About Us
“Crazy” Mike Lenneville
The Man, The Mania
“Crazy” Mike started dancing in San Antonio where he co-founded The Trinity University Swing Bums and the San Antonio Swing Dance Society. However, his passion for dancing started much earlier. He found the joy of connection when he slapped his camp counselor when he was 11. He says he discovered a love of dance at his uncle Paul's wedding “Right after I stole all the cucumbers from his cousin Jimmy's plate and I ran out and started to shake my butt in time with the awkward 80's music.” Mike recalls that it wasn't awkward at the time cause it was in the 80s. (We have a feeling it was, in fact, awkward.)
After receiving his BA in theatre from Trinity University he moved to Austin where he began teaching with Austin's oldest lindy hop instructional group, Four on the Floor. After working actively with them, Mike moved to New York where he began working with Dance Manhattan on an informal basis. He also began traveling around the country, and world, following internationally respected instructors and dancers Steven Mitchel and Virginie Jensen. Recently returned to Austin "Crazy" Mike is thrilled to bring his love of Lindy, Charleston, Authentic Jazz, and performance to the Lindy Hop Project.
Mike says he would like his dancing to be classified as anything but boring. (Mike, you have certainly accomplished that.) He prefers the words blaernesmic and snoothing.
Mike and count 5 & were married last spring. It was a touching ceremony and there was not a dry eye in the house when he read the count his self-written vows which included his ode to her:
Ever changing wind
across newly dewed meadows,
all options at once.
Mike's advice for not getting "swingers" sites when googling swing dancing: Use the words “lindy hop” or “Frankie Manning” or if you are really adventurous try looking up “Al Minns”, “Leon James”, “Sugar Sullivan”, “Pepsi Bethel”, “Whitey's Lindyhoppers”, “Harvest Moon Ball”, “Steven Mitchel”, “Virginie Jensen”, “Lennart Westerlung”, “The Rhythm Hotshots”, “The Harlem Hotshots”, or any other dance phrase you can think of. Its all golden.
Mike's favorite swingalicious albums: Lou Rawls Live and Ella Sings. Other non-swingy favorites include Rush's Moving Pictures and Tom Petty's Wildflowers album.