From slow, sultry blues dancing to fast jitterbug footwork, Lisa Clarke and Fabien Vrillon have done — and won — it all.
From slow, sultry blues dancing to fast jitterbug footwork, Lisa Clarke and Fabien Vrillon have done — and won — it all.
These professional dancers from France will bring their talent and passion to Hilo from Sept. 11-13 as teachers of the “French Connection” workshop.
Clarke and Vrillon, visiting Hawaii for the first time, will offer nine classes, many beginner-friendly, in blues dance and Lindy hop (the original style of swing).
A Lindy Swingout Clinic for experienced Lindy-hoppers is at 7 p.m. Friday at Aloha Wellness Center, 239 Haili St.
The spotlight is on blues dancing from 10 a.m.-3:15 p.m. Saturday downstairs at the Hilo Elks Lodge, 150 Kinoole St.
Lindy hop classes are from 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sunday upstairs at the Elks.
Classes are $15 each if paid by Monday, or $20 at the door. Discounts are available for high school and college students and for participants taking multiple classes.
A full schedule and registration information is available at hilohepcats.org or by calling Andrea Gill at 959-8216.
Vrillon is from Grenoble, France, and has been teaching swing dancing since 2004 and is noted for his choreography. Clarke, a classically trained dancer originally from London, specialized in hip-hop before falling in love with swing.
They received first-place honors in slow lindy blues at the 2013 European Swing Dance Championships and fast feet division at the 2013 London Jitterbug Championships. They have been finalists in competitions in the U.S., Italy, U.K., France and Germany.
The workshop is sponsored by the Hilo Hep Cats swing dance club.