Ballroom Dancing Weekend

Gene Eagle teaches social ballroom dance and DJ’s in Manhattan, and has been dancing ballroom and swing for over 25 years. He has performed at venues including the Waldorf Astoria and the 92nd Street Y, where he was the host and DJ for the 92nd Street Y Ballroom Dance parties. He has DJ’d Lincoln Center’s “MidSummer Night Swing” and “Summer for the City” Ballroom evenings as well as dance studios and private functions in NYC, and continues to host social dance parties as GE Dance, LLC. His eclectic music library includes both traditional ballroom dance music and contemporary pieces ideal for all styles of ballroom dancing.

Laurie Shayler has been dancing her entire life and started teaching children at an early age. Before falling in love with Ballroom Dancing and forming her company Dance Connection, she received a B.A. in Dance from SUNY Brockport. After moving to New York, she worked as a professional modern dancer with many choreographers performing and teaching in New York City, and touring across the U.S., Europe and Asia. She created the innovative Dance as a Second Language Course (DSL), merging the studies of English and Social Dancing at Baruch and LaGuardia Community Colleges. Now settled in Brooklyn, her passion for dance and teaching continues with her company Dance Connection offering group and private classes in Swing, Latin & Ballroom styles and specializing in Wedding Choreography.

Jeni Breen is the owner and Artistic Director of Jeni Breen Tango Academy in Manhattan. She was Director of the Tango and Salsa Programs at the Sandra Cameron Dance Center in NYC for many years, and prior to that was a member of the legendary modern dance company Donald Byrd/The Group.

Candace Woodward-Clough has been teaching ballroom dance for four decades. While living in NYC, she danced in and choreographed Off-Broadway, summer stock, movies, soap operas and videos, and founded Ballroom Dance at the New York Health & Racquet Club. After marrying and moving to central New Jersey, she has been teaching ballroom dance at Princeton University, Mercer Country Community College, a number of retirement communities, and The Peddie School (where she has also choreographed musicals and ran summer theatre camp for 25 years), while continuing to teach private lessons in her own studio.

George Gee has always loved music. He grew up with rock’n’roll and R&B but in his teens, he also developed a powerful passion for jazz — especially the big band styles of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Benny Goodman, Cab Calloway and other legends. This passion continued into his first year at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and George created a big band music hour for the school’s radio station. The station manager asked George to interview William “Count” Basie before a campus concert in 1979 and this inspiring conversation changed George’s life. The very next day, he reached out to fellow jazz players to create a 17-piece big band, which quickly became a darling of the campus community. After spending a decade in Pittsburgh honing his craft, George returned to his NYC hometown in 2000 just in time to continue his Big Band aspirations. With a wink and a nod, bandleader GG held court weekly at New York City (Times Square) swing jazz nightspot SWING46, where two decades later they still dominate the Big Apple Big Band swing scene!