Meet This Year’s Instructors!
Zoe Shepard
& Sean Vitale
Meet Zoe:
Zoe Shepard is a jazz violinist, teacher, and performer currently pursuing her master’s degree in jazz studies at Indiana University (IU) after training as a classical violinist since the age of 11. With no prior dance experience, she instantly fell in love with Lindy Hop in 2022 after her very first class at IU. Zoe’s dedication to the dance has led to her success competing at events such as LindyFest, BeanTown Dance Camp, St. Louis Getdown, and more. Concepts of movement quality, groove follow technique, dancing as if an honorary member of the band, and the fullness of joy that is jazz music and dance are injected into her teaching style. You’ll never fail to see a wide smile on her face whenever there’s dancing involved!
Meet Sean:
Sean Vitale is a dynamic dancer with a love for jazz music and movement. Sean has been lindy hopping since 2018 and is grateful to be a part of the cast of the acclaimed Lindy stage show, Sw!ng Out. Sean is a prominent member of the NYC-based dance troupe, The Harvest Moon Hoppers. Sean is also a past member of Frankie Manning’s legacy troupe, The Big Apple Lindy Hoppers. As a partnered dance specialist, Sean excels at improvisation and has won many partnered improvisation (luck of the draw) competitions throughout the U.S. and Europe. Beyond his work as a dancer and educator, Sean is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, board-certified in the treatment of people affected by neurologic conditions such as, Parkinson’s disease, MS, stroke, and spinal cord injury.
Desiree Roffers
& Dylan Devotta
Meet Desiree:
Desiree has loved dancing her whole life. At the age of four, she began learning Irish Dance. Soon after, she was competing around the country and started teaching dance in early middle school. Around 2002, Desiree switched her focus to swing dancing and began studying Lindy Hop, Blues, and Balboa. In 2018, Desiree also began exploring collegiate shag. Desiree has received awards from many events, including the California Balboa Classic, Hot Rhythm Holiday, Whistlestop, CincyHop, Rocky Mountain Balboa Classic, Dayton Swing Smackdown, Eastern Balboa Championship, Toronto Toss Out, All Balboa Weekend, Balorado, Montreal Bal Jam, and more. Desiree has three graduate degrees in education and provides training for teachers in Chicago public schools. She is currently working on her PhD in Instructional Technology. In 2011, Desiree started Chicago Balboa Underground, and she remains dedicated to growing the swing dance scene in Chicago and across the globe. She has taught workshops across the United States and internationally. She currently runs both Great Lakes Balboa Escape and Great Lakes Shag Escape. She is also on the board of Fizz Swing Dance in Chicago. As an instructor and swing dance organizer, Desiree values inclusive practices, trauma-informed approaches, and social justice.
Meet Dylan:
Dylan’s dance journey started with hip hop in school and college. His swing dance journey began in 2017 right after moving to Minnesota. He has a classical music and martial arts background and loves encouraging creativity and taking risks.
Dylan has received awards from various swing dance events including Hot Rhythm Holiday, Camp Hollywood, Second City Swing, Northwest Balboa Festival, Balorado, Dance MO Bal and Great Lakes Balboa Escape.
Dylan is an active organizer and teacher for “Twin Cities Balboa Connection” based out of Minneapolis, MN. He is also an active DJ in the local Lindy hop scene and enjoys supporting local artists.
As a scene builder, Dylan focuses on building a supportive encouraging environment for the community to further the artform and keep people motivated to move forward.
As a teacher, Dylan enjoys focusing on musicality, connection and comfort along with building individuality.