About Naomi
With the exception of every little girl's four year old ballet attempt I started dancing when I discovered lindy hop at the age of sixteen. My friend Nina Gilkenson and I had been planning high school dances when we stumbled onto a rockabilly outfit that told us of swing dancing, happening regularly at a place called Glen Echo. The moment we walked into the beautiful historic ballroom, located right outside our hometown of DC, we were completely enthralled. We started taking classes a few months later in January of 1998, and haven't stopped dancing since.
After some time the history of not only the dance, but the music it was created for, began to interest me. After collecting some tunes and informally studying a bit, my interest lead me to a "History of Jazz" internship at the Smithsonian's American History museum. My love of classic jazz now finds a home, both in DJing for dance events big and small, and through singing, a relatively new endeavor that I enjoy immensely.
It has been over a decade since the bug bit me. Along the way I dreamed up a routine I wanted to try and ended up founding the small team that has now grown into the international "Silver Shadows". I've also been fortunate to help start and run The Jam Cellar - Washington DC's renowned weekly dance. I love what I do and am grateful for having it in my life.
For more "official" bios and full resolution photos, please check out the promo page.