My Facebook friend Frida Häggström Gerdt just posted up an amazing photo of Juan and I, competing at the 2010 Stockholm Jazz Jam in the finals of the Lindy Hop battle. This photo alone is worth posting. It really captures how crazed we were in the contest – we were all exhausted and burning up our last ounce of energy like maniacs! There are three contests at the Jazz Jam – a solo jazz battle, a Lindy Hop battle, and a Jack & Jill. The prelims and finals for all three are on the same night, all within the space of a few hours, and Juan and I were lucky and foolish enough to compete in all three, and make the finals of all three. This final round, for the Lindy Hop battle, was the last of the six, so needless to say we were trashed by this stage. Juan and I were pushing so hard to be able to keep going, we came off one solo and roared at each other like lions! Adrenalin, delirium, Juan even looks like he’s asleep in this photo…

But anyway, browsing Frida’s album I discovered two more absolutely stunning photos from that contest, the first of Frida & Sakarias, and the second of Davis & Claudia, both also capturing the late-night fury of this particular battle:

Look at the expression on Davis’s face!! How great! Congratulations to Frida and Sakarias for winning the battle, it was definitely well-deserved! And did you know, Frida told me that’s the first time they’ve ever come in 1st place together, can you imagine? Huge congrats on that, hope to see more Frida & Zacke action at the European Swing Dance Championships next June.