves the the rich history, inspiration and joy that comes with Swing dancing and looks forward to any opportunity to share and expand this with the wider community. As a teacher the most important thing to her is helping people connect with the joy of just moving and grooving but also the joy of learning and being reflective. In the hope to build individual confidence, motivation and awareness. When not teaching, learning, collaborating with other artists and choreographing on various dance projects, she is a Creative Curiosity advocate at Curiously Creative.
Jesse Peeters
Jesse teaches Lindy Hop and Authentic Jazz classes in Auckland and has taught various workshops in swing era dance styles across New Zealand. He has a passion for authentic and 
vintage styles and rhythms and loves to share these with others on the dance floor. Jesse also practices tap whenever he gets the chance and gets inspiration from watching old videos of tap dancers such as John Bubbles and the Nicholas Brothers. Jesse has won numerous Lindy Hop and Solo Jazz competitions in New Zealand and Australia. He has travelled to many cities across the world to dance with and share ideas with other dancers and enjoys dancing with everyone from complete beginners to the super experienced. Jesse loves seeing his students having fun and takes pride in helping them develop their unique style. He is itching to share a dance with you so go find him on the dance floor!