About Derek

 

Derek started learning Swing dancing in London in 1991, and within 9 months was demonstrating and performing at modern jive classes injecting oodles of fun and freedom to it.

He has been privileged to have had many of the top Lindy Hop teachers as his mentors and guides including Ryan Francois, Steve Mitchell, Frankie Manning, Erin Stevens, Sing Lim , Jenny Thomas, Rob & Jenny Van Haaren, Simon Selman, Dan Guest, Rena Swanepole, Martin Ellis, Ronny Slide and  Andrew Sutton.

 

He has been teaching and choreographing swing dance and strolls since 1996 - the main focus being FUN,  connection,  developing one's own style and encouraging confidence on the social dance floor!

 

Derek was runner up in an International Swing competition in 1994.

 

He won the National Ceroc competition in 2000 with his own fun-injected form of jive!!

 

Derek has an infectious love of the traditional dance and continues to develop Swing in Sussex. He emphasises lead and follow technique together with developing good basics.  He has a knack for simplifying and explaining what helps to further your understanding of this great partner dance. 

 

His dream and passion is to promote and develop Swing dance in the South of England - creating an opportunity to expand our comfort zones, bringing together people form all walks of life with the same focus, expanding our comfort zones, have fun and enjoyment and to forget the concerns of life - and live in the moment!