Stephen Sayer is a dancer/instructor who is dedicated to preserving the great American partner jazz dances of the 1920's-1950's. Originally from Dayton, Ohio Sayer began dancing in 1998 at the age of 16. Falling in love with lindy hop and other dances of the swing era took him out west to Los Angeles. In 2009 he began competing, winning many Los Angeles contests such as the Bayside Lindy Battle and the Paladino's Jitterbug contest. In 2010 and 2011 he won first place in the Collegiate Shag division at the National Jitterbug Championships with partner Fancy Dougherty. Also in 2011 he won first place with partner Chandrae Roettig at the National Jitterbug Championships and the US Open Strictly Lindy divisions. Today Sayer teaches weekly in Los Angeles and is also the host of Swing Revolution which holds dances and workshops. He is committed to improving and pushing the limits of his own dancing as well as those who take his classes. He has been featured on TV, film and, music videos including the upcoming feature film Gangster Squad, LeAnn Rimes' music video, Swingin', Paula Abdul's show Live to Dance, and Howie Mandel's Mobbed.
Chandrae Roettig is one of the most talented and versatile dance performers on the market today. Roettig has worked continuously with L.A.’s top choreographers in film, television, music, and stage. In television, she has worked on Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place, Paula Abdul’s Live to Dance, Comedy Central’s Tosh.0, ABC’s Dance Machine, and Fox’s Mobbed. Roettig has worked in music videos for artists such as Katy Perry.
In 2007, Chandrae found her “true love” in the dance world: swing dancing. Chandrae built her swing dancing skills in Lindy Hop, Balboa, Shag, and Blues while performing regularly with the Hollywood Hotshots Swing Preservation Group. In 2010, Roettig partnered up with Steven Sayer. Together, Roettig and Sayer have been storming through the Swing World in very short order, taking First Place titles in several national Swing competitions. In 2011, Steve and Chandrae took First Place in the Strictly Lindy divisions of Camp Hollywood, the U.S. Open, and Viejas.
Born in Los Angeles, Joseph Barlev is mostly an autodidactic dancer. He has been very fortunate to learn from the Originators, Creators, Champions, and Masters of various styles of dancing and movement. He is one of the premiere Southern California Jazz Dancers and Historians and has been featured in various TV, film, music videos, as well as stage performances. Barlev thoroughly enjoys sharing his passion and knowledge of movement, rhythm, and music.
Kelsey McCowan took her first tap class at the age of three and immediately fell in love with creating music with her feet. She grew up studying ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop at the Peninsula School of Performing Arts in Palos Verdes, Ca. When Kelsey was 15, she started dancing professionally for the Hot Cotton Candies, under the direction of Dyan Lopez and Tita Boulger. Later that year, she was accepted into the prestigious Jazz/Tap Ensemble at The Caravan Project, a tap group for gifted teens that celebrates two of the greatest American traditions, jazz music and tap dancing. Some of her favorite past performances with JTE include the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl, The Christmas Spectacular at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion, and A Night with the Jazz/Tap Ensemble at the Ford Theatre. She has had the honor of sharing the stage with Christopher Scott, Jason Samuels Smith, Chloe Arnold, Jared Grimes, and Chester Whitmore, among others. McCowan has been teaching dance in the South Bay for the past five years within the Palos Verdes and Torrance school districts and at various dance studios, and now teaches at The Edge Performing Arts Center in Hollywood, Ca. She has also choreographed musicals such as Disney’s Camp Rock, Anything Goes, Alice in Wonderland, and Cinderella. Last year, McCowan had the honor of performing at the Duke Ellington Theatre in Washington D.C. for the D.C. Tap Festival, directed by Chloe and Maud Arnold. McCowan was recently hand-picked by So You Think You Can Dance choreographer Christopher Scott to star in his rendition of “Defying Gravity.”
Eva Lucero and Patricio Touceda have danced together since 2001. They have more than 15 years of experience as professional dancers. Recently, Lucero and Touceda have starred in productions such as Luis Bravo's Forever Tango Show, as well as ZAIA, the first show staged by "Cirque du Soleil" in Asia. Lucero and Touceda are the first and only Argentine Tango couple to be part of this world famous company. Besides being passionate about dancing, Lucero and Touceda have a great reputation as dance instructors, having taught in Argentina and traveled many times around the world to teach special workshops to students of all levels.
Alex Dugdale has studied and performed tap dance since he was 6 years old. He is a senior at the Eastman School of Music, majoring in Jazz Saxophone Performance. At the University of Rochester and Eastman he has choreographed and performed with the Radiance Dance Theatre and the Redline Saxophone Quartet and the Volta Trio. In October, 2009, he danced the premier of On Tap (Just Tap It) a Jen Bellor composition for tap dancer and percussion at Kilbourn Hall. In November, 2009, he performed Morton Gould’s Tap Dance Concerto with the Port Angeles, Washington Symphony Orchestra—this work was premiered in 1952 at the Eastman Theatre. Since 2006, Alex has been the featured tap dancer with the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra in their December production of Duke Ellington’s Concert of Sacred Music. In the summer of 2010, he performed as a tap dance soloist with the Disney All-American College Band in Disneyland, CA. The past two Novembers, Alex performed with Dee Daniels and the Fred Stride Orchestra in their production of Duke Ellington’s Sacred Music in Vancouver, BC. During summer and winter breaks he goes home to Seattle, WA where he teaches and performs both saxophone and tap dance. Dugdale also has performed and worked with great dancers including Bill Evans, Gregory Hines, the late Frankie Manning, Chester Whitmore, Jeni LeGon, and Norma Miller. He is thrilled to be performing tonight with many other talented individuals and hopes that you enjoy the show.
Evolving from a three-year-old toddler, banging on a piano and drum set, to a current day premier pianist and vocalist, Todd East has mesmerized audiences world-wide. At age fourteen, he studied under private instruction at Eastman School of Music in Upstate New York and continued his education at Nazareth College, thus receiving his Bachelor’s in Performance and Theory. His voice can be heard on many radio and television commercials locally and regionally. He continues to perform not only as a solo artist and free-lance musician, but with a wide variety of groups. An original member of Prime Time Funk, he is also part of the five-piece band called Hot Sweets. He has performed internationally at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Club in Paris France, regionally at Foxwoods Casino Resort, and locally at the Rochester Music Fest. Todd East is an inspiration to all genres of music.
Cindy Miller has performed with noted jazz greats including flutist Hubert Laws, guitarist Gene Bertoncini, Chuck Mangione, and world famous vibraphonist Peter Appleyard. Other appearances range from opening for Bobby Rydell, Julius LaRosa, and stars of the Lawrence Welk Show, as well as guest appearances with the Utica Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Central New York Jazz Ensemble, and with Michael Lasser, host of PBS radio’s nationally syndicated show Fascinatin’ Rhythm.
New York City appearances include The Blue Note with Gap and Chuck Mangione, Brooklyn School of the Performing Arts, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Love You Madly, her CD of standards, was recorded with some of the finest jazz musicians in the country. Miller recently released I’ve Got The Music In Me, a CD highlighting her new cabaret/dinner theater show of the same name. Miller's original song, Land That We Love, has been sung for General Tommy Franks, political commentators/authors Mary Maitlin and James Carville, Bill O’Reilly, the New York State Assembly, Institute for Homeland Security and for US Congressman Randy Kuhl and Vice President Dick Cheney. Land That We Love has also been recorded by the Mansfield University Concert Wind Ensemble for their CD American Portraits.
