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.
Olga was born into a family of teachers and since early years has been an energetic live wire – studying music, doing athletics, martial arts and gymnastics. In 2007 she was introduced to Lindy Hop and this is where the real passion story begins. She got dance hooked and started to explore more of the dance world by getting into Blues and later Balboa. She has been actively travelling the globe in pursuit of more opportunities to dance, learn and compete. Later she began to share her love for swing music and dance by teaching. Now Olga is the international balboa instructor, teaching solo and couple Balboa all over the world.
At her classes she pays a lot of attention to getting the students interested and involved by giving challenging and fun tasks, working both on technique and musicality and infecting them even more with the love of dancing. For the time being she is passionately developing a new direction of swing dance practices – iSoloBalboa – offline and online solo classes for balboa leaders and followers which aim at polishing up technique and developing creativity and musicality.
Jacob Jacob started swing dancing in 2003 and discovered his love for Balboa in 2005. Soon after, he began traveling to events and competitions around the world. While social dancing remains his first love, he also enjoys competing as a way to set goals and challenge himself.
For the past 15 years, Jacob has taught at national and international events, developing a talent for breaking down complex movements and making them feel easy and comfortable. His teaching combines humorous analogies with focused instruction to create a fun and engaging learning environment.
Jacob is known for his intricate yet traditionally rooted Pure Bal, unique shapes and movement in Bal Swing, and his effortless, rhythmic flow across the dance floor. In every partnership, his goal is to find a connection that works for both dancers and discover what they can create together. This approach has led to numerous competition wins and placements—and, even more importantly, constantly evolving social dances.
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!
Jeremy Otth amassed a great amount of knowledge on the historic essence of vintage swing dances and personal stories and interactions with some of the original jitterbuggs and swing dancers. His interest has focused on the Lindy Hop, Balboa, Jazz and Collegiate Shag. Along with his seemingly inexhaustible amount of energy, Jeremy’s natural talent and dedication led him to accumulate championship titles at many acclaimed dance competitions such as the International Lindy Hop Championships, National Jitterbug Championships, American Classic Balboa Championships, California Balboa Classic and the US Open Swing Dance Championships. Jeremy is now able to share that breadth of knowledge and passion for these classic partner dances by entertaining and educating feet from Southern California to around the world.
Bianca fell in love with swing dancing through the music and the community that make it so special. With a special love for Collegiate Shag, alongside Lindy Hop and Balboa, she enjoys exploring connection and playful movement in dance. She loves learning from the dancers who came before her and often finds inspiration in vintage footage. She is always seeking to understand and honor the spirit of the dances she loves, celebrating the unique character and history of each one.
What started as a hobby quickly became a passion, leading her to compete and teach at events and workshops internationally. After many years in the Southern California swing scene, Bianca is excited to bring her passion and experience back to Germany. Known for her energetic dancing and love of aerials, she enjoys helping dancers discover their own confidence and joy on the dance floor.
Hunter is a professional swing dance instructor, choreographer, and performer who has been on stage and in front of the camera since the age of 13. He works as an Associate Choreographer for Virgin Voyages cruise ships and brings a wide range of experience from both the swing dance scene and the entertainment industry.
Hunter has choreographed swing dancing for shows like Nickelodeon’s Just Roll With It, Lopez vs. Lopez, Babylon, and Penny Dreadful: City of Angels. He’s toured Switzerland as a backup dancer for the Jackson 5 and Jessie J, won Netflix’s Floor Is Lava, and loves sharing his passion for swing dance in workshops around the world.
Saskia caught the Balboa bug 20 years ago and has never truly shaken it! After taking a longer break from dancing, she returned to the dance floor three years ago and has been unstoppable ever since. Her goal in class is to share the joy of dancing while also focusing on technique and a dynamic partner connection.
Andrew brings his enthusiasm and infectious energy to both the dance floor and the classroom! His classes focus on creating a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere, encouraging an easy exchange of ideas and, of course, leaving plenty of time to dance and find your own way. Andrew is a regular finalist at European Balboa events and the winner of the 2024 EuroBal Cup.
Marcus Koch & Bärbl Kaufer are one of the longest lasting international instructor couples in the Swing world. 2026 marks the 35th 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!
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.
Ioanna and Apostolos are swing dancers and teachers based in Munich, dancing together since 2018. They explore various styles of swing dance, with a particular focus on Collegiate Shag. They are especially known for their creative choreographies, combining musicality, playful ideas, and their own distinctive style.
Always eager to challenge themselves on the competition floor, their recent highlights include winning the Showcase and the Endurance competition at BCN Shag, placements in the Strictly shag and several individual Mix & Match successes.
They are also leading members and choreographers of Munich’s Vintage Club Showgroup, competing and performing internationally at Savoy Cup, Camp Hollywood, Snowball, and Rock That Swing Festival. As part of the team, they won the Team Spirit Award at BCN Shag 2025.
Their different backgrounds enrich both their dancing and teaching: Apostolos brings over 20 years of experience in traditional Greek dances, while Ioanna’s competitive sports background infuses her style with dynamic and spirited energy
