Pirate Swing Crew

Jesse started dancing in 1998 and soon began travelling to exchanges and workshops all over the country. One year she mentioned to Zach how she would really like to bring a particular set of instructors up to Ann Arbor for a workshop. Zach said "why not?" and thus the organizing began.

Jesse wears many hats for Pirate Swing including Housing Coordinator, Teacher Liaison, and probably some others that don't have names. Her favorite organizational task is making lists of things we might need at the event that we haven't thought of yet.

That's right, this ship has two Captains. Deal with it. Zach has been dancing and attending events around the country since 2007. He enjoyed them so much that he wanted to be a part of putting one on. After a small workshop in 2008 to gain some experience, Pirate Swing was born.

Zach also wears many hats including DJ Coordinator, Webmaster, Band Liaison, and Accountant. He spends countless hours before the event making sure everything is in order so the event can run smoothly.

Benjamin is our trusted First Mate. He is responsible for a lot of what makes the workshop tick along. Yeah, he's a slave. We make him move heavy boxes, drive people places, put out chairs and tables, and put them all back when we're done.

Seriously though, he's our go-to guy. If something needs to happen, and it needs to happen right now, he can handle it. Whenever he is involved in our events he brings +5 to stress reduction, and we love him for it.

Tia is our Volunteer Coordinator. She ensures that everyone knows when their volunteer shift is, and that they're in the right place at the right time. Our wonderful volunteers are a key part of what makes Pirate Swing run smoothly and efficiently.

Sara's sole responsibility is to keep the teachers well-fed during the event. Healthy, homemade meals make for happier teachers! In 2012, she made some fantastic meals for our teachers. We know our teachers will appreciate her efforts again!

Justin was a Pirate in a former lifetime. His primary duty at Pirate Swing is to do whatever isn't being done at any given time. He fills in empty volunteer slots, helps the bands with their loading/unloading, and does anything else that might be needed.

Powder Monkey was a pretty terrible job. We aren't quite that mean though... or maybe we don't want to give Justin responsibility for anything that might explode.

Braden has been shooting swing dancers for almost four years, live music for almost five, and people in general for as long as he's been able to hold a camera. A little too fascinated with antiquated mechanical technology, he only grudgingly made the switch to digital two years ago, but has since fallen in love. He's carving a name for himself in the Midwest as the ultimate people shooter, doing everything from weddings and senior portraits, to band promos and model portfolios, and all with a signature style that appeals to those that want something a little more than ordinary. You can view his website at http://www.madebyhandphotography.com.

John is a dancer with a camera, who shoots pictures purely for the fun of it. His goal is to convey how fun and awesome dancing is, so if you are a laid back dancer who laughs a lot and doesn't take things seriously, you'll probably find his lens pointed at you a lot over the weekend.

At other times, he is easy to spot on the dance floor. If he's not dancing, he's probably got a camera on him. He might be dancing on the floor with the camera on. He might be on the floor taking pictures, or raising his camera up high for a blind shot looking for interesting angles. As the night wears on, he'll shed his original outfit for many iterations of colorful, tacky car-themed t-shirts.