Conversations in Closed

Jenn + Jose meet up with Andrew Wilson! Yes, that Andrew Wilson--from Durham, North Carolina!

Andrew is a Balboa and Lindy Hop dancer based in Durham, North Carolina. A passionate teacher, competitor, and social dancer, Andrew is drawn to the aspects of dance he finds most rewarding: connection, movement, technique, and musicality. As a teacher Andrew particularly enjoys helping dancers how strong fundamentals can bring them into greater connection with both the music and their partners. He takes a clear and thoughtful approach to breaking down concepts, helping dancers build confidence, deepen their understanding, and develop into the kind of dancer they want to be.

Over the years, Andrew has been a finalist at events including Lindy Focus, The Snowball, Hot Rhythm Holiday, and The California Balboa Classic. Whether in competition, in class, or on the social floor, he strives to create an engaging and supportive environment where dancers can grow, explore, and have fun.

From the archives: Jose visits Soochan Lee (and Young!) in their beautiful home in Seoul, Korea.

A pioneer of the Korean swing dance scene, Soochan transitioned from a street dance background to become a globally recognized instructor, performer, and judge. His skill set includes Lindy Hop, Balboa, Shag, and Solo Jazz.

Since launching his professional career, he has spent decades promoting the art form across five continents, and earning top honors at prestigious events which include first place finishes at the Korea Swing Festival, the Korea lindy hop championships, and Frankie 100’s Hellzapoppin competition. As the first Korean instructor hired at Herrang Dance Camp, and the founder of Seoul’s Triple Crown Dance Academy, Soochan continues to be a driving force in the growth of the community, dedicating his life to teaching and elevating Swing dance on a world stage.

Sam Chan enters the chat. And gets boba with Jenn & Jose! Strap yourselves in for a ridiculous episode.

Sam has been swing dancing since 2003 and trained under original dancers like Dean Raftery, and old timers like Marge Takier. He took 1st at the Balorado 2025 Invitational and 1st in the Wildcard at The California Balboa Classic in 2025. He has placed in Invitational contests at Hot Rhythm Holiday, Great Lakes Balboa Escape, and Balorado. He teachers with a focus on breaking technique down clearly, and he is usually one of the last people on the floor at the end of the night.

Bienvenidos a Conversations in Closed! Jose y Estela charlan con Neus Castells...

Neus descubrió el swing por casualidad en 2007 en el Parque de la Ciutadella de Barcelona. Comenzó formándose en Lindy Hop y Solo Jazz, y hacia 2009 se sumergió en el Balboa. Desde entonces ha vivido la escena al máximo: practicando, enseñando, compitiendo, haciendo de DJ y actuando.

Desde 2015 entrena e imparte clases regulares e internacionales de Balboa junto a Albert Ferran, con quien comparte el proyecto Balanced Dancing. Este proyecto busca profundizar en los diferentes aspectos del baile en pareja que permitan potenciar una comunicación más fluida y dinámica y la expresividad de ambos bailarines, respetando siempre los fundamentos del Balboa original. Todo ello con un enfoque centrado en el baile social, la improvisación y los aspectos filosóficos y humanos, que nos invitan a cuestionarnos constantemente.

Denise chats with Miyabi Hong from Taiwan! Listen to them talk about the crossover between Taiwan's street dance scene, follower's voice, and of course we couldn't have Miyabi on without asking her about all her different hair colors.

If you have ever watched Miyabi on the dance floor, she is incredibly playful, and she has a unique way of approaching the dance.

Miyabi's passion for street dance began during her school days. Her background in street dance and understanding of body movement helped her blend seamlessly into Swing dancing. In 2016, she founded Balboa Taipei and has been an active presence in the local dance scene.

Larissa & Heiko Heckendorn hang out with Jose. Join us as we talk about dance/romantic partnerships, ELEF, the life of traveling dance teachers, and more.

Larissa and Heiko's story began 22 years ago at a high school ball, when a friend gave Heiko a well-timed shove in Larissa's direction. They've been dancing through life together ever since. It was Larissa who pulled Heiko onto the dance floor, from ballroom and Latin all the way to Lindy Hop, Shag and Balboa. He swears he loved it from the very first moment, and since he never left, we're inclined to believe him.

Before swing took over their lives, Larissa taught high school math and physics, so no classroom in the world fazes her. Heiko spent years travelling the globe, making complicated technical products sound simple. As it turns out, those are precisely the skills teaching dance and running a dance school require: clear explanations, endless patience, and a talent for keeping a room full of people happily engaged.

Today they run their school, Basel Jitterbugs, where every class teaches both roles: everyone leads, everyone follows. Inspired by the original dancers and by eye-opening trips to Los Angeles and Orange County, they live by the spirit of all swing dances sharing one floor, and they host three international festivals in Basel: Jitterbugs Delight, Balboa Delight and Shag Delight.

Jenn & Jose catch up with Jennifer Barnett.

Known for bringing a little math and science into the ballroom, Jen began tap dancing in pre-school and continued learning and teaching tap through high school. After putting aside dance to focus on chemistry in college, she was happy to return to dancing after graduation. This time to the partnered danced of Balboa and Slow Balboa.

Now residing in New York City, Jen has spent over two decades teaching swing dance across five continents. She has placed in Strictly and Mix & Match divisions at prestigious events such as, The California Balboa Classic, Camp Hollywood, Stardust, and has performed at New York City's Lincoln Center and The Museum of Natural History. As a teacher, Jen blends a straightforward, technical presentation for both leads and follows, with plenty of humor and support, creating a multilevel classroom environment where everyone is challenged to push their creative boundaries.

Jose interviews two talented Seattle dancers: Etsuko & Yoshi Uemura! We talk about Pure Balboa, how their partnership came to be, hopes for the Balboa community, and more.

Etsuko and Yoshi are Seattle-based Balboa dancers and instructors originally from Japan. Dancing together since 2015, they are best known for their Pure Balboa. Through teaching, competing, and social dancing, they love to share the joy of Pure Balboa with dancers around the world.

Jose travels to Niigata, Japan to interview one of the hardest working community organizers in the Swing scene: Yoko Kunimasa!

Listen to Yoko talk about her experience as an event/community organizer, teaching young people how to dance, and starting a dance scene from scratch.

Jose and Estela (guest interviewer) chat with Albert Ferran about how he first found Balboa, his thoughts on a healthy partnership, and his love for philosophy.

Albert has been Swing dancing since 2001 and has taught Balboa in Barcelona, Spain since 2005. In 2011, he began teaching internationally. Despite achieving numerous competition wins and top placements in Balboa contests and championships, he continues to believe that social dancing is at the heart of it all; that “nothing makes sense unless you feel passion for what you do.” Passing on his knowledge in the classroom and dancing on the social floor are what bring him joy.

Jennifer and Denise sit down with Gio! Listen to them chat about musicality, humor in dance, pets and plants, and Gio's experience as a queer man in the Balboa scene.

Gio started dancing at the age of 10, and he never stopped. He traveled from the very beginning for Boogie Woogie competitoins. Later on he discovered Balboa, which is now his great passion. He is currently based in Stockholm, Sweden where he teaches regular classes.

He enjoys experimenting with new moves and stretching the borders of the dance; both in his leading and following. Gio is an avid competitor and a few of his notable placements include titles at All Balboa Weekend, Balboa on the Promenade, and The Snowball. In the classroom he is precise and pedagogical. He is more of a coach than a teacher. Ask him for some feedback!

Let's talk vintage fashion. Denise & Jose visit Chloe Hong in Seoul, Korea to talk about vintage attire, how she and her partner Rico Lim started their business, and the challenges of producing attire for dancers.

Listen to Grace Babbes interview Theresa Manney about her journey as a triple threat dancer!

Theresa Manney has been passionate about dance for as long as she can remember — but nothing captures her heart quite like jazz music and swing dancing. With an early background in ballet, she developed a strong appreciation for training, musicality, and thoughtful movement — foundations that have supported her competitive journey, including finalist and top placements at California Balboa Classic, Camp Hollywood, Hot Rhythm Holiday, and The Snowball.

While she enjoys the challenge of competition, what matters most to Theresa is social dancing and sharing the joy of jazz-style dances with others. She’s passionate about helping people build confidence, find their own voice in the music, and fall in love with the dance for themselves.

Denise and Jose hang with Olga Marina. Hear Olga talk about her experience learning Balboa, starting out as a teacher, and her life outside of dancing.

Olga was born into a family of teachers, and has been an energetic live wire since childhood, diving into martial arts, gymnastics, and athletics. She found her passion for dance in 2007 through Lindy hop, and soon after began traveling the globe to dance, learn, compete, and eventually teach. Today she is an international Balboa instructor sharing her love for both solo and partnered Balboa worldwide. In her classes, Olga keeps students engaged with fun challenging tasks, that sharpen technique and musicality while deepening their love of dance.

She is also the owner and creator of isolobalboa, and continues to encourage her students to tap into their creative spark.

Welcome to our first video episode! Jose speaks with Scott Angelius, creator of the widely-used application RP Scoring. Listen to Scott as he talks about competition judging and how to read scoresheets!

Join Jose & our guest interviewer, Jennifer, as they talk to Fancy Dougherty! Hear Fancy talk to us about her experience dancing in SoCal, what she looks for in a dance partner, and her thoughts on pedagogy.

Hailing from Los Angeles, California, Fancy fell in love 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, 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!

In this episode, we interview a *very* special guest. Ray Huffman was born in the 1930s and grew up dancing Balboa in Southern California, where he got to listen and dance to bands such as Tommy Dorsey, Nat King Cole, and Count Basie!

Featuring Guest Interviewer: Cory Von Korff

Links:

• Ray's favorite modern balboa video

Jose & Denise spend time with Natasha Shevchenko & Michael Tan! One of Balboa's power couples and innovators in the scene.

Natasha's accomplishments in the swing dance world include prestigious wins at the California Balboa Classic, Camp Hollywood, BalLove, The Snowball, Valencia Balboa Festival and BalWeek NYC, along with notable placements at the International Lindy Hop Championships and Hot Rhythm Holiday. She has also appeared on prominent television platforms such as Dancing with the Stars and PBS’s America’s Ballroom Challenge. Additionally, Natasha has performed on stage with SW!NG OUT on tour and in A Very SW!NG OUT Holiday during its 2024 and 2025 showings at the Joyce Theater.

Michael fell in love with swing dancing in 2016, captivated by the magic of two strangers seamlessly connecting through movement. Specializing in balboa, Michael shares his passion for partner dancing, focusing on the art of melding two individuals and the interplay of lead-and-follow.

Michael has won major titles at The Snowball, Bal Love, BalWeek NYC, Valencia Balboa Festival, and the California Balboa Classic, with notable appearances at ILHC, Camp Hollywood, and more. Beyond dance, his third-degree black belt in Taekwondo informs his unique teaching approach, blending principles across different movement backgrounds.

Links:

• World Famous Swing Dancer Goes Undercover
• Balboa: The Movie
• Essay: The Out and In Experiment

In this Bite Size episode, we listen in on Denise's chat with Bobby White at Bal-Love 2025. Bobby talks practice tips, and Balboa history & resources.

In this episode of Pulse, Jose & Denise interview a panel of dancers from the queer community! Listen to Emily Schuhmann, Jona Venzor, and Chuyu Liang share their diverse experiences as queer folks moving through dance spaces.

Special thanks to Balorado (Denver, CO) for supplying promo material.