Shawn Hershey came from an extensive music background, studying classical trumpet performance
at the Eastman School of Music, so when he started lindy hopping in 1999 with the Lindybaby
studio, he quickly got hooked! He has studied extensively at camps and workshops with nationally
renowned instructors, and in 2002, started teaching swing and lindy hop in Boston around with
various partners. Shawn also began teaching and performing lindy hop internationally with his sister,
Betina Hershey.

Shawn’s style is a blend of traditional blues, lindy hop, and tango. He strives for technical perfection,
but values musicality and fun above all else! Shawn has won or placed in dozens of blues
competitions throughout the years, most notably Enter the Blues, Mile High Blues, Emerald City
Blues, Cheap Thrills, and BluesSHOUT! He started teaching blues in 2005, and has since traveled
and taught at workshops and events around the US and Europe, including Blues Muse, Austin Blues
Party, Down Home Blues, the Fusion Exchange, and BluesSHOUT! Shawn has taught nationally and
internationally with Amanda Gruhl, Julie Brown, Mike Legett, Heidi Fite, Joy Arico, Jenny Sowden,
and others.

Before moving to NYC, Shawn taught with a collective of Boston dance instructors at New School
Swing in Charlestown, MA. Along with Josh Fialkoff, he runs a successful swing and blues bands,
The Fried Bananas.

Shawn has more recently pursued Balboa social dancing and competition and has placed and won
many competitions including 1st place with Yurina Shin in the amateur balboa strictly competition.