About us

Dorry and Sommer run Charm City Swing. They met swing dancing in 1999 and were married several years later. Dorry is a doctor (and an amateur photographer) and Sommer is a math professor at the Naval Academy (and an aerobics instructor). In their free time they teach, compete, and perform all over the world. They were the 2004 Virginia State Open champions and went on to 5th place in the American Showcase overall competition. More information about them can be found on their website www.dorryandsommer.com.

Colleen started swing dancing in 1998 while studying at Ithaca College's School of Music. She has burned up dance floors in NYC, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and DC, and is currently a music teacher and long-distance runner. Colleen brings atheleticism, musicality, and a sense of humor to her dancing. From Colleen: "I am proud and excited to be introducing others to the dance that has brought me so much joy and so many new friends over the years!"

Bobby and Kate hail from Georgia, where they used to do nothing but rock on the front porch drinking mint juleps and wearing linen suits. They began dancing together in 2004, and since have won many top placements in national and regional comeptitions. They teach Lindy Hop, Balboa, Collegiate Shag, aerials, and classic solo jazz routines like The Big Apple, Dean's Shim Sham, Al & Leon's Shim Sham, and several versions of the Hokey Pokey. Check out www.bobbykate.com for more info.

Jason and Emily met at Charm City Swing. Jason began dancing the first night Charm City Swing opened its doors. Emily waltzed in a couple weeks later after realizing she needed something more than tap in her dancing repertoire, and both quickly became addicted. While it wasn't quite love at first sight, they've been dancing together and dating since. You'll find them at Austin Grill every Monday -- Jason spinning some tunes as a DJ for CCS, both of them greeting dancers at the door, and occasionally teaching the beginners a lesson or two.

Cassie was born and raised in the heart of wine country-Sonoma, California, and is currently a student at the Johns Hopkins University. Cassie began dancing in the San Francisco Bay Area and has traveled widely throughout the United States and Europe to study and enjoy the dances she loves. She has taught in the San Francisco Bay Area and presently teaches dance for Johns Hopkins and Baltimore's Charm City Swing. Her style is passionate and playful and as a teacher she emphasizes musicality, partner connection, and the potential for spontaneous creativity which Swing and Blues inspire and embody. Check out jhu.charmcityswing.com for more information on Cassie's classes.

Tim wandered in off the street and for some reason just won't go away. Winner of the singular "Obsession" award at the 1st Annual Charm City Swing Dance competition, Tim lives for the chance to share his addiction, uh...., love of dance.., whenever he can. In particular, Tim has dived deep into the world that is Balboa, and can occasionally be heard to say "Lindy Hop? That sounds so familiar...Wait a minute, it'll come to me..."

From Charlie: "Hi all, I've been performing, teaching, and judging for 15 years. Most recently I choreographed and performed in our nation's WW2 Memorial Dedication show which played to a live audience of 117,000. I've had the honor of judging national level competitions and performing on stage with a few childhood idols in dance and music. I'm very happy to be part of Charm City Swing. See you on the dance floor!"

Rebecca is a singer by trade, getting her masters in music at the Peabody Conservatory. Initially inspired by swing dancing, she branched out to other dance forms as well. She started teaching swing and salsa classes 5 years ago in Dallas for nightclubs and University of Texas classes. She is a dynamic and elegant dancer who currently teaches, dances, and competes all over the region.

Past instructors

Alan has been dancing since before the GAP commercials. He has been teaching swing classes since 2000 at Virginia Tech. He has a passion for teaching people how to enjoy dancing and just have fun. Alan is a doctor of pharmacy student at the University Of Maryland School Of Pharmacy and is graduating in May of 2006. He likes movies and climbing on things.
* Alan moved to Nashville in July 2006 to persue his pharmaceutical career at Vanderbilt. We'll miss him!

Andi and Owen met in high school. They learned to swing dance together and continued dancing together all over the east coast throughout college. Owen joined and eventually became captain of the West Philly Swingers before they moved to Baltimore. They are fantastic and avid social dancers in Baltimore and throughout the northeast, and have taught in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. In real life, Owen is an IT professional and Andi is an elementary school music teacher.
* Andi and Owen movied to New York in July 2005. They instructed the first breed of Charm City Swing dancers who are now pleasantly addicted to swing.

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