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The Chicago dance community is eternally grateful to the following past organizers for their support and dedication to keeping Monday night swing a Chicago tradition for 20 years: Evin Galang, Noah Galang, Harry Saito, Tessa Auza, Mallory Peterson, Andy Strong, Rachel Gribben, Ross Blythe, Lauren Phillips and Sierra Anderson. |
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Chris Cooley, CFO & Instructor Manager
Chris dabbled in several social dances during college like square dancing, foxtrot, tango, and waltz. However, it wasn't until his time living in Seoul, Korea that Chris found the dance form that matched his personality best. The three years he spent learning to swing out at Big Apple Bar in downtown Seoul are remembered both with fondness and excitement. Today, Chris loves the community and joy that has come from being a swing dancer for the past decade and can't wait to see what will come over the next ten years! |
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Brennen Bowman, Venue Manager & Talent Curator
Brennan couldn't dance from ages 0-13. In Jr. High, he got his first taste of ballroom east coast swing and was hooked. Throughout high school he dawdled helplessly at Chicago Summer dance, until finding a swing club in college. Rising like a phoenix from the ashes, he started dancing nearly every weekend and traveling to events around the country as he learned lindy-hop, charleston, balboa, blues, and shag. Now as a dancer, instructor, and DJ, Brennan is a proud organizer of Chicago's premiere swing dace venue, Fizz. Having served on the DJ team since 2011, Brennan is overjoyed to serve as the Head DJ and entertainment coordinator for Fizz selecting high quality bands within Chicago and throughout the country for the weekly event. It is his truest belief that dancing is for everyone no matter how experienced. |
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Ismene Potakis, Social Media Coordinator
Ismene got her first taste of Lindy Hop when a cute boy from college invited her to try out the Lindy Hop classes at the student union. Alas, when he didn't fall madly in love with her, she strayed from dancing and was reintroduced to it years later through classes at Big City Swing. She discovered how captivating social dancing can be, and has made many new friends through swing dancing. She was lucky to have traveled around the midwest competing with the now-retired CTA: Chicago Triple Step Authority performance group, and currently gets her performance itch scratched with The Galaxie Girls and Chicago Chorus Girls. Ismene currently helps manage the marketing for Fizz on Facebook. She's been lucky to call Fizz home for many years, and loves seeing all the new faces discovering the comfort of our weekly social swing dance event! |
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Jim O'Neal, Volunteer Manager
Jim first discovered swing dancing in the late ‘90s after seeing the infamous Gap khaki pants commercial and frequented a swing night at a bar in Kalamazoo, Michigan where he was attending college. Through most of the 2000’s, Jim lived in a small town where the swing dance scene consisted of only a few people, but he continued to dance by traveling to weekend workshops and exchanges. After moving to Chicago in 2013, his love for swing dance was re-energized by the vibrant swing dance scene at his fingertips. He began dancing as much as possible, and was fortunate enough to have participated in the performance and competition team CTA Red Line, highlighted by a 3rd place finish at Hawkeye Swing Festival in 2015. Fizz is now his swing dance home of choice, and is proud to be one of the organizers of the longest running swing dance in Chicago. |
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Alex Pikeas, Creative Manager
Inspired by her Lindy Hopping brother, Alex dipped her toes into the Chicago swing scene circa 2010. It was love at first triple step. She is eternally grateful for Big City Swing teaching her first swing outs. Since then, she’s preformed with the Chicago Triple Step Authority (CTA) and will compete nationally with The 606 Special. She’s also added Blues, Tango, Salsa, Merengue, and Kizomba to her dance arsenal, to name a few. Alex has also been known to break out some twerking. She thinks the best part about the swing scene is the high energy environment and the amazing people she gets to meet. These days, if she’s not having high spirited debates about the ranking of every Star Wars movie between dances, you can find her taking a stab at learning to lead. As the newest member of the team, she’s excited to bring her creative marketing and design experience to Fizz. |
