Our Partners

We work hard to maintain a good relationship with each of our clients, and often these working relationships blossom into full-blown partnerships. We're proud to partner with the following organizations:

• Le Petit Medley - Since the opening of the Studio 88 Swing nights at the Petit Medley, the instruction and DJ'd music provided by SAF members has helped to make this night Montreal's most successful and popular swing night. With the friendliest staff in town and lessons by Studio 88 Swing, this high-energy night is what swing's all about!
• Studio 88 Swing. Many members of the Swinging Air Force teach regular weekly lessons along with other top swing teachers in Montreal, at the Studio 88 Swing dance school. (Studio 88 Swing is a division of the SAF Entertainment Group.)

Our Clients

Our list of clients has grown very long over the years. Here is a small selection of some of the organizations we've worked with recently:

• Arthur Murray The renowned international ballroom dance school.
• Jello Bar - Listed as one of the World's best bars.
• Sears.
• Hotel InterContinental Montréal.
• The Canadian Government.
• Farha Foundation.
• Many boroughs of the city of Montreal
• Labatt
• Club Med World

The Swinging Air Force in the Media

While the troupe specializes in live dance performances, the troupe and individual members have appeared in television, on the radio, and even in film.

Television

• SRC - Montréal Ce Soir, November 9th, 2001
• TVA - l'Explorateur Urbain, Dominique Arpin, November 21-22, 2001
• TQS - A.M., J-P Coallier, November 27th, 2001 .
• YTV - Yaa! To the M@x, Episode #3-06 "Making Moves," 2000
• RDS - Mi-Temps Match du Rouge et Or de L'Université de Laval, 2000 season

Newspapers

• Charlesbourg Express (QB), Cover and page 13, "Arts & Culture", Sunday April 27th
• EasyTwist Ad, January 2003 (published in GQ magazine)
• Châtelaine, April 2004
• Taconic Press (NY), Pages 2 and 10, "Brian Giglio," November 15th 2001
• The Gazette, "David Zgodzinski" Column, Februrary 24th 2001
• The McGill Reporter, 1st page, "Owen Egan," April 6th, 2000
• Quartier Latin, 1st page, November 1999

Radio

• Radio-Canada, Macadam Tribu, Vincent Frignon, Fall 2000
• 940 AM, 940 AM News Entertainment Revue, Angie Koss, November 9th, 2001
• CIBL 101.5FM, 4à6, Arnaud Aubin, September 17th 2002
• CKUT 90.3, Movement Museum, July 10th 2003

Movies

The Reagans (ShowTime 2003). Swinging Air Force members appeared in this controversial mini-series about ex-president Ronald Reagan. Gleason (CBS 2002). Swinging Air Force members appeared as dancers and extras in this television movie.

The Swinging Air Force On Tour

Since its inception, the Swinging Air Force has travelled to perform and teach. Here are some of the places we've been in the last few years.

• San Diego, CA, USA. The biggest gathering of Balboa dancers in the world, the Balboa Rendez-vous, could not go without Zack & Maryse for their 2nd edition!
• Danvers, MA, USA. Teaching, judging and performing at the New Year's Eve Dance Extravaganza (not even mentionning the partying) was a lot of fun!
• London, England. Zack, Maryse and of course their daughter Camélia were up and running at the London Balboa Festival, one of the world's biggest only Balboa Festival with hundreds of participants from around the world!
• University of Notre-Dame, Indiana, USA. Charmin' Dee on leave from the SAF to further his studies at Notre-Dame did not escape the call of the hardwood for long (as if that ever was a possibility). He was recruited for a Jazz dance and Lindy-Hop boot camp by the Notre-Dame Swing Club during April 2004. After getting everyone doing the shim-sham at "uber-speed" Dee is rumored to have gotten himself enlisted for regular lessons at the Rolfs Recreation Center all of next year.
• Toronto, Ontario. The Swinging Air Force visited the great city of Toronto for the first time in spring 2004 in order to offer a 3 day mini-camp for Simon Threlkeld's ODD SOCKS. Featuring classes running simultaneously on 2 floors, each packed with enthused dancers of all levels, we were able to teach some Charleston, Balboa, Musicality, Accrobatics and some pretty smooth Lindy moves. We also performed in the evenings on the dance floor and at the DJ booth while enjoying the hospitality of the people and the fabulous live music of Toronto. We also went back to Toronto in 2004 for Lindy Hop and Balboa workshops!
• Toulouse, France. Zack, Maryse, and their newly born daughter Camelia flew in Europe (accompanied by Zack's mother) to teach Balboa at the Pink City Balboa Festival, 3rd edition, on March 5th and 6th. They went back in 2005 for the 4th edition as well... Check out some footage on Paris-Swing.com!
• Waterloo, ON. In early 2004, The Swinging Air Force team visited the towns of Kitchener and Waterloo in Ontario in an Weekend Workshop and performance event hosted by the wonderful Swing Riot Team and Addicted to Dancing. With shows, parties, classes and the notorious "Waterloo Alcoholiday party", the team once again proved that good things happen when you put Ontario and Quebec together!
• San Francisco, California, USA. On January 16-18, 2004, Frankie Manning returned to the San Francisco Bay Area for another of his exciting and inspiring workshops. Olivier Morin and Samantha Merlin joined him and a number of local instructors to teach over a dozen exciting classes during the weekend.
• Québec city, Québec. The Swinging Air Force has travelled to Québec city many times, teaching workshops in Lindy Hop and doing many performances. Many of the dancers in Québec's now vibrant swing dance community first learned swing dancing through our workshops.
• Ottawa, Ontario. The team has taught and performed several times in our nation's capital. The first public performance of our award-winning routine American Patrol was in Ottawa in 2001, the same routine that went on to take 3rd place at the American Lindy Hop Championships.
• Sherbrooke, QC. We have had the chance to help build the growing swing scene in the city of Sherbrooke through two annual workshop and dance weekends.
• Jyväskylä, Finland. Jyväskylä, a city located 300km north of Helsinki, is the site of Finland's annual dance camp. Two of our members, Olivier Morin and Samantha Merlin, were invited to teach in Finland alongside such teachers as the legendary Steven Mitchell and Virginie Jensen in 2002. In the spring of 2003 they were invited back again!
• St. Petersburg, Russia. After teaching in Finland in May of 2003, the SAF's Samantha and Olivier traveled to St. Petersburg to share their love of dancing with Russian swing dancers!
• Victoria, BC. The team taught a 3-day "Swinging Air Force Retreat" workshop in beautiful Victoria, on Vancouver Island on the West Coast of Canada, and gave performances during each of the weekend's swing soirees. The team also got to spend a few precious much-deserved days of rest, swimming, soaking up sun and playing beach volleyball!
• Syracuse, NY. After a successful weekend of workshops and performances in the spring of 2002, the SAF returned to teach at the Frankie Manning Fabulous Lindy Hop Weekend, now an annual event!
• Albany, NY. The SAF performed our competition choreography for an audience of swing dancers at the Albany Lindy A-Go-Go dance event, before taking the routine to NYC to compete.
• Kingston, ON. We had the pleasure of teaching a three-day swing camp-style workshop in Kingston, as well as performing and judging a Jack and Jill contest. In March of 2005 we went back for a two-tracks workshop that had a tremendous success!
• Norwich, VT. Our repeated workshops in Norwich have helped to foster the town's growing swing community. Due to the number of people coming from surrounding areas to learn with us for the weekend, our workshops achieved a level of attendance comparable with workshops in much larger cities.
• Poughkeepsie, NY. Poughkeepsie is another swing dance community that the Swinging Air Force has had the pleasure of working to help grow. The SAF judged the first Jack and Jill competition in Poughkeepsie.
• Hyannis, MA. The SAF gave an exhibition performance at the New England Swing Dance Championships in this town in Cape Cod.

Awards

Juste for laughts Festival (Montreal PQ) 2005

• 1st place Teams - Swinging Air Force (International competition, 700 dancers, 40 teams)

Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown (Minneapolis MN) 2005

• 3rd place - Lindy Hop Performance (Byron Alley & Annie Trudeau)

American Lindy Hop Championships (Stamford CT) 2005

• 3rd place - Open Showcase (Byron Alley & Annie Trudeau)

Grand National Dance Championships (Atlanta, Georgia)

• 2nd place - Team Division (SAF All Bal Team)

Canadian Swing Championships 2005 (Manoir Saint-Sauveur, Quebec)

• 1st place - Canadian Showcase (Zack Richard & Maryse Lebeau)
• 1st place - Team Division (SAF All Bal Team)
• 1st place - Shagdown Regional Challenge (Eric Bertrand & Caroline Rossi)
• 2nd place - Swing Couples (Byron Alley & Annie Trudeau)

Boston Tea Party 2005 (Boston, Masachussetts)

• 1st place - Strictly Lindy (Zack Richard & Maryse Lebeau)
• 1st place - Advanced Lindy Hop Jack & Jill (Maryse Lebeau with Max Pitruzella)

American Lindy Hop Championships 2004 (Stamford, CT)

• 2nd place - Strictly Lindy (Zack Richard & Annie Trudeau)
• 3rd place - Open Showcase (Zack Richard & Maryse Lebeau)

Michigan Classic 2004 (Detroit, MI)

• 1st place - Lindy Open (Zack Richard & Maryse Lebeau)
• 1st place - Lindy Hop Jack & Jill (Zack Richard with Brenda C.K.)

East Canada Swing Championships 2004 (Manoir Saint-Sauveur, Quebec)

• 1st place - Canadian Showcase (Zack Richard & Maryse Lebeau)
• 1st place - Cabaret (Swinging Air Force with ''Sing Sing Sing'')
• 1st place - Swing Couples (Zack Richard & Maryse Lebeau)
• 1st place - Fast Dance (Byron Alley & Annie Trudeau)
• 1st place - Just Balboa (Zack Richard & Maryse Lebeau)

North Atlantic Dance Championships 2004 (Stamford, CT)

• 1st place - Just Dance Lindy Hop (Zack Richard & Maryse Lebeau)

East Canada Swing Championships 2003 (Saint-Hiacynthe, Quebec)

• 1st place - Team Division (Swinging Air Force with ''Bandstand Mickey'')