Studio 88 Swing

Didier Jean-François earned his Bachelor of Science in biology with a minor in environmental science from McGill University and was working in the field when he felt the inner nudge to go out on his own. He did so, founding four companies in various industries, and between it all, he actually managed to find some spare time. In it, he’d taken up swing dancing, an art form he’d come to adore so much that in 1998, he launched his own dance troupe, the Swinging Air Force, along with friend and fellow dancer Annie Trudeau.

Annie had graduated with a degree in engineering, worked for such organizations as the Canadian Space Agency and had been awarded the DaVinci prize for excellence in engineering. When not on the job, she too was on the dance floor. By the time she’d completed her degree, she'd won an array of swing championships at home and abroad, landed training contracts with organizations like the Cirque du Soleil and even appeared on a line-up of Quebec TV shows.

So when it came to the Swinging Air Force, the pair set their sights high, and rightfully so. By 1998, the Swinging Air Force had become the most decorated swing troupe in Canada, and ranked in the top five worldwide. To nourish the love of swing here at home, the duo took on their next venture, opening Studio 88-SWING in 2002, with classes headed by the world class performers of the Swinging Air Force.