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!