TEACHERS
SLO / USA
Katja & Peter
Katja Završnik:
Katja Završnik started dancing at the age of 5 and through the years studied various forms of dance such as Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Ballroom, Gymnastics and Acrobatic Rock and Roll for 9 years.
Since 2005 she has focused on early American dances from the Jazz Age and Swing era, such as the Lindy Hop, Swing, Balboa, Charleston, St. Louis Shag and Authentic jazz. Her knowledge of (almost) all swing dances allows Katja to adapt her dance to any type of dancer. Which places her on the market among one of the best followers understanding connection and reactivity.
She is an elegant dancer. At first, you’ll be seduced by her style based on subtlety and finesse. But if you look a little closer you’ll be surprised by her musicality and footwork. Her focus on musicality and connection makes her one of the scene’s most sought-after followers.
Her shyness – probably her Slovenian origin as well – gives at first a “cold” feeling. But don’t make any mistake: she loves to laugh, party, and have fun. During a dance, she is among the few followers to never refuse a dance and is often the last to leave the dance floor.
Currently living in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Katja travels doing special weekend workshops and festivals. In the past 13 years, she has taught and performed all over Europe, Asia and the USA.
At the end of the year 2020, she qualified as a pregnancy and postpartum exercise specialist and gained an “IFPA (Pre and Post Natal Instructor)” and “FemFit Instructor – exercises in pregnancy and postpartum“ certificates.
Peter Loggins:
Peter Loggins is the foremost researcher on American Jazz Dances. Credited during the 1990’s for bringing back several dances that he learned from the original dancers of the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s.
He brings a first hand historical approach to his classes sharing what was handed down by legends of the past including National Charleston champions, Harvest Moon Ball Lindy Hop winners and 1930’s Swing Champions.
Peter not only travels worldwide as an instructor, lecturer, performer and competition judge but he has also been featured in television and film such as Beverly Hills 90210, Marilyn Mansion Mobscene video, Royal Crown Revue’s Zip Gun Pop video and Films such as Mulholland Drive, and the 13th Floor.
Aside from having a down to earth street approach to teaching, his expansive knowledge of the cultures along with the music that drove social dancing allows students to learn the history of these dances and how they’ve evolved through the years.
BARCELONA
Albert & Neus
We started dancing and training together in July 2015, which soon led to teaching weekly Balboa classes in Barcelona and abroad, along with a desire to continue learning and to grow the scene. We quickly saw the need to dig deeper into certain aspects of partner dancing and the language we share in order to empower dancers and foster more fluid, dynamic communication between them. This led us to develop a partner-dance technique in which both partners are equal, focusing on social dancing, improvisation and the philosophical and human elements of the dance while carefully respecting the fundamentals of balboa in its original form. This is Balanced Dancing.
UK / SWEDEN
Moe & Andreas
Andreas lives in Stockholm. He has been teaching, competing and performing Balboa, Lindy Hop, Charleston, Collegiate and St. Louis Shag internationally for more than a decade. Andreas is regarded as one of the top Balboa teachers and dancers of the world.
USA
Fancy & Bobby
Fancy hailing from Los Angeles, California, 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 and taught all over the world, was nominated for 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!
Bobby teaches vintage swing dances around the world, and holds championship titles and placements in Balboa, Lindy Hop, and Solo Jazz. With each, Bobby strives to innovate and create a new voice, while still capturing the spirit of the original dancers. He is the co-director of the Lindy Hop performance group the Harvest Moon Hoppers, which specialize in dancing in the performance style of Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers. He is the author of the popular swing dance blog Swungover*, and the book “Practice Swing.” As a dancer, he is widely recognized for his floppy hair, and as a teacher, by his sound effects.
COLLEGIATE SHAG
Sandy & Martí
Sandy and Martí united as partners in their passion for Collegiate Shag in 2015 in Barcelona and they continue to rock the world today with their dancing. These two crazy kids love to show off their skills in playful choreos, and dynamic social dancing and the fun shines through in their classes as well.
Sandy, an electrically spontaneous Cajun, was born and raised in Louisiana dancing in the swamps to Cajun and Zydeco music, and it was when she moved to Barcelona that she started swing dancing.
Martí was busy biking and hiking until he discovered Swing which soon captured his heart…and his feet.
They love to play with musicality, often switching roles during the dance – and in true jitterbug spirit, they often dance different styles in the same song. In their classes, they aim to teach totally social steps and different styles of footwork to help you have a blast on the dance floor!
MALLORCA (SPAIN)
Maria & Luis
Maria Acuñas began dancing swing in 2014, and her love of the learning process has kept her going, adding more and more abilities and ideas to her distinctive style. She is a fan of high energy swing music, so Balboa was an obvious option for her next step.
She started Jazz Bouncing, a dance studio in Mallorca, in 2015, where she is the principal instructor of Lindy Hop and Balboa, quickly becoming one of the island’s reference followers.
She has been dancing and competing in national and international events since the beginning of her dance career, winning various competitions, the most recent in Balboa being a second prize in Valencia Balboa or a first place in the European Balboa Championships.
Her dance is defined by her FUN and carefree style, with a strong emphasis on creativity, musicality, and partner communication.
Luis Arredondo is noted for his energetic dance style, risk-taking, never-ending smile, and detailed approach to the learning process . He relocated to Toronto in 2011, where he lived for ten years, travelling, teaching, and competing across North America. He is now back in Spain, working to build the Balboa scene in Mallorca.
Luis likes to keep his lessons moving by including lots of positive energy, a creative approach to partnership conversation, and a healthy dose of technique. He likes to make sure that each class gets everything it needs to succeed, and no two classes are same!
In North America and Europe, he has won and placed in numerous national and international contests. He is excited to see you all.