We are thrilled to announce our teachers for Sea Jam 2025!

Jon Tigert (He / Him)

Jon Tigert is a world recognized Swing Dancer and musician. Specializing in Vintage dances such as Lindy Hop, Balboa, Blues, and Charleston, he has won titles from the International Lindy Hop Championships, The Canadian Swing Dance Championships, Lindy Focus, and many more. Swing Dancing since 2005, Jon has made a home in the swing community as a teacher, an MC, a performer, an organizer, and a musician. As a teacher, Jon is well known for his historical and musical knowledge, clear and concise communication, and endless supply of terrible dad jokes.

Jon now lives in Baltimore where he teaches at the

Mobtown Ballroom and sings and drums with The Corner Pocket Jazz Band.

Hannah Lane

Hannah Lane is a dancer and researcher from Baltimore, Maryland. Since stumbling upon the Mobtown Ballroom in 2012, Jazz music, dance, and history have been deeply important parts of her life.

As a dancer, Hannah is inspired by the movement traditions of shake dancers and by jazz music created during the 1930s through the 1960s. As a research archivist at the Maryland State Archives, Hannah focuses on African American history in Maryland. In her free time she researches shake dancers from the 1930s to the 1960s, and Maryland jazz bands, dancehalls, and nightclubs.

Hannah wishes to support archiving initiatives in the jazz dance community, and hopes to help deepen the collective understanding, as well as her own, of African American history. Hannah serves as a board member of Collective Voices for Change and is currently a member of the Next Generation Program.

Dee Mathews (They / Them)

Dee Mathews is a balboa and lindy hop instructor based in Greensboro, NC. They learned balboa in 2010 both as a lead and a follow working with Randy Maestretti and Kara Britt, who taught them a love of pure balboa and the original dancers.

Since then they have danced, taught, and competed all over the world. They have won balboa contests at California Balboa Classic, All Balboa Weekend, and the International Lindy Hop Championships, as well as been a mentor at The Balboa Experiment.

Dee is invested in balboa as a dance of connection, playfulness, and dynamism. They are excited to explore the fundamental mechanics of the dance and help students find new ways to be musical, listen to their partner, and find new ways to enjoy balboa.

Sara Sofia-Rentas (She/Her)

Photo Credit: Steve Wong

Sara Sofia-Rentas first discovered swing dancing in 2015 and has been dedicated to the art ever since. While spending her college years learning Lindy Hop and Balboa in Orlando, FL and at events across the country, she would become an organizer, performer, and instructor for the community through Swing Knights at UCF and Orlando Swing Dance. With limited resources for learning Balboa early in her dance journey, she adopted social dancing as her classroom, and never looked back.

On the dance floor she would experiment with mechanics, musicality, and the relationship between leader and follower with each opportunity to travel. This developed her skills of visually analyzing movement and asking questions that would help guide her independent and partnered training throughout the years. This learning process has also shaped her approach to teaching. In her classes you’ll find a unique blend of excitement for efficient technique and playful improvisation that honors the greatness of swing music and each student’s personal expression.

Ellie Biehl (they/them)

Ellie found themself at a swing beginner lesson by chance in 2018, and with the help of many friends made along the way, they have enmeshed themselves into the community in every way - organizer, teacher, and local loudmouth of Durham, NC. They started collegiate shag at a workshop in 2019 with David and Chelsea Lee, and have spent every waking moment since then trying to convince everyone around them to try it out. Their passion is making sure you can have an equally fun and comfortable dance in this energetic style.

Will Brown (he/him)

Will found dancing in college and now basically only does the bare minimum amount to survive so he can continue dancing. He has always had an interest in the swing dancing history of the Carolinas and spends his free time searching for more information on the region. Ask him about it!

Charlley Ward

Instructor Bio Coming Soon

Kat Holloway (she/her)

Kat Holloway has been dancing for over 10 years, exploring styles like Blues, Contra, Waltz, and Fusion. She began her teaching journey in Asheville and has been sharing her passion for dance with RDU Blues and Fusion Dances since 2017.

What drew Kat to Blues dancing was its deep emphasis on listening to the music, fostering partnership, and encouraging creativity. She loves how Blues embodies the call-and-response dynamic, reflecting both the music and the connection between dancers. For Kat, dancing—and Blues in particular—creates a space where people feel seen and inspired to share their ideas of creative expression.

As an instructor, she finds immense joy in helping students discover new movements and connect with the pulsing rhythm that lies at the heart of the dance.