Jan O’Shea is regarded by most as Australia’s No. 1 Lady of Swing and publically dubbed by the late great Frankie Manning who travelled to Australia every year to workshop and teach with Jan right up until his passing in 2009 as Australia’s Queen of Swing.”
Jan commenced dancing in 1954 and by 1957 was an Australian Champion of Jitterbug which was the final Jitterbug competition in Australia until the revival of Lindy-hop/Jitterbug in the 1990s which Jan was an integral and influential part of. Several times during the period 1959 – 1964 she was an Australian Champion of Rock n Roll dancing.
Jan and her dance partner was a featured act on Johnny O’Keefe’s Six O’Clock Rock and danced in many club and pub shows for many years. She was also the first fully qualified Rock n Roll dance teacher in Australia and she is an examiner and adjudicator in this genre.
Jan then retired to raise a family in the Blue Mountains between the years 1970 – 1990. Jan reignited the passion for dancing in 1988 and then returned to Sydney in 1991.
She is believed by many to have achieved what after 42 years no other competitive dancer in this field in the world has achieved by winning in 1998 the Open Invitational Harlem and in 1999 won the Australasian Open Invitational Championships in Lindy-hop/Jitterbug, Harlem/Slow Swing and Rock n Roll.
Today, Jan continues to enjoy teaching her students, passing on the knowledge of dance and preserving apart of dance history in Australia. Jan says her main objective is “to get other people to acquire the same joy and love for the dance that I have had over the past 58 years.”
Should you wish to find out more or learn to dance from Jan O’Shea at Rockdale RSL on Monday night and North Manly Bowling Club on Tuesday night for Lindy-Hop/Swing and Wednesday night for Rock n
Roll please phone Jan on her mobile 0410 683 727 or office 02 9604 9747.
hi Jan, any chances of’tripping the light fanastic’ another night/day besides monday,in the st. george area?
Hi Ruby, If you really know Jan, we would love to put you in touch with her. Would you please email your contact phone number or mobile to info@charlestonchallengedownunder.com.au she actually has Lindy Hop classes weekly in Rockdale and North Manly. All the best and hope to see you on 4th February 2012 at Leura Mall (Jan will be there too). Thanks, CCDU