Teaching swing dancing is our passion.

4+

Swing dances

3.000+

Happy Jitterbugs

7.000+

Hours of teaching experience

Larissa 

- CEO - International dance teacher - Upcoming Events

When did you discover swing dancing?

Dancing has always been a part of my life. As soon as there was music on, I danced to it. I discovered swing dancing at a Lindy Hop party in Basel in 2012. Since then, I've added other swing dances such as collegiate shag, solo jazz and balboa. I can no longer imagine life without swing music and swing dancing. Read our personal story in Basel Live magazine here!

Why should everyone learn to swing dance?

Dancing makes you happy. The cheerful music, the movement and the interaction with other people, all that makes me happy and I'm sure others too.  

What is your favorite swing dance? Why?

I prefer to combine all swing dances, as each dance offers me a different way of expressing myself, interpreting the music and interacting with my dance partner.  

Do you have a favorite band? Do you have a favorite song?

It always varies. Sometimes I listen to a song over and over again because I just can't get it out of my head. Apart from that, I love bands like Hot Sugar Band, Jonathan Stout and of course Count Basie.

What is your strength?

I have a lot of energy, which drives me to try new things and tackle new projects. I also enjoy passing on my knowledge in dance classes, private lessons and to other teachers.

What do you do alongside your work as a dance teacher?

Going for a walk in nature, swimming in cold water, yoga as a balance and going out for a delicious meal or cooking.

Heiko 

- CEO - International dance teacher - Upcoming Events

When did you discover swing dancing?

2012 at a party in Basel. Larissa and I were already dancing Boogie Woogie and then saw Lindy Hop and said - that's what we want to do! Since then we have discovered various other swing dances and we love to share our passion. Read our personal story in Basel Live Magazine here!

Why should everyone learn to swing dance? 

Above all, swing dancing stands for joy of life and for freedom! As with swing and jazz music, there are endless possibilities for individual interpretation and every dance is different, depending on your partner and how you feel about your body and the day. There is also the sporting and social aspect. This ensures the release of happiness hormones and keeps us healthy! 

What is your favorite swing dance? Why?

Swing! I love to combine all swing dances and react flexibly to the music. 

How many times a week do you dance?

Every day - teaching, preparing lessons, training, social dancing or just for fun. 

Do you have a favorite band? Do you have a favorite song? 

Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five

What is your greatest strength?

I like to work a lot when I am enthusiastic about something. I enjoy learning, improving myself and passing on my knowledge. My ability to analyze helps me to understand things quickly and explain them simply. I can spend hours on a topic and work on it until I understand every last detail. I love routines, structure, Excel, Squarespace and coffee.

What do you do alongside your work as a dance teacher?

Year-round swimming in the Rhine (Cold Exposure), yoga, listening to lots of audiobooks and podcasts and constantly developing myself. I love to philosophize about life and help others achieve their dreams.

NatALIE

- Dance teacher - Video Producer

When did you discover swing dancing?

This was at a Lindy Hop in a Day workshop at the beginning of 2018. It was love at first hop!

Why should everyone learn to swing dance?

Because it makes you happy! The exuberant atmosphere, cheerfulness and playfulness of the dance will leave you with a permanent smile on your face.

What is your favorite swing dance? Why?

All of them!

How many times a week do you dance?

If mentally and at home, every day. Otherwise at least 3 times a week.

What is most important to you at swing dance parties?

A love of dance brings people together. You make new friends and travel to festivals all over the world together. I particularly like the openness and tolerance in the swing dance world. You dance with everyone, man with woman, woman with woman, man with man, big with small and so on.

Do you have a favorite band? Do you have a favorite song?

The Grabetown Grapple by The Hot Sugar Band and All the Cats Join In by Benny Goodman

Aaron

- Dance teacher

When did you discover swing dancing?

I can't remember exactly how I got into swing. But I had already tried out different dance styles beforehand. In 2017, I also tried Lindy Hop and then stuck with it.

Why should everyone learn to swing dance?

Because swing dancing is simply pure joy.

What is your favorite swing dance? Why?

It's hard to say and always depends on the mood and the music. At the moment I mainly dance Lindy Hop, Balboa and Collegiate Shag. However, I always enjoy learning new (swing) dances and also like to study the origins and predecessors of swing dance.

What is most important to you at swing dance parties?

The joy, the happy faces and the high pulse. I also think our open dance community is incredibly great: everyone is welcome and everyone dances with everyone!

Do you have a favorite band? Do you have a favorite song?

Many swing songs are reinterpreted and covered again and again. I don't have a particular favorite band, but versions of "Bei mir bist du schön" and "Moscow Nights" always get me up on the dance floor.

What is your greatest strength?

I am a very versatile dancer who would like to master all styles.

I try to be able to dance all the roles in all the dances.

I'm always up for dancing to even faster music.

I'm always up for a joke on and off the dance floor.

I always try to understand a dance in its basic structure and in its origin.

What do you do alongside your work as a dance teacher?

I am studying archaeology and already work in this field. I also work as a conductor for a mountain railroad.

What is your favorite moment of teaching?

When the joy of dancing is palpable and when you can see the exact moment when it "clicked" in the faces.

Megan

- Dance teacher

When did you discover swing dancing?

Swing music has always inspired me. Good friends of mine were already dancing Lindy Hop and took me to a party in 2018. This dance style immediately grabbed me and I signed up for a course soon afterwards. 

Why should everyone learn to swing dance?

Dancing makes you happy and swing music makes you even happier=).
What I like most is that it "bounces" and that your own personal interpretation is expressed. 

What is your favorite swing dance? Why?

From Solo Jazz to Lindy Hop to Collegiate Shag! It's best to combine them all together.

Do you have a favorite band? Do you have a favorite song?

I like almost all swing songs! But I especially like "Sing Sing Sing" - Benny Goodman, "Fly me to the moon" - Frank Sinatra, "It don't mean a thing" - Duke Ellington/ Ella Fitzgerald, 

What is your greatest strength?

I can inspire and motivate others to try something new and grow beyond themselves. 

What do you do alongside your work as a dance teacher?

In addition to dancing, I am a kindergarten teacher, enjoy hiking in nature, baking and teaching yoga.

What is your favorite moment of teaching?

I love the warm-up. You start to forget your everyday life and worries and let the music guide you. And it makes me happy when I see the smiling faces of the dancing participants. 

Nicole

- Dance teacher

When did you discover swing dancing?

That was probably in 2015.

Why should everyone learn to swing dance?

It bounces, it swings, it moves, it laughs and it is heartfelt. Fantastic!

What is your favorite swing dance? Why?

It's the combination that makes the difference - from Lindy to Charleston to Shag and back!

How many times a week do you dance?

Two to three times in a normal week - the abnormal festival weeks are even better: Every day! 

What is most important to you at swing dance parties?

Happy hearts, smiling faces and dancing feet that simply let themselves be carried away by varied, exciting (if possible live) music.

Do you have a favorite band? Do you have a favorite song?

It's the variety that makes the difference and keeps you fit and flexible! Reverent Juke and "Shake that Thing" still get me dancing and amazed in the early hours.

Gabriel

- Dance teacher

When did you discover swing dancing?

I had my first contact with Lindy Hop in the summer of 2014 when a couple friend of mine persuaded me to take a crash course. I was hooked and enrolled in a course at the next opportunity.

Why should everyone learn to swing dance?

Great music, open people, wonderful atmosphere, joy, fun, laughter...I don't even know where to start!

What is your favorite swing dance? Why?

Shag...Lindy...I can't really say. It's influenced by the dance partner, the music, the rhythm and my mood.

What is most important to you at swing dance parties?

Varied music, a cheerful atmosphere, the joy of dancing.

Do you have a favorite band? Do you have a favorite song?

When I think of all the great songs I've heard since my first dance step, I find it hard to decide. But if I were to put on my headphones right now, I'd probably put on "Last Call" by Gentlemen & Gangsters.

Delia

- Dance teacher - DJ

When did you discover swing dancing?

I've always loved listening to swinging music, but I didn't know that people still danced to it today. I read about Lindy Hop for the first time in 2008, but because the photo next to it showed an aerial, I thought it was acrobatics and didn't look into it any further. Thanks to a tip from a friend, I took part in my first crash course at the dance festival in 2012 and was immediately impressed. However, I had to wait until 2013 for the next beginners' course to start.

Why should everyone learn to swing dance?

It simply makes you happy and makes your everyday life more vibrant! For me, it's much more than just dancing: It's uncomplicated, you just go and meet your circle of dancing friends, get to know great people, the exercise is good after a day at the office and if you feel like it, you can wear the beautiful dresses. Simply perfect!

What is your favorite swing dance? Why?

Lindy Hop! Because you can dance to very different music and there is room to interpret it together. Or maybe shag? Because people dance with so much energy. Or maybe Balboa? Because it creates a feeling of carousel and floating.

How many times a week do you dance?

Always twice, actually. But with workshops and parties it can also be 3x, 4x, 5x....

What is most important to you at swing dance parties?

Seeing all the smiling faces, feeling the positive atmosphere and of course the beautiful dances with playful communication.

Do you have a favorite band? Do you have a favorite song?

The Speakeasies' Swing Band. The list of favorite songs keeps changing and is now long!

What do you do alongside your work as a dance teacher?
I work as an assistant director at the Basel Historical Museum.

What is your favorite moment in class?
The moment towards the end of the lesson: everyone is "warm", the new things they've learned are starting to work and everyone is trying out and dancing with smiles on their faces.

Leonie

- Dance teacher -

When did you discover swing dancing?

I have been fascinated by swing dancing for about four years. And fortunately, I've been able to get to grips with swing more intensively for a year now.

Why should everyone learn to swing dance?

The relaxed way of connecting with your body, the other person and the music is a great balance to everyday movements and other forms of exercise, and above all it's a lot of fun!

What is your favorite swing dance? Why?

I like to dance Lindy Hop a lot, but I hope to expand my skills in Balboa and Shag to be able to mix all dances flexibly.

How many times a week do you dance?

I dance about 5 times a week.

What is most important to you at swing dance parties?

At swing parties I enjoy seeing new and familiar faces, dancing to good music with nice people and always learning something new.

What is your strength?

I love dancing and moving to music, especially in exchange with someone else! And if I can reach others with it, that makes me really happy!

What do you do alongside your work as a dance teacher?
I study philosophy and art history at the University of Basel.

What is your favorite moment in class?

I'm always happy when, after a mental knot, a certain relaxation and a smile creep in while dancing.

laurent

- Dance teacher -

When did you discover swing dancing?

Ca. 2013.

Why should everyone learn to swing dance?

The reasons for this are as varied as the individual styles that each member of the community brings to the table: Everyone has their own.

What is your favorite swing dance? Why?

Boogie, because I started with it and the music won't let me go. Shag, because it's easily accessible and incredibly diverse

How many times a week do you dance?

I incorporate a dance step somewhere every day. At least 3 evenings during the week are reserved specifically for dancing, plus the occasional party at the weekend.

Do you have a favorite band? Do you have a favorite song?

As much as I like swing dancing, my "everyday music taste" is only danceable to a limited extent. My favorite canned dance songs at the moment are"Jim Dandy" by LaVern Baker and"Dynamo" by Sid Cranstoun. Otherwise, whatever is playing, preferably live.

What is your strength?

My interest in the learning success of the dance students.

What do you do alongside your work as a dance teacher?

Chemistry teacher at grammar school.

What is your favorite moment in class?

When students independently derive new things from what they have learned

Laura

- Dance teacher -

When did you discover swing dancing?

Jazz and swing music has always been on my favorite playlists. Then in 2018, at a Swing Night in Zurich with a live band, I saw some incredibly great dancers inside, which totally captivated me. This energy, the joy and of course the music then awakened my passion. I started with Lindy, then Charleston, Shag and then Balboa, so that I could dance to every song;)

Why should everyone learn to swing dance?

Because it's just so much fun. The swing dance community is warm and open to everyone, which adds to the joy and passion for dancing.

What is your favorite dance?

The variety fulfills me the most. Whether from song to song or in the middle of a song. By combining the different dances, I can always reflect and live out my energy and that of the song in my movements.

How often do you dance per week?

At least 4 times a week.

Do you have a favorite band? Do you have a favorite song?

Haha this question seems almost impossible to answer. If it swings then it swings! Tunes where I can hardly keep still are by jazz icons Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, pianist Eroll Garnen and the groovy sounds of Sidney Bechet and Dizzie Gillespy.

What is your strength?

My energy and friendly way of motivating people. As a musician, complex rhythms come easily to me and I love dancing to the music. No tempo is too fast or too slow for me, I find it easy to feel at home in any style.

What do you do alongside your work as a dance teacher?

Besides dancing, I am an artist and bring my music to the people in various projects. So I spend most of my time in my studio creating new ideas. Whether it's at the bar, in a store, walking dogs or something administrative, there's always a side job too.