International Teacher Takeover!

This February, Cape Town Swing is thrilled to welcome Nancy Hitzig, Cat Foley, and Annette Walker for a month-long teaching residency packed with classes, workshops, open practices, and plenty of chances to dance together. It doesn’t matter what level you are; total beginners and advanced dancers alike will get so much from this residency, which is designed to meet you where you are, and gently, joyfully, push you further.

What makes this residency special is not just the calibre of the teachers (which is pretty darn high), but the way their skills and perspectives intersect: deep musicality, a love of improvisation, thoughtful technique, and an infectious enthusiasm for social dance culture.

Meet the Teachers

Nancy Hitzig

Nancy is known internationally for her grounded, musical approach to swing dance and her ability to make complex ideas feel accessible. Her teaching centres on connection, rhythm, and personal expression – helping dancers move beyond memorised patterns and into truly responsive dancing. Nancy has taught at festivals, workshops, and community events around the world, and brings a wealth of experience working with dancers at all stages of their journey.

During her time in Cape Town, Nancy will be leading drop-in classes, open practices, beginner and advanced-level workshops, creating space for dancers to explore improvisation, musical nuance, and confident social dancing.

Cat Foley

Cat brings a playful, creative energy to the dance floor, with a strong emphasis on communication, adaptability, and joy in movement. Her teaching encourages curiosity and experimentation, helping dancers feel more comfortable taking risks and finding their own voice within the dance.

Cat’s background spans social dancing, performance, and teaching, and she has a particular knack for breaking down ideas in a way that feels encouraging rather than intimidating. Expect classes that are dynamic, engaging, and full of moments where things suddenly click.

Annette Walker

Annette Walker, MA, BSc (Hons), DipHE, is an improvising jazz tap dancer, researcher, and educator whose work bridges performance, history, and critical inquiry. She is a versatile performing artist across dance, acting, and music, and she has appeared in a wide range of international and national productions spanning theatre, circus, contemporary dance, and concert performance. Notably, she featured as a tap dance soloist at the BBC Proms 2019, performing Duke Ellington’s Sacred Music at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Annette has been part of the tap dance and jazz community for over twenty years and is deeply committed to sharing both practice and history. She presents her work through workshops, talks, publications, and performance, and is a co-director of the Tap Dance Research Network UK as well as a co-founding member of the Jazz Dance Collective.

Learn more about Annette’s work at: https://linktr.ee/annetteuk

What’s Happening in February?

The February calendar is intentionally varied, offering multiple ways to engage:

• Weekly drop-in classes for beginners and intermediate dancers, followed by relaxed socials
• Weekend workshops ranging from beginner intensives to advanced sessions
• Special theme workshops, including improvisation and musicality
• Open practices with the teachers – a chance to ask questions, explore ideas, and dance together in an informal setting
• Parties and socials, including live jazz moments and collaboration with local venues
• Community events, such as a welcome night and talk, to connect dancers beyond the floor

You don’t need to commit to everything to benefit – come to a single class, a full workshop package, or dip in and out as your schedule allows. But we recommend purchasing a February bundle, for real value for money.

Special Talk: Buddy Bradley – Choreographing British Film and Theatre

Wednesday 4 February | Time & venue TBC

As part of the residency, Annette will present a dedicated talk on her research into African-American choreographer Buddy Bradley, a pivotal yet often under-credited figure in twentieth-century dance history.

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Buddy Bradley coached many stars of American Broadway musicals, including Fred and Adele Astaire, Ruby Keeler, and Eleanor Powell. Despite being well known and well paid within show business, he rarely received theatre programme credit for choreographing productions with white casts in the United States.

In 1930, Bradley was invited to London to choreograph the West End show Ever Green, starring Jessie Matthews. This marked his first official choreographic credit and launched a prolific career in Britain. Over the following decades, he staged more than thirty musical productions and choreographed numerous British musical films during his thirty-eight years working in the UK.

Annette’s presentation introduces Bradley’s choreographic work through clips and examples from 1930s British film, drawing on jazz, tap dance, ballet, modern dance, social ballroom, and musical theatre. The talk places this material within a broader historical framework, examining how racial stereotypes and the “invisibilisation” of Africanist perspectives shaped the development of twentieth-century Western European dance.

This talk will be of particular interest to swing and jazz dancers, teachers, and anyone curious about the deeper histories that underpin the dances we love today.

Why You Shouldn’t Miss This

Geographically speaking, we’re out on a limb here in Cape Town! Cross-pollination from international dance scenes is rare; most of us jump at the chance to dance with a visiting overseas dancer! We are kind of in our own little bubble, out of touch with what’s happening in the world of Swing! We were excited when we thought we were getting one international teacher, but getting three is a gift to be embraced whole-heartedly.

A teaching residency offers continuity. Instead of a single weekend of inspiration, you’ll have the chance to work with the same teachers over several weeks, revisit ideas, ask follow-up questions, and integrate what you’re learning into your social dancing. Use the opn practice sessions to really hone your skills.

This residency is also about community. The mix of classes, workshops, practices, and parties is designed to bring dancers together, across levels, roles, and backgrounds, and to celebrate what makes the Cape Town swing scene so vibrant and welcoming.

If you’ve been feeling stuck, curious, rusty, or simply excited to dance more, don’t miss February’s International Teacher Takeover!