LaTasha Barnes is the queen of the Spring Lindy Weekend.

A Bessie-Award winner, LaTasha is a celebrated and award-winning performer and dance teacher, a decorated U.S. Army veteran and bearer of the Black American Social Dance tradition. LaTasha is world-renowned for her musicality, athleticism and joyful presence across African-American cultural traditions: House Dance, Hip-Hop, Waacking, Authentic Jazz and Lindy Hop. The New York Times said of her most recent collaboration with Caleb Teicher on ‘Swing Out’: ‘Barnes is especially extraordinary for how the past and the present can cut through her....’. Barnes aims to inspire fellow artists and art enthusiasts to champion “artivism” by cultivating an authentic sense of self and intention in their creative expressions and daily lives. LaTasha returns to Pamplona with all her energy, ready to share all her knowledge.

AJ Howard is a New York-based Lindy Hop instructor and dancer with nearly a decade of experience. His upbeat and energetic teaching style creates a fun and supportive environment for students to learn and grow. In addition to teaching and dancing socially, AJ loves to compete and has participated in local and international competitions. As a proud member of the California Swing Dance Hall of Fame, he is committed to sharing his joy of dance with everyone and helping dancers of all levels develop their skills in their journeys through dance. After his impact at SLW24, AJ returns to Pamplona with all his charisma and infectious energy.

Laura Glaess has been one of the most influential voices in Lindy Hop competitions and teaching for the past 20 years. She has won countless international awards and accolades and has taught at festivals in 22 countries, on 5 continents. Her YouTube channel, dedicated to Lindy Hop history, vocabulary, partner work and body movement, is one of the most popular and influential on the scene. This Spring Lindy Weekend we will have the honour of having her in Pamplona.

Ariadna Beltrán and Simon Bresanelli form a spectacular, energetic and rhythmic couple, who love the interaction between the individual, the music and the partner during a dance, and how this can turn into a beautiful conversation. Together, they have won International Lindy Hop Championships, The Savoy Cup and The Korean Lindy Hop Championships, among others. Their passion for dance and swing culture has grown with them and is something they constantly strive to develop and express, whether in classes, on stage or in competitions. The Spring Lindy Weekend will finally experience one of the most influential ‘Spanish’ dance couples on the international Lindy Hop scene.

Simon Bressanelli and Ariadna Beltrán form a spectacular, energetic and rhythmic couple, who love the interaction between the individual, the music and the partner during a dance, and how this can turn into a beautiful conversation. Together, they have won International Lindy Hop Championships, The Savoy Cup and The Korean Lindy Hop Championships, among others. Their passion for dance and swing culture has grown with them and is something they constantly strive to develop and express, whether in classes, on stage or in competitions. We can't wait to learn some from this pair of superstars at the Spring Lindy Weekend 2025!

Nathan is known worldwide for his intimately rhythmic style of Lindy Hop and vernacular jazz. He "rocked the stage" at Carnegie Hall, dancing Lindy Hop with the New York Pops Orchestra; he performed in Harlem’s famous Apollo Theater in Swingin' Frankie's Way; and he danced in the CT&Co's More Forever, at Jacob's Pillow. Nathan is also co-creator/choreographer of the Joyce Theater's SW!NG OUT, one of the greatest theatrical presentations of Lindy Hop in the modern era. His on-film appearances include: My Fair Wedding, Great Gatsby Bride, Making Money with Charles Payne, Fox and Friends Christmas and Rebel In The Rye. Nathan is based in New York City, where he performs frequently and teaches social-dance classes. He has taught at the Columbia University Swing Club since 2006, and he is adjunct dance faculty at Marymount College.

Marta started dancing in Vigo in 2013, and after her first 2 years there she went to different cities where she learned new styles and different dance techniques. Together with Pedro Vieira, Marta has taught many Shag, Boogie, Aerial, Lindy and Jazz Steps classes all over Spain and Europe.
Marta and Pedro will be teaching at the Beginners Pass and a special Shag track.

Pedro Vieira started dancing Lindy Hop and Solo Jazz in 2012, during his teenage years and started teaching in 2013. Since then he runs his own school.
Together with Marta Chamosa, Pedro has taught many Shag, Boogie, Aerial, Lindy and Solo Jazz classes all over Europe. Fresh from winning the Snowball 2024 Solo Jazz competition, Pedro will be teaching with Marta on the Beginners Track and a special Shag track.

Kelly Isaac (USA) grew up in Washington DC and had the privilege of studying with many Tap legends, including Harold Nicholas, Gregory Hines, Henry LeTang, Ted Levy and Savion Glover, among many others.

Kelly has travelled the world performing and teaching in over 30 countries. For the past 25 years, he has taught in various studios, universities and festivals. Kelly currently lives in Spain where he teaches regularly. At the Spring Lindy Weekend 2025, we will have the opportunity to choose Tap classes with Kelly, designed for the intermediate level and above, and compatible with some levels of the Solo Jazz Pass and Full Pass.

Maka (France) is a musician, DJ, dancer and promoter of Jazz culture. Widely recognised on the scene, you can find him playing double bass and DJing at Herräng, or teaching music classes for Lindy Hop dancers at any European event. At the Spring Lindy Weekend, he will coordinate our DJ team and offer an ‘Experience’ about music and dance. Here is a message for you from Maka: "Congratulations stranger. Normally nobody reads DJ descriptions. To reward you for this achievement, if you come to me with the password ‘Dogmatic Squid’, I will play a song of your choice (songs available in the following genres: swing, Rnb, vegetarian grindcore). Bless you."

The Reverent Juke has been the flagship of the Spring Lindy Weekend nights in recent years. And if we have the best band, why should we change? They play ad lib or arrange tunes by Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Fletcher Henderson, Chick Webb, Earl Hines, and even Buddy Johnson. ‘Reverent Juke plays classics and some gems from the golden age of Swing.
With an explosive rhythm section built on Tom Lambrecht's drums, Andrew Bolton's bass and vocals and Julien Gillain's step, the Reverent Juke sets Swing on fire with its three winds, Martin Bolton on clarinet, Pauline Leblond on trumpet and Mathieu Najean on sax, playing their instruments till they burn in hell! This will be their fourth participation in the Spring Lindy Weekend! They will perform on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings.

Martin Burguez & His Rhythm Combo present: ‘Stomping the Beat’, a repertoire with influences ranging from Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, Johnny Hodges, among others.
An explosion of Swing, capturing the essence of the Savoy Ballroom's fiery nights, ‘Stomping the Beat’ is a living celebration of Swing's glorious era, reviving the spirit of the legendary party nights in Harlem, where every tune was an invitation to dance and every concert, a journey back in time.
Martin Burguez & His Rhythm Combo have been present at such renowned events as Savoy Cup or Studio Hop Summer Camp, now arriving at Spring Lindy Weekend with the desire to set the dancefloor on fire!

The Iruña Brass Band will accompany us once again this year at the Second Line on Sunday at midday. With a 100% New Orleans repertoire, the Iruña Brass Band features professional musicians who have specialised in this type of performance and who have even shared the stage at the Vitoria-Gasteiz Jazz Festival with New Orleans trombonist Craig Klein.

The Rumblin' Groove Jazz Band was created in 2022 thanks to a collaboration between students, Big Kick Swing teachers and professional musicians from Pamplona. With a repertoire ranging from hits from the Swing Era (Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald...) to more modern versions of Rhythm and Blues, the Rumblin' offer a musical journey through the history of 20th-century African-American music.Jazz.

If you are unclear which level to take, please consult your local teachers. Solo Jazz and Lindy Hop tracks will run at the same time, so it is not possible to do both. However, you could take Solo Jazz Advanced and Tap Classes. 

Tap classes will only be compatible with Party Pass, Lindy Hop Master level, Lindy Hop Advanced level and Solo Jazz Advanced level. They can also be taken on their own, if you don't have time to participate in any other paid activity of the festival.

What is the future of Lindy Hop and Solo Jazz? Find out from LaTasha Barnes, in her only event in Spain. You will discover her work as a researcher, together with Lindy Hop, Hip Hop and African dancers, which gave rise to her show ‘Into the Continuum’. All Full Pass and Solo Jazz Passes will work with LaTasha to establish a creative connection with the elements of Jazz, both musically and physically.

On Thursday the 1st of May, in the afternoon, Marta Chamosa and Pedro Vieira will share their secrets as Collegiate Shag dancers in this 3-hour workshop, which is compatible with any festival pass. Book your place and take advantage of the opportunity to have these two European references.

If you are a musician and you dream of participating in Jazz Jams, but you don't dare, or you would like to learn tricks and ideas to improvise more freely, this is for you. Maka is a famous trombonist and double bass player in the European Swing and Jazz scene, and he has been working for years at Herräng Dance Camp coordinating musicians from all over the world, offering musicality classes for dancers and organising Jazz Jams. Bring your instrument, because in addition to this 2-hour workshop for musicians, which will be held on Friday morning, you will be able to put what you have learned into practice in a jam in the main hall of the Baluarte. Don't miss it!

On Saturday at midday, in front of the Baluarte, opposite the Sala de Armas de la Ciudadela, we will be holding a Swing Picnic, enlivened by the Rumblin' Groove Jazz Band. We will have a bar service, with options of "montaditos" and other snacks. Bring your sandwich, your tupperware... and enjoy the best Jazz tunes in an incredible setting. In the event of bad weather, a concert will be held inside the Sala de Armas.

This year's Spring comes with four nights of live music:

• Martin Burguez & his Rhythm Combo will kick off the Spring Lindy Weekend 2025 on Thursday night at Baluarte.
• On Friday at midday there will be a Jazz Jam coordinated by Maka in the main hall of Baluarte.
• Reverent Juke and Martín Burguez & his Rhythm Combo in a party that promises to be unrepeatable on Friday night at Baluarte.
• The Rumblin' Groove Jazz Band will be livening up the Swing Picnic at the Pamplona Citadel (next to Baluarte) on Saturday at midday.
• On Saturday night, Reverent Juke will offer us another spectacular concert in Baluarte.
• The Iruña Brass Band will take us through the streets of Pamplona on Sunday at midday, in the purest Second Line style.
• Reverent Juke will close the festival on Sunday night at the farewell party, the most special night of the festival.

The Spring Lindy Weekend is more than a Lindy Hop and Solo Jazz event. It aims to be a tribute to African-American culture. The experiences propose an exploration of other dance and art forms of this wonderful cultural heritage. Dare to push your boundaries:

• House, with LaTasha Barnes, a worldwide House figure.
• Break Dance with "Team Rockers", a Break Dance group from Navarre, founded in 2002.
• Line Dance with AJ Howard, a lover of this type of artistic expression so characteristic and fun in African-American culture.
• Afro Urban, with Mohamed Diabaté and Yema Fima. Lindy Hop, Solo Jazz and Hip Hop are American dances with African Roots... how did African dance develop since with common roots? Discover African Urban Dance.
• Jazz Music & Jazz Dance, with Maka. Do you really listen and interpret the music when you dance? Turn your body into an instrument of the band.

• More will be added to these proposals in the near future. Think about which ones are your favorites, because you will have to choose. Only included with Full Pass or Solo Jazz Pass.

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

The Baluarte Conference Centre is located in the centre of Pamplona and is the best possible setting for a festival. With wooden stage floors and rooms of up to 450 square metres without columns, all classes (except Beginners Pass) and the festival's night parties will be held there, so you don't have to travel to different locations. During the night, two rooms will be available for dancing, the main room with live music, and an extra room with DJ if you don't want to follow the competitions, or if you prefer to dance with more space at the peak of the night.

Pamplona is the capital of the historic kingdom of Navarre, one of the regions with the most valuable heritage and landscape in Europe. If possible, reserve several days to visit the streets of the city, with its famous gastronomy, the Pyrenean valleys of the north, with incredible beech forests and mountains, the desert of the Bardenas Reales, the Middle Ages and its castles and medieval villages... Part of the Spring Lindy Weekend will be held in the picturesque squares and streets of Pamplona. If you haven't been before, you will be surprised.

By plane. Pamplona has a small airport with daily connections to Madrid (www.iberia.com) and weekly connections to the Canary Islands (www.bintercanarias.com). Flying to Pamplona with a stopover in Madrid may be an option for you, if you want to travel fast, although the price may vary a lot to Pamplona. Bilbao airport is usually one of the gateways to the festival, due to its proximity (about two and a half hours by public transport) and the number of flights, with connections to the main European capitals. You can also check the airports of Vitoria (1 hour away), and Zaragoza (2 hours away). Others may choose to fly to Madrid or Barcelona and reach Pamplona by train (about 4 hours).

By train. The most environmentally efficient means of transportation. Pamplona is connected by train directly with Madrid, Barcelona, Zaragoza, Burgos, Valladolid, La Coruña, Vigo, Lleida, and many others... (renfe.com).

By bus. Companies such as ALSA (www.alsa.es), with connections to Soria and San Sebastian; PLM (www.plmautocares.com), connections to Madrid and Logroño; Cuadrabus (https://cuadrabuslineas.com/), connections to Bilbao; Monbus (www.monbus.es/es), connections to Lleida, Tarragona and Barcelona; Burundesa (www.laburundesa.com), with connections to Vitoria and Irun (Hendaye); Bilmanbus (https://web.bilmanbus.es/), with connections to Alicante and Valencia.

By BlaBlaCar. For road trips it is highly recommended to take a look at BlaBlacar (www.blablacar.es), where you will be able to share a car and have a fairly cheap trip, and perhaps, from different destinations.