ORGANIZING TEAM
CONTACT INFO
Nick Cruickshank (he/him)
President
Nick steers the ship and is a general jack-of-all-trades that keeps the organization running in rhythm. Nick loves dancing fast, swingin' out, and throwing (or being thrown) in some big air.
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He vividly remembers being a total beginner himself at Jazz Attack, and is excited to dance with anyone regardless of level -- lead or follow. Snag him for a dance and swing out loud!
Kate Holden (she/her)
VP: Marketing, DJs, & Special Events
Hailing from Delaware, this gal is a force to be reckoned with. With fierce wit and skilled fingers, this chick can make a mean meme.
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Kate Holden manages our social media marketing and lines up the best DJs in the business to keep Jazz Attack's floors packed with dancers. Be sure to ask for her favorite tunes of the week!
Adrienne Barberg (she/her)
Newcomer Engagement, Venues
Adrienne has been swing dancing since 2014 and long before she was dancing to music, she was singing and playing it. Aside from music, she has a passion for board games, hiking, teaching, and anything social!
Adrienne manages our venue and works on community engagement. She ensures that we all have a lovely space to swing out in each week and it’s full of new dancers who feel valued and welcome. She is about as extroverted as they come, so always feel free to strike up a conversation (if she doesn't do it first!)
Gavin Laur (he/him)
Community Engagement, Bands
Originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico, Gavin began dancing Lindy hop in Philly in the Spring of 2023. Gavin also enjoys improvising on the piano, reading novels, exercising, and making absurd jokes with friends.
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He is thrilled to bring great live jazz to band nights, and to continue to build and support the Jazz Attack community through visits to neighboring dance scenes, group practice sessions, game nights, and chili pepper eating contests.
Mike McDermott (he/him)
Teachers
Hailing for Delaware, this guy is a force. With wit and fingers, this dude can make a meme.
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Mike manages our teaching lineup to help dancers of all levels find new ways to have fun dancing, and helps us get everything set up and torn down.
Ericka Skirpan (she/her) Safer Spaces
Ericka has been a long time organizer in the immersive events scene. She loves to tell a good story, be it on the dance floor to music or through interactive theater.
She's here to help keep every dance moving as smoothly behind the scenes as it does on the dance floor with safer spaces and smiling faces! She's the one to talk to if you ever feel or see something uncomfortable at an event. By day she works for a health equity non-profit and when she's not dancing, she's usually LARPing!
Max VerNooy (he/him)
Volunteering
The tall guy with the cool socks! Max values inclusivity, connection, playfulness, and learning on the dance floor. Happy to lead or follow, but will always switch if given the option!
Max is the Volunteer Coordinator at Jazz Attack. His goal is to keep things running smoothly by bringing together some of the people that make Jazz Attack such an amazing community!
Steve Fox (he/him)
Treasurer
From North Philadelphia, born raised, Steven started dancing swing back in 2013 with the Philly Swing Dance Society. Eventually, word of mouth (and the free time that came with graduating) brought him to Philly's Lindy and Blues (LaB) scene in 2015 and he's been swinging about Jazz Attack as his home scene ever since.
Dancing, teaching, and DJing in Lindy Hop scenes is one of his biggest passions, alongside comedy, gaming, and karate. Grab him for a dance and come grab food with the Pizza Squad after the dance!
Contact Info
Before reaching out, always check if we've already answered your question on the FAQ page.
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For quick general questions feel free to shoot us a message on Instagram @jazzattackswings
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For more detailed / personal questions, contact the relevant team member using their emails below. Please remember that we're a small team and we all do this as a post-work hobby, so we'll try to get back to you as quickly as possible, but please allow up to one week for a response.
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Ericka Skirpan - Safer Spaces - ericka@jazzattackswings.com:
Questions or concerns about safety
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Steve Fox - Treasurer - steve@jazzattackswings.com:
Questions about payments or purchases, financial assistance
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Kate Holden - Marketing, DJs, Special Events - kate@jazzattackswings.com:
Questions about DJing, social media, or RagTag Empire / other scene collaborations
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Gavin Laur - Bands, Community Engagement - gavin@jazzattackswings.com:
Questions about traveling events, bands interested in playing at JA, band requests
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Adrienne Barberg - Venues, Community Engagement - adrienne@jazzattackswings.com:
Questions about getting started at Jazz Attack as a newcomer, venue access / accessibility
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Mike McDermott - Teachers / Lessons - mike@jazzattackswings.com:
Questions about teaching, lesson requests, requests to send teachers for events
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Max VerNooy - Volunteers - max@jazzattackswings.com:
Questions about volunteering
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Nick Cruickshank - President - nick@jazzattackswings.com:
Anything not answered above, or if you haven't heard back from another team member after one week.