Kelly (19) & Ryan (17) James, a brother and sister combo from Sydney Australia , have been dancing for 4 years. In that short time they have gone from novices to Australasian Champions in Jitterbug/Lindy/Swing and even Rock & Roll (Grease style!). They only learned by accident while accompanying their parents to 'some kind of old dance style lessons'. While they were watching and laughing and aping their parents in another room, the teacher noticed something about them. They seemed to have the ability to pick up dance steps without even realising it. He encouraged them to think about it seriously.
That was in April 1996 and by September 1996, they had won their first trophy. By October they had their first State Title and just continued to amaze judges and spectators with their enthusiasm and style. Their interest in Swing/Jitterbug came from watching the movie The Swing Kids They wanted more of a challenge and this seemed just the ticket. They took lessons and watched movies to pick up the different styles and fashions. Swing/Jitterbug is their primary focus now and have been asked to perform demonstrations at many venues.
When Kelly isn't dancing with her brother Ryan, she is lucky enough to be dancing with Justin Dipoala who is also an Australasian Junior champion.
Kelly and Justin are currently members of a Swing dance team called the Sydney Swing Katz and are now part of the official dance troupe for "John Morrison's Swing City" big band. They can be seen dancing wherever the band perform and also in amateur competitions struttin' their stuff!
They have performed on TV, made a national TV commercial, held workshops, choreographed dance shows and competed in and out of their state. They were even lucky enough to meet the great man himself, Frankie Manning in 1998 when he was in Sydney.
Hopefully, with some sponsorship, they can come to the US to hold some Swing workshops in an effort to encourage more young people to take up this wonderfully energetic dancesport. If anyone is interested in sponsoring them for a weekend workshop of this very popular dance or if you are interested in endorsing these talented kids at a dance venue near you, please contact us via email. The kids are only too happy to teach and learn different styles between different countries.
Jitterbug is alive and well Down Under!
Kelly and Ryan in action
Kelly and Justin
Dennis Blackburn, President of the Australian DanceSport Association and Kelly performing a slow swing Pro-Am
