Lindy Hop Tutorial 1 – Introduction to Lindy Hop

Temujin Gill

Temujin is Artistic Director and co-founder of Grounded Movement, debuted at Sadler’s Wells Breakin’ Convention 2013, a dance company that produce work inspired by African derived, social and street dance culture. He has over 30 years’ experience in dance and theatre from movement direction and choreography to project management, University lecturing and writing for theatre.

Current projects in the mix include: Ragtime to Grime, a provocative dance and rap-based theatre piece originally developed in collaboration with the acclaimed, Mercury-nominated UK rapper TY (who sadly passed away from Covid-19 in 2020); a new play in development with musician composer Laurence Corns and New York writer Willie Johnson, about Bayard Rustin an unsung champion of the civil rights movement; Hopes and Dreams co-creation project for young people commissioned for Greenwich Dance’s Artsunboxed; and Spirit of the Estate, an outreach and empowerment young people’s mentoring and performance programme, first launched by Crystal Palace Festival in 2021.

Past collaborations and productions include Kafkas’ Monkey at the Young Vic, Dance Umbrellas community dance film Feltham Moves, Evan Placey’s Consensual for National Youth Theatre, and Club Universal commission for the Southbank Centre. Testament to Temujin’s commitment to producing high quality work came with the honor he received when asked to join Danny Boyle’s award-winning Creative Team, as lead choreographer for the NHS section of London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony.

Photo: George Dyer

Wendy Steatham

Wendy is a professional dance artist and educator whose career has included roles as a performer, mass movement choreographer, movement and rehearsal director, teacher, lecturer, and company manager. Currently working primarily in education, she specialises in developing and supporting the delivery of the primary curriculum through dance and the performing arts. She works on the education teams of Trinity Laban and DanceEast and is a long-standing Mentor Leader and specialist with Artis Foundation. As a freelance education consultant her work regularly takes her to South Korea, where she trains teachers from across the country to enhance and develop their creative teaching skills.

Wendy’s roles as a dancer and choreographer have included work in film and theatre as well as in art galleries and stadiums. A highlight of her career was working as part of the Mass Movement team for the London Olympic and Paralympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies in 2011 and 2012, a role which included co-leading the audition and rehearsal process and directing large-scale cast rehearsals.

Wendy was introduced to Lindy Hop back in 2002, while working at Greenwich Dance and observing the rehearsals of Temujin Gill and Sunanda Biswas. She went on to learn the technique and appreciate the rich history of this vibrant jazz dance through working alongside Temujin and Sunanda and their company Grounded Movement, which produces work inspired by African derived, social and street dance culture. She has been teaching Lindy Hop for the last decade and is passionate about sharing the history as well as skills of the dance form.