Welcome to the 2025 / 2026 Event Archive
2026 Event Archive
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The day time event was primarily at the Indiana Landmarks Center, but we also had classes at the Athenaeum, which also hosted our late night dances
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Our 2026 instructor list included: Sean Vitale and Zoe Shepard, Shannon Varner and Dylan Devotta, Ronne Stone, Shelby Johnson, and Rachel Kreher (her bio is on the DJ page). Desiree Roffers was unable to join us for this event due to a family emergency, but you can still read her bio as a part of the instructors page.
Read about them here:
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In 2025, we had 2 panels.
In the Saturday panel, titled “More than the Soundtrack: Music at the Heart of Our Swing Dance Community”, the panelists were Maurice Fields III (Discussion Leader), Alina Lusebrink , Shelby Johnson, Zoe Shepard, and Chelsea Hughey.
In our Sunday panel, titled “Building Beautiful Bridges: How to Cultivate and Sustain Meaningful Relationships in Your Swing Dance Community“, the panelists were Dylan Devotta (Discussion Leader), Naomi Carmeli-Shabtay, Shannon Varner, and Sean Vitale.
Read about the panels at the link below:
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We had nine class electives spanning three lesson times.
Our first lesson time was Saturday May 30th, 9:30 - 11:00 am. During this time we had Shelby Johnson’s Solo Jazz for Partner Dances, Zoe Shepard & Sean Vitale’s 3D Groove, and Dylan Devotta & Rachel Kreher’s Balboa: Walkin’ in Rhythm.
Our second lesson time was Saturday May 30th, 11:30am - 1:00pm. During this time we had Zoe Shepard & Sean Vitale’s Breakin' Free, Rachel Kreher & Dylan Devotta’s To Lindy Hop with Love from Balboa, and Shelby Johnson’s Shim Sham Shimmy, Al & Leon type ish.
Our third lesson time was Sunday May 31st, 10:00 - 11:30 am. During this time we had Shannon Varner & Dylan Devotta’s Build Your Own Lindy: Personal Moves & Styling Lab, Ronne Stone’s Roots & Rhythms of West Africa, Zoe Shepard & Sean Vitale’s Bettering Your Best.
Read about all of these classes here:
https://www.backhomeagain.dance/classes-2026
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Find the 2026 Event Schedule at the link below:
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Our 2026 DJ team was comprised of Naomi Carmeli-Shabtay, Maurice Fields III, Alina Lusebrink, Rachel Kreher, and Nathan Bouman.
Read about our 2026 DJs here:
https://www.backhomeagain.dance/djs-emcee-2026
Our 2026 Emcee was Kaitlyn Murray. Read more about her below: -
The Chelsea Hughey’s Big Swing Face was assembled for the 2025 BHAII event!
Read about them at the link below:
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The 2026 Lindy500 is an event we did in 2026 as a Race to BHAII with a full week of swing dancing.
During the week we danced with our friends at Swing Era Steps, Indy’s Finest West Coast Swing, and Naptown Stomp. All of these Indy local organizations partnered with us to promote swing dance in the city!
Read all about our Lindy500: Race to BHAII event here:
https://www.backhomeagain.dance/lindy500
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The day time event was at the Indiana Landmarks Center. The late night events were at the Latin Expressions dance studio.
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Our 2025 instructor list included: Doug Bae and Val Kutchko, Shannon Varner and Mark Calkins, Ronne Stone, Andres Casanas, Amanda Guieb, and Yara Hairston-Barge.
Read about them here:
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In 2025, we had 2 panels.
In the Saturday panel, titled “Open Arms, Open Floor: Building an Inclusive Lindy Hop Community”, the panelists were Yara Hairston-Barge [Moderator], Maurice Fields, Ava Francisco, Val Kutchko, Shannon Varner, and Madeline Webster-Perry.
In our Sunday panel, titled “Behind Our Scenes: The Work of Growing and Sustaining Lindy Hop Dance Scenes“, the panelists were Mark Calkins (Moderator), Doug Bae, Naomi Carmeli-Shabtay, Rachel Kreher, Alina Lusebrink, and Sarah Beth McLellan.
Read about the panels at the link below:
2025 Event Archive
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Find the 2025 Event Schedule at the link below:
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Our 2025 DJ team was comprised of Naomi Carmeli-Shabtay, Maurice Fields, Jack "Shellac" Garrison, Alina Lusebrink, and Sam Zorich.
Read about our 2025 DJs here:
https://www.backhomeagain.dance/djs-2025
Our 2025 Emcee was Sarah Beth McLellan. Read more about her below: -
The Chelsea Hughey’s Big Swing Face was assembled for the 2025 BHAII event!
Read about them at the link below: