Our History

Started by Tonya Morris (Surface at the time), Camp Jitterbug began as a much smaller event called Jitterbug Weekend in May 2000 with Tip & Holly and Minn & Corina teaching in Ballard, WA. We had a great response and dancers were eager to start learning from nationally known dancers. We continued holding Jitterbug Weekends for many years every few months...these JBW's featured one or two couples. In 2001, on the one year anniversary of that first Jitterbug Weekend, we decided to expand the event by bringing out more instructors and calling it Camp Jitterbug. It was a huge success so every Memorial Day weekend, we featured different instructors and grew the event year after year.

With 25 years of growing CJ, we have gone from 50 attendees to 500! To keep the down home, historic and unique "Seattle" feel at the event, we have not moved to a hotel. We searched for eclectic and beautiful vintage ballrooms and studios. We book venues in the Capitol Hill and Central District neighborhoods of Seattle, we have a wonderul staff of talented organizers and helpers, amazing instructors from around the world and incredible jazz musicians.  It has been many fun years of learning, trial & error and growth to make CJ what it is today. It has been such an honor to start something that has become much bigger than what we intended and to see the talent that has made it so successful.

We always like to mix it up and started The Jump Session Show in 2003, which is a wonderful kick off to the event. 

Thanks to everyone who has supported us over the years. We couldn't have done it without you.