The Organizing Team

Claudia Petrilli - Event Director — Claudia organizes and coordinates just about all of Swing Dynamite's events. From logistics to promo, she makes things happen for Shag Explosion! She has a deep love of vintage jazz and blues music, and if you're lucky you've heard her DJ at events such as the Canadian Swing Championships or the Canadian Balboa Championships.

Natalia Rueda - Artistic Director (Ottawa, ON) — Also the Artistic Director for Swing Dynamite, Natalia lends her expertise to ensuring the weekend is an amazing experience for everyone, from taking classes to watching or competing in the the Canadian Shag Dance Championships.

Byron Alley - Producer — As founder of Swing Dynamite, Byron is passionate about sharing the spirit of all swing dance styles. He's especially happy that Shag Explosion has raised the profile of this exciting and historically important swing dance in Canada!

Bill Ewanick - Shag Ambassador — Together with Devon, Bill has worked to raise the profile of Shag in Ottawa and even Canada, mostly by dancing his butt off and winning awards such as the "Hardcore" and "Attitude" prizes at CSC. Bill performs with several Swing Dynamite teams, and he's the current Carleton Swing president.

Devon Black - Shag Ambassador — Devon's dancing with Bill brought Shag to the Canadian Swing Championships two years in a row--first in the 2007 Fast division, competing against some of the world's best fast dancers, and with a showcase choreography in 2008! Devon was also president of SwingUO last year.