The Track - E040 - Alice Mei

The Track with Ryan Swift

In this episode, I am joined by dancer and instructor, Alice Mei. Alice began dancing when she was four, and studied ballet and contemporary dance before falling in love with Lindy Hop and Solo Jazz. She very quickly became a highly sought-after international instructor and acclaimed competitor, teaching in more than 30 countries and winning titles at events such as Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown, the International Lindy Hop Championships and the European Swing Dance Championships.

Alice joined me at Lindyfest 2019 to talk about the loneliness and difficulty she experienced at a dance conservatory program as a child, her struggle to understand rhythm at the start of her Lindy Hop career, and her experience finding her own voice in dance after an unhealthy partnership.

We also discuss how switching partners multiple times has helped her dancing evolve, why fear is her greatest motivator for competing, and what she’s learned about successful group choreography as part of Brothers and Sisters in Rhythm.

A brief content warning -- we discuss Alice’s relationship with Max Pitruzzella about 42 minutes into the episode.