About us
A Montreal-based team of air steps experts excited to guide you in your journey through the air.
Your "Air"structors
Director
Annie Trudeau
Before discovering the authentic jazz dances, Annie was a competitive gymnast and then graduated from a bachelor's degree in engineering physics at École Polytechnique de Montréal in 2004. However, the artistic, entrepreneurial and physical appeal for dancing had her fully jump into the world of performing and teaching Lindy Hop in 2007, seven years after her first rock-steps.
Annie has 24 years of experience as a dancer, is a mom of 2 girls, she co-founded Studio 88 Swing in Montréal and directed the Swinging Air Force performance dance troupes for 16 years, she won international competitions*, traveled in more than 15 countries to teach and share her passion for dancing, was hired as a judge for major national and international events, choreographed for Cirque du Soleil and performed for many TV shows. One of her main specialty is definitely the air steps - she really loves to fly and she also loves to teach YOU how to fly! Her coaches abilities can also be demonstrated by the fact that most of the Lindy Air crew are her dance students!
*A few titles she feels proud of:
Frankie 95 Hellzapoppin' contest in NYC - 1st place
ILHC Showcase 2008 to 2013 inclusively - that's 6 gold medals
European Swing Dance Championships 2013 1st place Showcase
Invitational Strictly ILHC 2013
As a coach: Team SAF Squad ILHC 1st place 2010-2011-2014 and multiple times Canadian champions.
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Main Airstructor
Michel Campeau
Swing dancer since 2014, Michel progressed quickly within the Swinging Air Force in Montreal and now practices Lindy Hop as a passion and a career. Since 2018, he has taught swing full-time, won national and international team and duo competitions with Alice Bourgasser, and coaches several Lindy Hop and Solo Jazz teams.
In 2023 and 2024, he won the title of Canadian champion with Alice. This year, they have ranked 1st in the Strictly All-Star International Lindy Hop Championships (ILHC). Michel has taught and performed across Europe, America and Asia.
His core values as a teacher and performer are the enjoyment of dance, surpassing oneself, comfort within the movement and the connection between music and the body. He also gives importance to the history of Jazz and its context.
His classes are fun, motivating and contain a unique energy that reflects his personality.
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Main Airstructor
Alice Bourgasser
Alice Bourgasser was trained at National Choreographic Center of Roubaix (France) as an interpreter and contemporary dance teacher, between 2013 and 2016. Graduated in dance from the University of Lille 3 and from the « Pôle Supérieur de Musique et de Danse du Nord Pas-de-Calais », she moves to Montreal in 2016 to start a master thesis in dance at UQAM (Quebec University in Montreal). Her research master’s degree focuses on Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers’ dancing, lindy-hop pioneer dancers. Since 2016, Alice is practicing and teaching both contemporary and vernacular jazz (mostly solo jazz and lindy-hop) in Montreal. She started the swing contest circuit since 2017 and won several medals in both lindy-hop (Canadian Champion 2023 and 2024, 1st strictly all-star division ILHC 2024) and solo jazz (2nd all star solo jazz ILHC 2023, 2nd advanced division at Stompology 2023). In 2021, Alice has been accepted for a doctorate in the study and practice of the arts (DEPA) in UQAM. She currently continues her journey of understanding African-American jazz culture through a research-creation project.
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More "Air"structors
Main Airstructor
Stéphane Collin
Stéphane "Jiver" began doing acrobatic Rock and Roll at the Mirta Cat dance school on the South Shore of Montreal at the age of 14. Ten years later, in 1998, he discovered Lindy Hop and became one of the pioneers of the Swinging Air Force dance team and the Studio 88 Swing in Montreal, Canada. He was inspired by great acrobats like Nathalie Gomes and Yuval Hod. He was part of the first Canadian team to get recognition in the United States in 2001 and pursued with the internationally decorated SAF Squad until 2016, under the direction of Annie Trudeau.
With decades of experience, Jiver knows how to break down acrobatics into learning steps and subtly recognizes the energy transfers and dynamics unique to each. He also specializes in spotting, which is an absolutely vital element in learning any acrobatics, especially the more risky ones.
Stéphane Collin, aka Jiver, represents for me the pinnacle of knowledge in acrobatic technique for the basics and is also the best spotter anyone could wish for. He is stable, calm, and instills confidence in his colleagues. An excellent instructor, he is passionate about acrobatics and is committed to ensuring that his students are well supported throughout the process.
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Main Airstructor
Coralie Bazinet
In 2009, Coralie discovered took her very first beginner Lindy Hop class. Ever since, she has never stopped dancing! Her passion and unconditional love for swing dance have allowed her to climb the ranks through various performance groups at Studio 88 Swing. In June 2013, she joined the SAF Squad, the studio's elite team, which has won multiple international championships, and in 2017, she became a co-coach when Annie Trudeau left for maternity. Coralie also participates in numerous competitions, having won several awards at international contests. More recently, she joined the Invitational division of the International Lindy Hop Championship (ILHC) in New York alongside her partner Antoine Simard. In addition to the joy of dancing, performing, and competing, Coralie loves teaching and being in contact with people; what brings her the most joy is making sure her students have a great time! She also became recently a mom to her and Antoine's son Milo!
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FAQ
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What does a membership include?
Wheather you choose the monthly or the yearly membership, you will have access to all videos for all levels (beginner to expert, including the ''Tools'' course). The only condition in unblocking the access to the levels above beginner is that we require you to send us a video of yourself performing one air step at the end of each level, in order for us to assess your readiness to try the riskier material involved in that next block. In exchange for that, you will get free feedback! But most of all, you will be accompanied in a safer practice of Lindy Hop air steps.
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Is there going to be new material added to the existing courses?
Of course we will add new air steps as we go! This is the launching version of Lindy Air and it took Annie and her team a while to put it together but now, we have momentum and we are ready to shoot a whole new bunch of air steps. We will double the content by beginning of 2025 and want to be upgrading the content regularly after that as well.
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What if I want to work on an air step that is not part of the curriculum?
If there is an air step you really want to work on and is not yet part of the Lindy Air curriculum, there are two things you can do. 1- Let us know! So we can add it to our list for future shoots. 2- Take privates with Annie or any airstructor of the team, they will gladly give you tips on how to tackle that challenge and will provide you precise and helpful ways to break it down.
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Who is the Lindy Air Program designed for?
Whether you are a beginner aerialist or a fierce competitor, you will find valuable lessons on air steps of all levels, but you will also learn how to work on them safely, how to get a helpful spotter, and how to gradually work your way around the challenges inherent to each and everyone of them. We have experience working with total beginners as well as training elite dancers!
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Why would I choose Lindy Air?
The Lindy Air Program is unique. It gathers decades of knowledge from internationally respected experts on the acrobatic aspect of Lindy Hop dancing. It is detailed, thorough, accessible and is designed to make you a better acrobat. It is fun, challenging, yet it takes the risks very seriously so it teaches you how to safe & smart about your practice.