Shimmy Guest Instructors

Anaïs Sékiné - Montreal

Anaïs has been jazz dancing since 2005, teaching locally and internationally since 2008, training new talents, performing, and winning numerous competitions in North America. For her, being a student of jazz culture & history has been a way to develop an awareness of the world we live in. Dancing is our means to engage body and soul to the perception of self and its environment, to provide an outlet for creating community. Ultimately, freedom only exists within spaces we create between one another, never in isolation.

A mother of two, Anaïs also holds a PhD in sociology. She has led educational reforms and artistic projects for Cat’s Corner, Montreal since 2013, supported by her doctoral research: «The worlds of Lindy hop - Cultural appropriation and Politics of Joy », 2017. She’s since devoted her career to bring meaningful change for her community, by codirecting Cat’s Corner from 2019 to 2025 and co-founding the International NPO, Collective Voices for Change, in 2020. Since 2019, she also created and produced the festival Vernacular Spectacular that compiles in one weekend the vision she’s anchored for the school: building a space where Jazz is seen, taught, practiced and celebrated as a black dance.

Aleix Ferrer - Montreal

Megan Sydiaha - Montreal

Megan has been dancing from about the time she could walk. She grew up studying ballet and related styles in her hometown of Saskatoon and, upon moving to Montréal in 2016, discovered the incredible world of Swing. A lifelong lover of jazz music, she quickly became enamoured with the dances of Vernacular Jazz, Lindy Hop, Balboa, and Tap. 

Megan became a teacher at Cat’s Corner in 2018, and has since become a central member of the educational team. She loves to share her passion with others and ignite their spark for jazz. Megan upholds the tradition of the Chorus Line style of vernacular jazz at Cat’s Corner. She is proud to be able to share this passionate work by performing around Montréal, and at notable events like Lindy Focus and Montréal Swing Riot.

In her personal practice and in her teaching she prioritizes expression, connection, and rhythm. She finds inspiration in learning from the elders of the dance and the music, as well as in other dance forms of the African diaspora.

Philippe Holas - Montreal

“Philippe has been dancing for over a decade, and what began as a casual interest quickly grew into a full-blown passion for Lindy Hop and swing-era jazz. Over the years, he has deepened his practice in Lindy Hop, Charleston, Balboa, and tap, and continues to explore the rich rhythms and history of these dances. With more than nine years of teaching experience, Philippe brings musicality, flow, and playfulness to the classroom and the dance floor. He finds joy in not only sharing what he knows, but also in learning something new from every dancer he meets — whether on the social floor, in class, or behind the DJ booth.”