TEACHERS
All our teachers are enthusiastic jitterbugs with years of experience. They dance various swing dances and are all known for their great teaching.
Arnas & EGLĖ
Eglė Nemickaitė is a swing dancer from Vilnius, Lithuania, where she dances, performs, teaches and inspires the community every day at the What a Jazz dance studio. Dancing has been with Eglė all her life, but her true passion is Lindy Hop and Collegiate Shag.
Dancing has always felt like a great liberation for Eglė. Liberation from routines, thoughts, work and boundaries. Dancing makes her feel connected to herself, the music and her partner. It gives her the power of freedom and also peace for the mind, body and heart. Her rich teaching experience is increasingly appreciated at international workshops. She shares her enormous passion for swing dancing with great joy and commitment.
Arnas Razgūnas is a dedicated swing dancer and teacher. A true social dancer and explorer who likes to surprise himself and discover things he didn't think he could do. A true jazz enthusiast who is inspired primarily by the energetic, swinging music, Arnas is actively searching for a deeper understanding of what swing means in music and dance.
His rich experience in teaching guarantees quality and fun with clear explanations of his material. Arnas is co-founder of What a Jazz Dance Studio in Vilnius and co-organizer of Balboa & Shag Festival in Lithuania - Swing Paradise.
Grace & Blake
Grace Babbes grew up in a family of actors and musicians and was already performing on stage at the age of four. With a lifelong love of jazz music and vintage fashion, she was immediately hooked when she took her first Lindy Hop class in 2012. Since then, she has been dancing Lindy Hop, Balboa and Collegiate Shag up to five nights a week on social dance floors throughout Southern California. She also teaches and dances regularly at competitions in the US and Europe and has placed and won at events such as ILHC, Camp Hollywood and Hot Rhythm Holiday. She is also a sought-after DJ, spinning classic tunes that inspire dancers of all levels to have fun, connect with the music, its history and each other.
Grace brings her passion for dance to her classes, bringing joy to her students while focusing on connection technique. She is particularly inspired by the original swing dancers, especially from Southern California, and loves to search through old clips for new ideas. For her, swing dancing is a conversation between two people - and she carries this love of conversation into every class, always emphasizing strong connection and beautiful basics.
Blake Thiessen discovered swing dancing through a spontaneous New Year's resolution: he wanted to learn the dance he had seen in the movie Swing Kids (1993). What he didn't know at the time was that Southern California was one of the biggest swing scenes in the world, with a rich history and dozens of the best dancers and teachers. Blake was immediately hooked and developed a relentless passion for Lindy, Balboa and Collegiate Shag. Since then, he has won numerous international competitions and taught all over the world - including Europe, Korea, Japan, Australia and the USA.
In his spare time, Blake enjoys studying old dance films. He has great respect for the original dancers and enjoys teaching the particular styles and techniques they used. As a teacher, he also emphasizes partner connection, tasteful musicality and the development of beautiful basics. Although he loves training, competing and performing, his favorite dance experience is a simple, deeply connected social dance with a like-minded partner.
NataliA & Andreas
Natalia Eristavi is a multi-talented graphic designer, jazz dancer, teacher and artist from San Diego, California. Her swing and jazz adventures began in late 2010, but she has been dancing since the age of four and equates moving to music with breathing. In 2012 she took her first step into the professional swing dance scene and since then she has taught at countless festivals around the world and won many competitions.
Teaching and show dancing are a great passion for Natalia . But what fulfills her most is when she can create meaningful relationships with her colleagues and dance students.
Andreas Olsson lives in Stockholm, Sweden. He grew up on the wrestling mat. He usually won because he always gives 100% in everything he does. He also played the violin as a child. You might think that classical music and wrestling don't have much to do with swing dancing, but it has definitely contributed to him becoming the unpredictable, creative, musical and interesting dancer he is today.
Andrea's international teaching career began in the mid-2000s. Since then he has taught Lindy Hop, Solo Jazz, Balboa, St. Louis Shag, Collegiate Shag and other swing dances all over the world. As a dancer, Andreas is known for his unique style, creativity and musicality. He considers himself a swing dancer first and foremost and emphasizes the importance of today's dancers learning a little bit of all swing dances.
As a dance teacher, Andreas has a warm and pleasant approach to his students. He is known for his ability to convey the dances in an understandable way through imaginative exercises and teaching content.
Fancy & VASU
Fancy Dougherty (yes, that's her birth name) is originally from Los Angeles, California. In 2008, she fell in love with Lindy and Shag, but Balboa has never been far behind. Since then, she has been hooked on swing dancing and is constantly trying to improve her technique and connection to her dance partners. For Fancy, improvisational freedom is just as important as the true jitterbug spirit.
Fancy has taught all over the world and participated in countless competitions. In 2014, she was inducted into the California Swing Dance Hall of Fame and is a five-time winner of the National Jitterbug Championships in the shag division. She loves dancing with new people and beginners, so be sure to call her up to dance!
Vasu Sharma discovered swing dancing while studying at the University of Florida and has been hooked ever since. What began as a hobby quickly developed into a lifelong passion that has taken him around the world - social dancing, performing, competing and teaching Lindy Hop, Balboa and Collegiate Shag.
Known for his precise technique and ability to energize any tempo, Vasu loves to experiment with new rhythms, forms and connections. He is particularly fond of Pure Balboa, where he is constantly looking for new ways to give a fresh interpretation to traditional couple dynamics.
Whether he is dancing his heart out on the social dance floor or training hard for the next performance or competition, his love for swing dancing is always evident. A lifelong learner, Vasu is as enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge as he is about developing his own dancing personality.
Sonia & Héctor
Sonia Ortega and Héctor Artal are a professional Lindy Hop couple from Barcelona. They have been teaching regularly at various dance schools since 2003 and have contributed significantly to the nationwide success of the Lindy Hop boom in Spain. Today they travel all over the world to pass on the joy of Lindy Hop and to realize exciting new projects. With their work, they want to share their enthusiasm and passion for this dance - and inspire others to love and learn Lindy Hop in the same way.
Her lessons focus on the basics that make Lindy Hop so special for her: Rhythm and bounce, communication within the couple and the quality of the movement. "Cool" figures or combinations are not an end in themselves for her, but serve as playful tools that support the learning process and make it fun.
Sonia and Hector always bring their own creativity to their lessons. They show their students original steps and movements that they have developed themselves - as inspiration and encouragement for their own dance development. Their clear, descriptive teaching style is particularly appreciated by the participants.
Larissa & Heiko
Larissa and Heiko Heckendorn have been dancing and teaching together for more than a decade. They love to spread the joy of swing dancing in their local dance school Basel Jitterbugs and throughout Europe.
Both dance different swing dance styles and mix them according to the tempo and energy of the music. In class they share their great passion for swing dancing to help you grow as a swing dancer and develop your own voice on the dance floor. You probably know them from Basel or one of many festivals like Rock that Swing, the Barcelona Shag Festival or Swing Paradise.
Besides dancing, they have a passion for cold water. This is the main reason why you will also have the opportunity to go swimming with them in the Rhine during the festival.