Dance Profile
Biography
I began teaching Lindy Hop at Swing Central in Melbourne in 1999, and taught beginners, intermediate and advanced classes there for 6 years before relocating to Cambridge in early 2006. Since April 1999 I’ve studied swing dancing around the world, taking classes from the best teachers I can find. I’m probably best known as the original organiser of one of Australia’s best loved international Lindy Hop events, the Melbourne Lindy Exchange, which started in 2001.
Along the way I also organised the Australian Hellzapoppin’ Prize, now widely regarded as one of Australia’s finest Lindy Hop contests, and I was Head Judge for the Australian Jitterbug Championships in 2005. I was a founding member of the Lindy troupe Crazy Rhythm Revue in Melbourne, and after moving to Cambridge helped form the Cambridge Lindy Hoppers, serving as its inaugural President and teacher. I have been invited to DJ at events around the world, including SwingCity 2003 in Harlem, the Herrang Dance Camp in Sweden in 2004, 2005 and 2006, and won DJ battles in Paris in 2004 and Perth in 2005.
Dance Instruction
2006, Oct - 2008, Feb
Senior Instructor with Lotte, Cambridge Lindy Hoppers
2007, Nov
Workshop Instructor with Lotte, Future Sounds of Swing, Leeds, England
2000
Instructor, Lindy Hop Swing Dancing, MUSU Short Course, University of Melbourne
1999, August - 2006, Jan
Senior Instructor, Swing Central and SwingShift Melbourne
Dance Organisation and Management
2007, October
Cambridge Lindy Exchange, UK, Chair
2006, Oct - 2008, Feb
President, Cambridge Lindy Hoppers
2007, Aug - 2008, Feb
DJ and organiser for The Speakeasy, regular live jazz night, Cambridge, England
2005
Head Judge, Australian Jitterbug Championships
2004, November
Swing City Melbourne: International Swing Festival, Artistic Director & Coordinator
2004, November
Hellzapoppin’ World Championships: International Lindy Hop Contest, Coordinator
2004, April
Easter Hop, Annual Ball, Organiser
2004, March
Judge, Jack & Jill and Strictly Lindy sections, Australian Jitterbug Championships
2004, February
Founding member of Crazy Rhythm Revue, Lindy Hop dance troupe.
2004, January
Bill and Julee’s European Tour (Amsterdam, Zurich and Helsinki) Organiser
2003, November
Australian Hellzapoppin’ Prize 2003, annual dance award and contest, Chair
2003, November
Melbourne Lindy Exchange, Annual Dance Camp & Workshop, Chair
2003, April
Anzac Hop (Easter Hop), Annual Ball, Organiser
2003, April
Rusty Frank’s Down Under Tour, Organiser
2003, February
Judge, Jack & Jill section, Australian Jitterbug Championships 2003
2002, November
Australian Hellzapoppin’ Prize, inaugural dance award and contest, Chair
2002, November
Melbourne Lindy Exchange, Annual Dance Camp & Workshop, Chair
2002, October
Rob and Diane’s Surprise Tour, Organiser
2002, September - May 2004
‘Ballyhoo’, mid-week social dance event, Organiser.
2002, March
Easter Hop, Annual Ball, Organiser
2002, January
Established Sweet Hot & Blue Website to support swing dancing in Australia
2001, November
Melbourne Lindy Exchange, inaugural Dance Camp & Workshop, Chair
2001, April
Easter Hop, Annual Ball, Organiser
2000, April
Easter Hop, Annual Ball, Organiser
2000, April
Founded SwingShift Melbourne, Swing Dance Instruction and Events
2000 - Present
Resident weekly Swing DJ, Mayfields, Fitzroy
Dance Performances and Appearances
2007, May
Lindy Hop workshop for CUCDW at St John’s College.
2007, Jan
CUCDW production of Elemental at the ADC Theatre, Cambridge.
2006, Nov
Fitzwilliam College Ball: Masked at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.
2006, Nov
Lead a short dance class at the BBC Children in Need event in Duxford, and appeared on the BBC News.
2006, September
Babylon Gallery, Ely - Dance demonstration on the History of Swing Dancing
2006, June
CUCDW Garden Party at St John’s.
2005, February
Performance with Crazy Rhythm Revue at The Holland Festival, Sandown Entertainment Centre, Melbourne.
2004, November
Performance with Crazy Rhythm Revue at SwingCity Melbourne.
2004, July
Performance with Crazy Rhythm Revue at the Hungarian Community Centre, Melbourne.
2004, March
Performance with Crazy Rhythm Revue at The Heart of Variety Ball, Plaza Ballroom, Melbourne.
2004, March
Performance with Crazy Rhythm Revue at Seniors Festival, Hawthorn Town Hall.
2003, April
Interviewed on Time of Your Life, Channel 31 TV show [Quicktime: 15Mb]
2002, August
Interviewed for Yehoodi Talk Show, Internet radio programme, New York City
2002, February
Interviewed with Pat Noakes on the swing revival, Williamstown Jazz Festival, WIN FM radio station
2001, November
Zip Gun Bop Routine, Swing Central Dance Troup with Jitterbugs New Zealand, Melbourne Lindy Exchange
2001, June
Featured Dancer, Pearl Harbor VIP Australian Movie Premier, Melbourne
2001, January
Performance at ‘A Tribute to Louis Armstrong’ by Peter Gaudion, Athaneum Theatre, Melbourne International Jazz Festival
1999 - Present
Principal dancer, Swing Central Dance Troupe (regular performances)
DJ Bio
Matt has been DJing since 1999, and particularly loves to work the floor with a combination of tunes from swingin’ small bands, riffs straight out of New Orleans and Kansas City, and Savoy big band classics. He has been a DJ at some of the biggest Lindy Hop events around the globe, including Herrang for the last 4 years running, SwingCity 2003 (Harlem) and SwingCity 2004 (Melbourne), Hop in the Spring (Hamburg), Barswingona, The Snowball (Stockholm) and the London Lindy Exchange. He was the first Australian guest DJ on Yehoodi Radio, and has won DJ battles from Paris to Perth.
Bill Borgida, International Lindy Hop instructor and DJ
“Matt has a really good ear for what gets the dancers going. He is the
best DJ I’ve heard from down under! I’d have him DJ any dance, any time!”
Manu Smith, International Lindy Hop instructor and DJ
“Matt kicked my butt at last year’s Melbourne Lindy Exchange.
The only reason I won was because it would look bad if the guy who was
running the event, won the DJ battle also. It was a pleasure DJing with
him. He and I share a common passion for music that really swings and I
must say, he’s an excellent choice…besides myself of course!”
Solomon Douglas, International Lindy Hop instructor and DJ
“Matt’s DJing reminds me eerily of my own. He
plays lots of really great music and no fluff, and it all swings
like mad and makes me want to either stay on the dancefloor or
jog over to the DJ booth and ask what’s playing!”
DJ Highlights
2007, December
Invited Swing DJ, The Snowball, Sweden
2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007
Invited Swing DJ, Herrang Dance Camp, Sweden
2007, April
Invited Swing DJ, Barswingona, Barcelona, Spain
2006, July
Invited Swing DJ, Dublin, Ireland
2006, March
Invited Swing DJ and DJ Battle, Hop in the Spring, Hamburg, Germany
2006, March
Invited Swing DJ, London Lindy Exchange, England
2004, November
1st Place, Battle of the DJs, Club Splanky Xmas Bash, Perth Swing Dance Society, Perth
2004, April
Guest DJ, Diga Diga Doo, social dance event, Melbourne
2004, February
Guest DJ, Yehoodi Radio Show, Internet radio programme, New York City
2004, January
1st Place, Battle of the DJs, Paris Lindy Exchange, France
2003, June
2nd Place, International Battle of the DJs, Melbourne Lindy Exchange
2003, June
Invited Swing DJ and competitor in Battle of the DJs at SwingCity, Harlem Jazz Dance Festival, New York City
2002, September - May 2004
‘Ballyhoo’, mid-week social dance event, Resident DJ
2002, January
Invited Swing DJ, Lismore Dance Camp 2002
2001
Two appearances as Guest Swing DJ on ‘Rock N Roll Heaven’, 96.5 Inner FM radio station
Dance Training
2007, Oct
Workshops, London Balboa Festival, London, England
2006, March
Workshops, Hop in the Spring, Hamburg, Germany
2004, April
Workshops, Hullabaloo, Perth Lindy Exchange
2004, January
Workshops, Bill Borgida & Julee Mertz, Amsterdam
2003, June
Workshops, Harlem Jazz Dance Festival/Swing City Harlem
2003, April
Rusty Frank Workshops, Melbourne (assistant teacher)
2003, February
SEA Jam, Singapore
2000, 2001 and 2002
Herrang Dance Camp, Sweden: participated in intensive workshops up to Advanced level by The Rhythm Hot Shots, Frankie Manning, Paul Overton & Sharon Ashe, Rob and Diane Van Haaren, Steven Mitchell and Virginie Jensen, Bill Borgida, Dawn Hampton, Chester Whitmore, Peter Loggins & Lisa Ferguson, Janice Wilson, and many others (6 weeks total).
2002, February
Frankie Manning Workshop, Melbourne
2002, January
Lismore Dance Camp 2002, Steven Mitchell & Virginie Jensen Lindy Hop workshops
2001, April
Lismore Dance Camp 2001, Steven Mitchell & Virginie Jensen Lindy Hop workshops
2001, March
Hollywood Down Under Workshop: Hollywood Style and Boogie Woogie workshop by Marcus Koch & Bärbl Kaufer (Munich), Geelong.
2000, September
Hoppin’ With The Hotshots: Lindy Hop workshop with Eddie Jansson and Eva Lagerqvist (Sweden), Melbourne
1999
Lindy Hop workshop with Mattias Lundmark and Ewa Staremo (Sweden), Melbourne
1999 - Present
Studied Lindy Hop Swing, Charleston, Blues and Balboa with Pat Noakes, Swing Central