Online Balboa Dance Lessons: "Balboa Basic"

Steve Garrett (Alameda, CA, United States)

Steve is the 2005 International Bal-Swing Champion and the 2005 National Jitterbug Championships, Pro Bal Division, Champion and has been competing and winning competitions for years as well as teaching Balboa, Bal-Swing and Lindy Hop to many students the country, including many of the teachers who teach today. Swing Dancing since 1996, his voracious appetite for history aided in his emerging into a Big Band music and dance historian, helping him understand all the different styles of Swing and why they fit so well with evolving music rhythms of the time. Steve was fortunate to have learned much of his Swing and Balboa directly from the old-timers who he actively sought out. The old timers are those amazing dancers who innovated and danced the dance in the 30's & 40's, won jitterbug contests, and performed in the Swing era movies. Over many years Steve studied one on one on a steady and regular basis with the greats: Maxie Dorf, Ann Mills, Bart Bartolo, Hal Takier, Willie Desatof and others. Today Steve travels extensively throughout the USA and many countries abroad, bringing his knowledge and style of Swing to dancers everywhere.

Heidi Salerno (Alameda, CA, United States)

Heidi is the 2005 International Bal-Swing Champion and the 2005 National Jitterbug Championships, Pro Bal Division, Champion and has been swing dancing for over 10 years. She comes to Swing with a trained knowledge of dance and body movement, which she acquired as a dance major as well as from a long history of studying and teaching ballet, tap and jazz spanning over several decades, and even spent several years performing in the circus. With this background she has a remarkable understanding of body movement and mechanics and can break down moves and provide dance technique to students in easily understandable ways. Heidi has been fortunate to learn many moves one on one directly from the old-timers, including Hal Takier, Dean Raftery, Ann Mills and Natalie Esparza. Heidi embraces her feminist roots and strives to bring to follows all the fun and flair that has been historically reserved for the leads. Today she travels extensively throughout the USA and many countries abroad, bringing her knowledge and style of Swing to dancers everywhere. Heidi currently resides in Glendale.