5.000 year old history, strong ties to tradition and a distinct modern urban culture
If you are a foodie, a laid back, relaxed, beach lover, a history buff, an adrenaline junkie or a nature creature you will never want to leave this place
An ancient port in the South, turned into a Venetian fortress, turned into a 60's hippie hotspot, turned into the sunny summery secret getaway it is today for locals, tourists, artists and lately... dancers!
Coming to the island of Crete you will be arriving at one of its two largest cities Chania or Heraklion, by plane or ship from Athens.
From Heraklion, you can use public transportation to get to Chania and then to Paleochora. Public transportation in Crete is fairly cheap and easy to use
.
Heraklion Central Bus Station (KTEL):
site: www.ktelherlas.gr
Chania Bus Station (KTEL):
Another option is to rent a car. There is an abundance of rent a car agencies on the island and you can do it beforehand, online, or on the spot arriving at the airport. Prices vary depending on the company and your car of choice could start at around 25 to 40 euro per day.
Finally, a taxi from Chania to Paleochora would cost about 80-90 euro.
THE PEOPLE
Frida discovered Lindy hop in 2009 and instantly found her calling. As a dancer, she grew up on the social dance floor and that’s still where she feels the most at home. She takes her inspiration from the old clips as well as from her fellow dancers down at Chicago Swing Dance Studio in Stockholm, where she spends most of her days; teaching, DJ:ing or practicing with The Hot Shots. Her passion for jazz music has always been her main motivation, and when it comes to dancing as well as teaching she greatly values personal expression, rhythm and simplicity.
Fredrik Dahlberg
Fredrik Dahlberg was born and raised in Stockholm. Never had he a thought of becoming a dancer. Instead he spent his days listening to Hip-Hop and playing basketball. He moved to the south side and started to show interest in jazz music. One of his friends took him to a lindy hop class and at first he didn't show much of talent, struggling with what was left and right and up and down. Soon after he joined the famous swing dance company The Hot Shots. How was this even possible? With a mind set on nothing else (that is not entirely true) and some luck some might say. With a big portion of individual style and new ideas he brings something refreshing to the scene. He tried tap (and is still trying), but on the other hand he has advanced in dances like the lindy hop, the charleston and several other vernacular jazz dances which has entitled him several big awards in only a short period of time. He has been teaching in several international events such as Frankie 100, Herräng Dance Camp, Camp Jitterbug and traveled to perform around the globe in such places as Singapore, Greece, Korea, South Africa, Lithuania, China, Australia, France, Brazil, Canada, The U.S. and Mozambique among other. He is also an important part of the puzzle Chicago Swing Dance Studio where he has been teaching, djing, cleaning, providing guests with a smile and dancing at every opportunity he gets. Fredrik is a time optimist and an optimist in general. In his free time, which is almost non-existent, he writes poetry, quotes the Godfather trilogy and watches the NBA. Besides his mother tongue Swedish he also speaks fluent English and practices Portugues. You can contact him through the record store 'runtrunt' where he claims to be working. If he works or not is a good question but at least we know that's where he practices his footworks and crazy ideas. He also plays the trumpet and is learning to play piano.
Lizette Rönnkvist
Lizette is a dance teacher and a member of the famous swing dance company the Hot Shots. Swing dancing has been part of her life for a long time as she started dancing at the age of nine in her home town Borås. Todays she is based in Stockholm, Sweden and travels the world to perform, dance and teach various dance styles from the swing era. Lizette puts a lot of value into personal style and a solid rhythm.
Patrik is a performer and dance instructor, living in Stockholm, Sweden. He spends most of his time working with the famous swing dance company The Hot Shots (formerly The Harlem Hot Shots), in which he has been a member since 2015.
The genuine spirit of the swing era, and in particular the dancing that came from the Savoy Ballroom and the Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers, have always been his main focus and inspiration. Besides dance, Patrik also plays the tenor saxophone in Hornsgatan Ramblers.
"Hornsgatan Ramblers" is a jazz band from Stockholm, Sweden. Their main focus is set on rhythm and swing, from the more or less legal ballrooms of New York in the thirties and forties. The band was started in the autumn of 2009, when a few swing dancers in Stockholm decided to form a band and to start playing the music that they loved to dance to, to explore it further and reach a deeper understanding of it. 15 years later, you can find them in some of the biggest dance festivals in the world!
photo by Joel Höglund
TBA
Organizers
Jazz Train-Dance Community (former Jazz Train studio) was founded in 2015 by Vasiliki Doudoulaki (a passionate dance lover from Crete). She started Chania Lindy Hop and Crossroads Blues communities shortly after with Kostas Kokolakis. Vasiliki likes good old jazz music, african-american dances and creating teams that work together to create "handmade" events such as jazz shows, workshops, festivals, social dances, theatre performances, always with a cozy-family atmosphere.
The organizing team -LSCTeam- is an awesome group of Chania Lindy Hoppers, who share same the passion and a similar vision of "a Little Swing festival" and contribute to every aspect of it's planning and execution.
You can check out a few of our adventures through the years here