Mandate

Jazz Dance Junction (JDJ) promotes Vernacular Jazz dances in Ottawa through events, outreach, and community partnerships.

We define Vernacular Jazz as dances rooted in African American traditions and danced to jazz music. This includes dances that are often referred to as “Swing Dancing”, such as Lindy Hop but also encompasses other related forms such as Charleston. Vernacular Jazz is a broad term that includes many styles, both partnered and solo.

JDJ provides accessible public facing jazz dance events, including workshops and social dances. Our events create opportunities for community participation while creating paid opportunities for dance professionals.

JDJ also aims to bring Vernacular Jazz into schools and community settings through outreach workshops that stay true to what these dances look and feel like. Our workshops take jazz dance back to its roots and honour the Black history of these styles.

To connect with the roots of Jazz, we must connect with other dance styles that influenced and evolved from Jazz dance, including African dance styles, tap dance, and street dance styles such as House. JDJ fosters community partnerships with dance organizations that share our values.

History

Jazz Dance Junction was incorporated as a non-profit organization in July of 2024. Founded by Robin Treleaven, Jazz Dance Junction was created to fill a gap in the Lindy Hop community following the closure of O-Town Showdown, an organization that previously ran an annual workshop and social dance event in Ottawa. 

O-Town Showdown 2024 was a sold out event, with 3 days of dance workshops, social dancing and live music. The event typically had over 300 participants and was critical to building the Lindy Hop community in Ottawa over the past 10 years. Jazz Dance Junction aims to continue the work that O-Town Showdown started.

Founder and General Manager

Robin Treleaven has been an active member of the Lindy Hop community since 2015, and is also a professional freelance contemporary dance artist. She believes that dance is like ice cream; you can never have just one flavour! But Lindy Hop and Vernacular Jazz hold a special place in her heart. As a former organizer with O-Town Showdown from 2018-2024, Robin has extensive experience in arts administration and event planning and is dedicated to creating accessible and authentic Jazz Dance events. You can also find her performing, teaching, choreographing, and stage managing around the Ottawa area.