Teachers

Lewi Gilamichael

Co-director

Specialties
Lindy Hop, Balboa, Blues

Lewi’s (he/him) first swing dance was a lesson in 2008. He found it challenging. When he tried it again in 2011, he was hooked. Within that year, he went from social dancing once a week to dancing three to four times a week, learning Balboa, Blues and Collegiate Shag, and traveling to major weekend workshop events all year round. Since starting to teach swing dancing in 2016, Lewi’s been focused on finding fun and interesting ways to make dancing look and feel accessible to his students. Few things give him as much pleasure watching his students “get it”.

Lewi is available for private lessons.

Morgan Lee

Co-director

Specialties
Lindy Hop, Solo Jazz

Morgan has been a part of the Lindy Hop community for over 17 years.

She was first drawn to the dance for the music as a kid, and later immersed herself in the history of Black American Culture Dances that includes Lindy Hop, Charleston, Balboa, and Blues Dancing. Throughout the years, she has dedicated her time to taking classes, competing, choreography, performing, teaching, djing, volunteering at countless events, and co-organizing a few herself.

Morgan has taught a variety of classes covering Lindy Hop, Vernacular Jazz, Blues, Balboa, and Burlesque. Throughout of all of these, she puts an emphasis on more dancing in class, and connecting historical context to the movements.

Outside of teaching Morgan has been a part of several performance troupes including The Citywide Stompers, Harvest Moon Hoppers NYC, Gatsby Entertainment, The Sugar Shakers, Sassy Jazzy Ladies, Atomic Cherry Bombs, and Risqué Rhythm.

Nick Cruickshank

Specialties
Lindy Hop, Air Steps, Choreography

Nick (he/him) discovered swing dancing through West Philly Swingers as a student at UPenn in 2015 and absolutely fell in love. Just four short months later he began teaching and organizing dances across Philly, and was mentored by Rafal Pustelny. To date, Nick has logged 3,300+ dance hours and 400+ teaching hours, and has racked up a host of competition wins across the east coast. He loves coming up with new ideas while staying true to the dance’s rich cultural history. Smiles on the faces of his students and dance floors packed with newbie and veteran dancers alike bring him indescribable joy.

Nick is available for private lessons.

Sarah Sasso

Specialties
Lindy Hop, Balboa

Sarah (she/her) is a life-long dancer and mover who found her way into the swing dance world in Auburn, Alabama in 2016. She was immediately drawn to the energy, partnership, and creativity of swing dancing – both in lindy hop and balboa, which she both leads and follows. She began teaching and dreaming with RagTag Empire in 2017, and has intermittently taught with both RagTag and Jazz Attack ever since. Sarah aims to create a fun and supportive environment for her students, and is always looking for opportunities to learn and grow as a member of the wider swing dance community.

Sarah is available for private lessons.

Abi Burns

Specialties
Lindy Hop, Switch Roles

Abi (they/them) started swing dancing with West Philly Swingers in 2015, quickly falling in love with the groove of lindy hop, the smoothness of west coast swing, and the pizazz of performing. They became obsessed with UMA’s vibrant classes and community in 2019 and have continued to grow in their solo movement and body awareness since then. They are thrilled to combine these two passions by joining the Ragtag teaching team this year! Abi firmly believes that dance and movement work magic for physical, mental, and spiritual health and wants to share this joy with humans in all walks of life.

Lauren Fosnight

Specialties
Lindy Hop, Solo Jazz

Lauren’s love of Lindy Hop was born of a desire to try something new for her high school theater showcase. While videographic evidence of the routine has (thankfully) ceased to exist, her enthusiasm for swing dancing has never faded. When she went to Ball State University in 2011, she immediately joined the Swing Dance Society and became hooked on Blues and Jazz. Since then, she has been an avid student and teacher of Lindy Hop and Blues and has taught in Philadelphia, Mexico, and Peru. In her classes, Lauren centers improvisation, shaping, and rhythm play, and she particularly loves helping newer dancers feel expressive and playful on the dance floor.

Lauren is available for private lessons.

Matt Rapp

Specialties
Lindy Hop, Blues

Matt started dancing in Philadelphia in 2013 and learned Blues and Lindy Hop simultaneously. Before too long, he was dancing many times per week and traveling to large weekend events as much as his time and wallet would allow. He has taught Lindy Hop and Blues in the region for many years and is thrilled to be a part of Ragtag. Teaching is his favorite way of giving back to the scene, passing on the knowledge that his teachers gave to him, and building up the next generation of dancers in Philly.

Kate Holden

Specialties
Lindy Hop

Kate(she/her) discovered Lindy Hop in 2015 during her Freshman year at the University of Delaware Swing Club. She had done theatre for many years and wanted to improve her dance ability…and now all she does is swing dance. Kate teaches for RagTag, helps run Jazz Attack, DJs at dance events, and runs a weekly practice session. You’ve also probably seen her weekly posts advertising Jazz Attack and RagTag (hello!). Kate hopes to instill her great love for Lindy Hop in all her students. When teaching, she blends her deep need to make her students laugh with an even deeper need to encourage self-expression through dance. She values improvisation, rhythm exploration, and, above all, fun on the dance floor.

Kate is available for private lessons.

Mike McDermott

Specialties
Lindy Hop

Mike found Lindy Hop in 2013 during his Freshman year at the University of Delaware Swing Club. Since then he hasn’t looked back. He added a dance minor to his degree, started competing internationally, and has taught everywhere from professional dance studios to his home scene, Jazz Attack. He’s both the teacher coordinator and is venue support for Jazz Attack. In addition to this, he teaches for Ragtag and runs a weekly practice session at Urban Movement Arts. As a teacher, Mike values honing fundamentals and exploring unique movements and ideas on the dance floor - all with a touch of comedy.

Mike is available for private lessons