Meet Your 2026 Instructors:
(plus 3 more!)
Brandon Barker
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Brandon Barker began his dancing journey with ballet at three years old. He immediately found a passion for dance and decided to pursue it seriously. With a foundation grounded in ballet training, he went on to train in the styles of Horton, Graham, West African, Limon, contemporary, and Dunham. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
He discovered Lindy Hop through classes with Clyde Wilder and Samuel Coleman. Having been born and raised in Harlem, New York, he feels profoundly connected to Lindy Hop’s origins and has found an identity through improvisation and social dancing. He started travelling to several lindy hop events that were local and worldwide to further his knowledge and skillsets.
He has placed first in all star solo jazz at the International Lindy Hop Championships, 3rd in the invitational draw at LindyFest, and first in the open showcase at Camp Hollywood to name just a few achievements.
It has been a joy of his Lindy Hop journey to be in a show sponsored by the Joyce Theatre called “SW!NG OUT” which highlights the fun choreography and improvisation of Lindy Hop.
Brandon is also an accomplished hip hop dancer and instructor performing with MopTop Universal where he has trained in the foundations of the dance and learned its cultural origins directly from the pioneers of the artform. As he trained in both Lindy Hop and hip hop, he discovered that both dances have a way of complementing each other as they are both part of the African diaspora. Today, he teaches both styles to several demographics across NYC schools and studios. He balances being a leader and also leaving room to be a student and absorbing new knowledge from lindy hop and hip hop. Catch him blending rev ups from hip hop with charleston movement on the dance floor!
Karen Turman
Karen Turman (she/her) was first seen on stage at age 9 performing a tap dance to "Lollipop" in a striped leotard and has been dancing ever since. She discovered Lindy Hop during the Swing craze in 1998 and has never looked back. She has since traveled all over the country and throughout Europe to perform, compete, and teach at international events. She has earned titles competing at events such as Lindy Focus, the Lone Star Championships, the Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown, the Boston Tea Party, the U.S. Open, and Camp Jitterbug. She feels most honored to have received the first ever "Spirit of Lindy Hop" awards at both Camp Jitterbug in Seattle, WA (2005), and the International Lindy Hop Championships in Washington, D.C. (2010). Karen currently teaches regularly with Boston Lindy Hop and in Providence, RI.
Rafal Pustelny
Rafal Pustelny is a vibrant dancer and instructor who is passionate about traditional dances from all around the world! Rafal moved to NYC in 2010 and there studied American Jazz dance forms, including Lindy Hop, Charleston, and Balboa. He quickly established himself as one of the top dancers in NYC, and has since earned acclaim in the international swing dance community.
Rafal continues his own dance education by studying Tap, Clogging, Hungarian folk dances, and Polish folk dances. As a performer, he works with several regional groups, including “Gatsby Entertainment,” “The Vanaver Caravan,” “Project Connect”, and “Harvest Moon Hoppers”, as well as community events and corporate parties. A Frankie Manning Foundation Ambassador, he teaches and performs locally with “You Should Be Dancing” studios. You can also find him at international events where he works with dance communities across the globe.
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