guests & collaborations
dancing is sharing
We’re always super excited to welcome guests and collaborate with artists and organisations.
We like to give you an insight into who they are and what they do.
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Briana Ashley Stuart
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Kenneth Shipp
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Pieter Mortier
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Judith Novela
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Jamica Zion
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Tister Ikomo
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Siré
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Zé Dieye
briana ashley stuart
After receiving my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Michigan, I traveled the world, and performed and taught internationally as an independent artist. I danced with contemporary dance company SJEwing & Dancers, as well as StepAfrika!, the world’s first dance company dedicated to the art form of stepping.
In 2015, I served as the assistant choreographer on the American Theater Company’s production of The Project(s) in Chicago, IL, which received a 4-star review by the Chicago Tribune. I have received numerous choreographic commissions from the Dance Place New Releases Showcase, Dance Ethos Dance Company, Joy of Motion Youth Dance Ensemble, the University of Michigan, and the 2016 March on Washington Film Festival.
Since moving to Brussels in 2017, I have expanded my career as a performer and entrepreneur. I recently performed with ZIKIT in Doha, Qatar at the Global E-Games Opening Ceremony. I was a choreographer and dance coach for Playwright Dalila Hermant’s piece,Her(e), which premiered February 2020 in Gent, Belgium. I am currently an artist-in-residence with Citylab Pianofabriek, and I havw worked with 4Hoog Children’s Theater, Les Brigittes, & Dominique Models. In the fall of 2020, I performed my latest solo work Becoming Together at the KVS Theater in Brussels, and the Schouwburg Kortrijk Theatre in Kortrijk, Belgium. Most recently, My work in Stepping was featured in BOZAR’s Singing Brussels Festival where I gave an engaging community workshop, created and performed a new work with Belgian Artists Sarah Klenes and Gaspard Herblot as well as an online talk titled Stepping: Freedom in Form. View my full CV here.
Today, I teach workshops and dance lessons to patrons of my arts organization, S.T.U. Arts Dance, which I founded in 2018 with the mission of moving Belgium’s communities to “See. Think. Understand. the Art of Dance” for personal, professional and community development. My work and story has been featured in the I Love Brussels Online Magazine, the Behind the Story Podcast, the Brussels Express, BX1 Media,Accountable, Count Me In Podcast, BRUZZ Media, Radio France Internationale, Together Magazine and Brown Girls Do Ballet.
My Creative Living for Dancers platform empowers and enriches the dance community in the digital sphere through professional development courses and funding to support the creation of digital dance works.
Photo credits: Briana Ashley Stuart
Briana at Crazy Legs
October 22, 2023 - Stepping workshop
December 15, 2023 - Stepping Train The Teacher
27.11.2022 - Stepping workshop
2.12.2022 - Stepping workshop at Train the Teacher
30.11.2021 - Stepping workshop at Afro Jazz track
kenneth shipp
Kenneth Shipp hails from St. Louis, MO as an instructor who grew up dancing hip-hop and DJing breaking comps before jumping into blues. He has spent the past few years passionately studying the family of blues idioms, incorporating his nerdy personality along the way.
Kenneth’s life experiences inform his dancing and teaching style so that students walk away with a better historical and contextual understanding. With every class and practice, he’ll encourage you to approach social dancing with coolness, relaxation, or in other words “Chill The F$%& Out.”
When he’s not dancing, you can likely find him ranting about the latest blockbuster movie, game, or nerd convention, or desperately trying to dismantle toxic institutions.
Kenneth at Crazy Legs
13.11.2023 - Roots, History and Culture Talk
23.11.2023 - Couple Blues
30.11.2023 - Couple Blues
pieter mortier
Pieter Mortier is contrabassist, componist en organisator in de Gentse muziekscène. Zijn specialisatie: swing jazz. Met zijn contrabas blaast hij deze muziek van weleer nieuw leven in.
Dat doet hij met verschillende bands en via verschillende subgenres: van hot jazz met Les Somnambules over lindy hop met Jake Walker, de frisse swingjazz van Eleanor tot het vooroorlogse Franse sentiment met La Sentinelle de la chanson en het avontuurlijke MOM.
Als hij niet zelf op de planken staat, organiseert hij jams, akoestische concerten en micro-festivals.
Pieter at Crazy Legs
31.01.23 - Muzikant bij Tap Musicality Track
14.02.23 - Muzikant bij Tap Musicality Track
vanaf 30.1.24 - Muzikant bij Tap Musicality Track
judith novela
Judith Novela is a dancer and teacher at Hodi Maputo Afroswing cultural association.
She has experience in traditional and Afroswing dance and has performed in several national and international festivals, including the Folklore Festival in Passo Fundo, Brazil in 2014, the National Culture Festival in Mozambique, and the theaterformen festival in Hannover, Germany.
Judith has participated in numerous contemporary dance workshops with renowned choreographers such as Idio Chichava, Horacio Macuacua, Didier Boutiana, and Janete Mulapa, and also attended Lindy Hop workshops with international teachers including Fredrik Dahlberg, Miami Gunnarson, Angela Andrew, and Mike Davison.
She has participated in three editions of the Herrang Dance Camp and the See You Swing Festival in Saarbrucken, Germany in 2019. In 2022, Judith participated in a women-only workshop called Incubadora da Dança with dancer and choreographer Janeth Mulapa, and is a member of the Tp50 dance group.
Judith recently contributed to the choreography of Idio Chichava's #VAGABUNDOS# which debuted in Bulgaria at the One Dance Week festival. She also served as catering coordinator at the Masx #Mozambique Afro Swing Exchange festival.
Judith is currently working on her project entitled "Wansat Wa N'tamo: Strong Women" as a dancer and teacher at Hodi Maputo Afroswing association.
Photo credits: https://judithnovela.my.canva.site/
Judith at Crazy Legs
4.10.2023 - Afro Jazz
5.10.2023 - Lindy Hop at Scissor Kicks
6.10.2023 - Train the Teacher
8.10.2023 - Workshops Traditional Dance and Afro Swing
9.10.2023 - Lindy Hop
10.10.2023 - Lindy Hop
jamica zion
Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Jamica Zion prides herself in being a dynamic follow. She aims for range, not just in connection and style, but across genres too! She holds multiple titles in Blues and Lindy Hop contests from top US events including Lindy Focus, Beantown, and Camp Hollywood. When she’s not social dancing, teaching, or working on choreography, she’s likely working on her research for her dissertation which focuses on these scenes (that she has been a part of since she was 15)!
Her approach towards sharing dance with others includes a critical understanding and appreciation of its history and culture, while simultaneously ushering students to build their own styles and meaningful connections to it. Jamica is a Frankie Manning Ambassador for this approach both in her local community and as a guest instructor in other scenes. She draws on the professional training she’s received while working with organizations like the Anti-Defamation League and her sociology doctoral program which allows her to deliver inclusive, responsible, creative, and stimulating classes.
Photo credits: Conwei Li Hot Jam 2022
Jamica at Crazy Legs & in Ghent
20.04.2023 - Scissor Kicks class with Sep
21.04.2023 - Train the teacher
22.04.2023 - Jazz at Home - a project of Sep
26.04.2023 - Roots, Culture & History talk
13.03.2024 - Guest teacher Solo Jazz Fish Tails
tister ikomo
Tister is geboren in Kinshasa in een nest van muzikanten en dansers. Hij kreeg de passie voor dans mee van zijn moeder en zijn liefde voor muziek via zijn vader. Op 10 jarige leeftijd vervoegt hij het ballet Arumbaya waar hij leert zingen en later ook assistent choreograaf wordt.
In 2014 werkt hij samen met Alain Platel en Fabrizio Cassol voor het spektakel Coup Fatal, waarmee hij de wereld rond tourt. In 2017 richt Tister het muziek collectief TANO op, dat in 2018 vervoegd wordt door het Congolese-Senegalese Duo SECO.
Vandaag werkt Tister als danser-muzikant mee aan de producties van 'Vlaemsch' en 'Mein Gent'. Daarnaast geeft hij dans- en percussielessen voor verschillende organisaties zoals Muziekpublique en Dranouter Klankmakerij.
Tister at Crazy Legs
30.05.2023 - Guest teacher Afro Jazz
07.06.2023 - Guest teacher Afro Jazz
siré
Al van kinds af aan was Siré gepassioneerd door dans. Ze deed ervaring op in verschillende Senegalese dansgroepen, zoals ballet companie Doman Doman (Casamance) en Fambondi companie (Dakar). Siré specialiseerde zich in traditionele dansen, zoals die beoefend worden in de Wolof en Mandingue cultuur. In haar lessen brengt ze Senegalese choreografieën aan, en daagt ze je uit om de verschillende facetten van de dans te ontdekken. Dit alles omkaderd Siré met een goede portie ambiance en energieke sfeer.
Siré at Crazy Legs
08.12.2022 - Guest teacher Afro Jazz
zé dieye
Zé Dieye begon zijn danscarrière als Faux Lion, een traditioneel, Senegalees figuur dat deel uitmaakt van een spektakel spel opgevoerd bij grote feesten. Al gauw daarna besloot hij zich aan te sluiten bij de Guinese balletgroep Koutoubo. Hier ontdekte hij de traditionele, Senegalese dans Djémbe. In diezelfde periode sloot hij zich ook aan bij Diammou, een moderne dans groep. Niet veel later richtte hij samen met zijn zus zijn eigen groep op, genaamd Scorpions. Samen verdiepten ze zich in Sabar, een andere traditionele dans uit Senegal.
Zé groeide verder als danser, en kwam terecht bij Fambody in Dakar. Hier verfijnde hij zijn kunst, en legde de focus op Sabar, Djembé, Bougeurebou, Ekonkon… Intussen is Zé verhuisd naar Europa en verspreidt hij zijn liefde voor deze dansen via optredens, workshops, lessen en cursussen.
De traditionele dansen die Zé brengt gaan steeds gepaard met live percussie. Dit zorgt gegarandeerd voor een energieke, opzwepende dans.
Zé at Crazy Legs
29.09.2022 - Guest teacher Afro Jazz