From slow, sultry blues dancing to flickeringly fast jitterbug footwork, Lisa Clarke and Fabien Vrillon have done — and won —it all.
From slow, sultry blues dancing to flickeringly fast jitterbug footwork, Lisa Clarke and Fabien Vrillon have done — and won —it all.
The professional dancers from France will bring their talent and passion for dancing to Hilo on Sept. 8-10 as teachers of the French Connection workshop.
Clarke and Vrillon will offer a total of nine classes, many of them beginner-friendly, in blues dance and Lindy hop (the original style of swing).
• From 7-8:15 p.m. Sept. 8, a clinic for experienced “Lindyhoppers” will be offered at Aloha Wellness Center, 239 Haili St.
• From 10 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Sept. 9, the focus will be on blues dancing at the Hilo Elks Lodge, 150 Kinoole St., with four classes emphasizing different blues themes and styles.
• Lindy hop classes will be conducted from noon-5:15 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Elks Lodge and will include sessions for dancers with various levels of experience.
Classes are $15 each if paid by Sept. 4, or $20 at the door. Discounts are available for high school and college students and for registrants taking multiple classes.
Clarke and Vrillon hail from different dance backgrounds, bringing their own particular expertise to their professional dance partnership. They appeared in a dance party scene in the movie “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and Clarke also performed in the televised celebration of the London Olympics.
Vrillon is from Grenoble, France, and has taught swing dancing since 2004. He is particularly 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 the Open Showcase Division at 2016’s International Lindy Hop Championships, where Clarke also placed first in the Jack and Jill All-Star competition. That same year, they brought home several awards from Camp Hollywood in competitions featuring fast and slow Lindy.
The French Connection workshop is sponsored by the Hilo Hep Cats swing dancers and Orchid Island Ballroom Dance Club.
A full schedule and registration information is available at hilohepcats.org or by calling Andrea Gill at 959-8216.