Paulette Brockington

Paulette Brockington has worked with dance, theatre & opera companies. A former Arts Educator of the Year and Michigan Heritage Award Fellow, she is an active artist-in-residence & workshop teacher. Her work has led her to Japan, the UK, Sweden, Germany, Norway & Canada and across the USA.

She has been a member of and/or guest artist with modern dance companies, ballet companies, acting companies and opera companies. She is a versatile performer able to perform in a number of styles. An active artist-in-residence and workshop teacher, she has choreographed and performed, receiving honors/awards and grants for her work. She has works in the repertory of MixedBlood (Toronto), Ballethnic Dance Company (Atlanta), House of Jit (Detroit) and Body Rhythm Dance Theatre (Detroit) as well as her own A Company of Dancers.

She has had featured roles in a number of films the most recent being “A Royal Family Holiday” (2015) with Viveca A. Fox, Debbi Morgan & Tachina Arnold. She has been an Assistant Professor on the faculties of WCCCD, Marygrove College and Michigan State University and a Master Teacher for the Traditional Arts Program.

The late Frankie Manning mentored her in Lindy Hop and other dances of the Swing Era. On the swing dance circuit she is a former World Fast Dance Champion, World Swing Dance Champion and Open Hustle Champion. She founded The American Lindy Hop Championships and continues to direct it. She,also, coaches & teaches a variety of dance styles around the world. She recently designed an online dance program called Savoy Dance Bums to teach jazz dance steeped in steps from the 1920s through the 1960s. She has rebranded those steps as Swing Era Hip Hop.

In addition Paulette designed a Lindy curriculum which she has been using as a Master Teacher in Michigan's Traditional Arts Program. It has since been reimagined as a Lindy Teacher Training Bootcamp and most recently as the Lindy Technique & Teacher Training Workshop Series which covers roughly 3000 vernacular dance steps. Its goal is to fortify one's Lindy vocabulary with consistent teaching principles and a clear understanding of Lindy's place in society from the 1920s 'til today. It offers 60 contact hours/20 CTLEs toward for a Certificate of Completion. It is approved by the New York State Department of Education. In addition, in an effort to make her training series universal and accessible she is a Fulbright Specialist available for edcuation projects through World Learning in the US State Department until January 2025.

Find additional information by clicking on the following:

Vernacular Dance Residency program

Read Strutters Quarterly 1
Read Strutters Quarterly 2

Find Paulette

Workshop
Los Angeles, CA
February. 2024

Lindy Technique & Lindy Teacher Training Workshop Series
New York, NY
Tentatively scheduled for June 8-9, 2024
August 2-4, 2024
October 12-13, 2024
November 8-10, 2024
March 1-2, 2025
April 2025

Ballroom Xplosion
Cleveland, OH
May 16-19, 2024

Camp Jitterbug
Seattle, Washington
May 24-27, 2024

Body Rhythm DanceTheatre Residency
Detroit, MI
May 30 - June 1, 2024

US3 Spring Into Health Campaign
384 Grand @ Suffolk St., NY, NY (Chinatown)
June 13, 2024

Casting Call
Savoy Dance Bums Choreography Workshop
June 26, 2024

61st Congress on Dance Research
Athens, Greece
July 2-7, 2024

DJing
The Harlem Roots and Rhythm Urban Dance Festival
Harlem School of the Arts
645 St. Nicholas Ave., New York, NY 10027
8pm, September 21,2024

American Lindy Hop Championships
233 W. 125th St., NY, NY
Oct. 18-20, 2024

Stay tuned

Rent my dance floor!

Available for rent in metro Detroit only. Includes set-up and removal. Click the CONTACT for more information.

Paulette is a versatile dance educator and a stunning choreographer. She elevates the art form, and doesn't shy away from contemporary issues in choreography. Paulette is a well-rounded teacher and director, and creates lovely and compelling imagery through dance."

--- Christina-Marie Sears, Maple Street Studios

"Hey friends, if you’ve ever considered learning to swing dance, please check out the online lessons being offered by Paulette Brockington. Paulette learned from one of the originals- Frankie Manning- and it’s the coolest thing to be able to say I learned from someone who learned from one of the creators of Lindy Hop! I’m basically Frankie Manning’s granddaughter since I’m one of Paulette’s Lindy babies 🤣

Paulette not only knows her content, but she makes learning fun by teaching the group dances you see at socials and in the movies. I am so thankful I was able to take her classes and you will be too if you do. Highly recommend. Miss you and our weekly classes, Paulette!"

--- Lauren Lindz

"Get a chance to learn with one of the best! Paulette Brockington introduced me to lindy hop/swing and has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the history behind the dances you could learn in her classes. As one of the few who initially learned from the legendary Frankie Manning, being her student is part of sharing that legacy of movement. Real talk, she is encouraging but also give you a challenge when you need it - don’t be afraid to come in with an open mind for dance, and what you want to achieve."

--- Danni Wu

"Paulette is more than just a dancer, more than just a teacher. She is a walking repository of history and artistry. She is a true artist in many ways and she truly cares about bringing the best out of people. With her guidance, I’ve even performed on multiple stages without ever considering myself a performer. If you have the opportunity to work with her you'd witness the best of varieties of dance, the best of history, and, possibly, the best of yourself."

--- Steve Johnson

"The best dance teacher. I loved her class. And as for class, she is pure class. Beautiful, loving, caring and dedicated to a phenomenal craft. She makes it seem effortless. She will always have my deep respect. Thank you Paulette for showing me the “steps” to pure self expression."

--- Diane Cook

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CONTACT