About Riverside Swing
Riverside Swing specializes in the art of vintage social dancing. Through weekly classes, performances, and workshops, dancers at Riverside Swing share their love and passion for the dances of the 1920s to 1950s.
Swing Dancing is an all-encompassing term that includes a variety of dances such as Lindy Hop, Charleston, Balboa, Jive, and many more. Although these dances are traditionally done to Jazz and Big Band Swing, the skills learned in our series are applicable to partnered social dancing on any style of music.
Swing Dancing is a friendly and social dance. Whether you come alone, or with a friend, you will meet new people, make new friends, and share in the experience of learning how to dance.
Meet Your Teachers
Jamie Blair
Jamie has been performing and competing her entire life. Swing Dancing, and more specifically Lindy Hop, attracted her by the opportunity to combine her passions for dance and athletics. Her strong background in ballet, figure skating and a multitude of other sports primed her well for success in the Lindy Hop competitive world.
Jamie has won various titles in Solo Jazz, Balboa, and of course, Lindy Hop. Jamie is a former member of the professional Lindy Hop team SAF Squad, which has won back to back Canadian titles, North American titles (ILHC) and European titles (Savoy Cup, France). She has coached competitive Lindy Hop teams in Ottawa since 2016 and is an active member in both the Ottawa and Montreal’s dance scenes.
Vincent Bedard
Born to a family of musicians, Vincent was exposed to a wide range of music from a very early age. This was further emphasised after joining a travelling choir at 7 years old, an activity he would keep for more than 10 years. At the age of 13, Vincent began dancing tap after seeing a performance by renowned tapper Travis Knight.
Vincent spent many years dedicated solely to tap but eventually, his was drawn into the world of Swing dancing. Vincent is also a member of the professional Lindy Hop team, SAF squad. In addition to this, he is an active member of the professional performance/gig team appearing and coaching on TV shows such as Dieux de la Danse and Révolution, or participating in some of Montreals biggest festival such as Jazz Fest and Just For Laughs.