Natalia Rueda, a Colombian-born Canadian, is a Swing dancer and instructor based in the Netherlands. She fell in love with Balboa in 2005 and has since dedicated herself to Swing and Jazz dance. With 19 years of teaching experience, she has shared her passion across North America, Europe, and Asia. Known for her energetic teaching style, she blends her Colombian folk dance roots with Swing and Jazz. Natalia teaches and performs worldwide with her primary Balboa partner, Mickey Fortanasce.
Mickey Fortanasce discovered his passion for Lindy Hop, Shag, and Balboa in Los Angeles before fully immersing himself in dance in 1999. In New York, he taught at the NYU Swing Dance Society and was influenced by dancers from both coasts.
Since 2001, he has been competing, choreographing, and performing worldwide. Now based in Knoxville, TN, Mickey continues to travel, teach, and inspire dancers around the globe.
Grace Babbes began dancing Lindy Hop in 2012 and quickly immersed herself in the vibrant dance scene in LA and Orange County. She honed her skills through social dancing and practicing with her partner Keegan Mullin and competitive teams. Grace teaches and competes throughout Southern California, including with the award-winning team Special Delivery Stomp. Known for her playful teaching style, she emphasizes strong connection and solid basics, believing Lindy Hop is best learned through fun and communication with your partner.
Blake Thiessen is a talented Lindy Hop and Balboa dancer based in Southern California. Known for his emphasis on musicality and connection, he teaches and competes worldwide, with impressive results at events like Hot Rhythm Holiday and California Balboa Classic. Blake is a regular instructor at Atomic Ballroom and leads workshops internationally. His style and passion for swing dancing have made him a respected figure in the community.
Hailing from Los Angeles, California, Fancy Dougherty fell in love with Lindy and Shag in 2008, with Balboa trailing not far behind. She’s been hooked ever since, constantly endeavoring to improve her technique on a never-ending quest for connection, improvisational freedom in social dancing and the true jitterbug spirit. She has performed, competed in and taught Lindy, Balboa and Shag all over the world, was inducted into the California Swing Dance Hall of Fame in 2014 and is a five-time winner of the National Jitterbug Championships in the shag division. She loves to dance with new people and beginners, so be sure to ask her to dance!
Vasu Sharma discovered Swing Dancing at the University of Florida and has been hooked ever since. His dedication to the art takes him around the globe to dance socially, perform, compete, and teach in Lindy Hop, Balboa, and Collegiate Shag. Renowned for his precise technique and enthusiasm for swing dancing at any tempo, Vasu loves pushing the boundaries with unconventional rhythms, shapes, and connections. With a special affinity for Pure Balboa, he constantly seeks to innovate and redefine traditional dance partnerships. Whether he's dancing all night on the social floor or rigorously training for competitions and performances, Vasu's passion for swing dancing is evident. A lifelong learner, he is equally passionate about sharing his extensive knowledge with others.
Cherry Moreno & Filip Górski started to dance Collegiate Shag in 2014 among a bunch of enthusiasts who brought it to Warsaw and partnered up while performing with the Warsaw Shag Team. Soon after they became instructors in SWINGOUT.PL and since that moment they teach regularly Lindy Hop and Collegiate Shag around Poland and abroad.
Cherry dances with a wild Latin temperament, elegance and open head, playing with the rhythm and shaking things out. She loved to dance since she remembers. At the age of 6 she started with ballet and contemporary, then switched to ballroom and lyrical jazz for a while.
Filip is a musician for many years, playing on the guitar, trombone and mandoline. He’s one of the founders of The Cajun Spices – a Polish gypsy jazz band. His passion reflects the way he dances and makes it a fine form of expression.Get ready for their inspiring classes with dynamic moves and fresh ideas!
Marion Forano & Sergej Götz are a dynamic swing dance duo from Munich, known for their vibrant stage presence and infectious energy. With strong individual foundations—Marion in modern jazz and gymnastics, Sergej in the rich Munich swing scene—they found their shared passion in Collegiate Shag & Balboa and have been dancing together since 2022.
As accomplished competitors, both have won multiple titles individually and reached numerous finals as a couple. Their teaching style blends precision, creativity, and playfulness, making them sought-after instructors at international festivals. Whether on stage or in class, Marion & Sergej aim to inspire dancers through musicality, connection, and pure joy.
Marcus Koch & Bärbl Kaufer are one of the longest lasting international instructor couples in the Swing world. 2021 marked the 30th anniversary of their dance partnership that started in Herräng in 1991. In 1992 they learned their first Balboa and Shag from Rob van Haaren and quickly started spreading those dances.
It all really started for them when they discovered that some of the original dancers have been still alive. So they took off to meet legends like Frankie Manning (Hellzapoppin’), Gil Bradey (Don’t Knock The Rock), Jean Veloz (Swing Fever, Groovie Movie) or Ray Hirsch (Blondie Meets The Boss). To be at the source of their passion they even moved to the US for four years.
They were pioneers at a time when Swing was hardly known anymore. Much has changed. Swing is now popular all over the world. In all those years they unrestless have been passing on their enthusiasm and their knowledge. They haven't only build up those dances in Germany, but also around the globe—either by traveling to teach and perform or inspiring through their world-renowned instructional dance videos.
Bärbl & Marcus can retrospect to a successful career. Their hard work was rewarded with many decorations and competition titles. They are multiple world, national and US champions and have been decorated with the prestigious Feather Award in 1996 and 1997 in the US and with the Dance Teachers Award in Germany.
Their excellent performance and teaching repertoire includes the dances Boogie Woogie, Hollywood and Savoy Style Lindy Hop, Balboa, Collegiate Shag, Vernacular Jazz of the 30’s to 50’s, Shim Sham, Charleston, Jitterbug Stroll, Big Apple and Swing Rueda. A particular specialty of Marcus and Bärbl is their excellent ability of improvisation and music interpretation.
Most important for them are not their titles but to spread the joy and knowledge of those dances they love from their heart, to promote them, and see people smiling and having fun as they do.
Besides the Munich Balboa & Shag Weekend Bärbl & Marcus organize the world-famous Rock That Swing Festival in Munich, which happens annually at the German carnival weekend.
Websites: www.worldofswing.de / www.rockthatswing.com
Domen Bohinc & Fanny Bartl from Munich will teach you the basics, several footwork variations and some hot moves! They know lots of tips to master the figures with good technique and a cool vintage look. The two have been a dancing couple since Domen came to Munich from Slovenia in 2013 to dedicate his life to swing. It doesn't matter whether it's Lindy Hop, Shag or Balboa, together they bring playfulness and speed to the dance floor – and to the students! In their lessons they convey the joy of dance and movement, go into detail and inspire you for your dance future! Extra bonus: With their classes, a DJ is included! ;-)
