Ryan Francois and Jenny Thomas

Ryan Francois and Jenny Thomas have wowed audiences world wide for more than a decade. They are former US Open and American Swing Dance Champions and have starred in the Broadway hit musical, “Swing”. They have appeared at the Tony Awards, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Rosie O'Donnell Show and with Wynton Marsalis and The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Ryan is the director, choreographer and founder of the Authentic Jazz Dance Company Zoots & Spangles, formed in 1987 and funded by the British Arts Council. His extensive list of credits includes numerous appearances in TV, film and theater, and tours in several dance productions in Europe. He danced in Malcolm X and Stomping at the Savoy. Ryan also choreographed for the movie Swing Kids and A Man for All Seasons, a Dudley Moore tribute at Carnegie Hall.

Jenny also has an extensive list of dancing and choreography credits, including appearances in TV and theater. She began as a tap dancer at the age of 4 and won the All England Tap Championships for 3 consecutive years. Stage credits include the London cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Song and Dance as well as other West End musicals. Early in their collaboration, Ryan and Jenny formed their own act, Over the Top which included lindy hop, jazz, tap and song. In 1997 they won the Lindy Division of the American Swing Dance Championships and the U.S. Open. They can be seen as dancing elves in The Polar Express, as performers on Dancing with the Stars, and Ryan was a featured dancer in Idlewild.