Artists
Valentina & Vasu
Valentina started dancing ballet when she was four years old and developed a deep love for movement. At seventeen she discovered Swing Dance and has been captured by it ever since.
From Solo Jazz and Lindy Hop to Balboa and Slow Swing, Valentina brings a diverse mix of experience to the dance floor. She’s an analytical dancer who picks up new techniques quickly, and uses that skill to teach in a clear, easy-to-understand way.
A constant learner, Valentina draws inspiration from everywhere – other dance styles, music, life in general. As a regular teacher at Swing Base in Berlin, she brings both energy and a fresh perspective to every class, helping students build confidence, have fun, and find their own rhythm.
Vasu first discovered swing dancing while studying at the University of Florida and has been hooked ever since. What started as a hobby quickly grew into a lifelong passion that takes him around the world—social dancing, performing, competing, and teaching Lindy Hop, Balboa, and Collegiate Shag. Known for his sharp technique and his ability to bring energy to any tempo, Vasu loves experimenting with new rhythms, shapes, and connections.
He has a particular soft spot for Pure Balboa, where he’s always exploring fresh ways to approach traditional partnership. Whether he’s putting his heart out on a social floor or training hard for the next performance or competition, his love for swing dancing always shines through.
A lifelong learner, Vasu is just as excited about sharing what he’s learned as he is about growing his own craft.
Together, Valentina & Vasu bring a mix of knowledge, creativity, and a genuine love for swing dancing.
They first started working together through Slow Balboa, and their partnership has since grown to include teaching and performing across many styles. With a thoughtful, precise, and playful approach, they make their classes dynamic and inspiring, and together they love pushing the boundaries of technique and partnership in swing dancing.
Whether on the social floor or in the classroom, they aim to help dancers grow, build confidence, and fully enjoy the music.
Elena & Alberto
Elena and Alberto are Balboa and Slow Balboa dancers and instructors, appreciated for their elegant and harmonious style.
With a background in contemporary dance and dedicated swing training, they bring their personal perspective to Balboa, emphasizing fluid dynamics and seamless partner connection.
They are deeply passionate about Pure Balboa, and love to explore its subtleties and nuances to create partnership and complicity.
Their lessons are lively and engaging, with a special focus on body awareness and movement mechanics.
Committed to creating a positive, supportive environment where dancers can grow in both technique and confidence, they strive to incorporate historical context into their teaching, ensuring that students gain a deeper appreciation for the roots of the dance.
In recent years, Alberto and Elena have been featured instructors at numerous international events and have achieved important results in several of the most significant Balboa competitions around the world, including the prestigious Rendezvous Championship, in New York.
Amy & Alex
Amy Lu and Alexander Lieu are Swiss-American dancers based out of Geneva, Switzerland where they teach weekly Balboa, Collegiate Shag, and Lindy Hop classes for Geneva Swing.
They provide tools and advice to physically and mentally empower individuality within partner dance. Authenticity, personal expression, play and joy are their core values.
For them, connection and accessibility for all dancers are essential. They study and consider the origins of the dances to better understand the biomechanics.
Combining their values for healthy bodies and pedagogical backgrounds in education, yoga, and somatic movement, Amy and Alex teach fun classes suitable for all to inspire curiosity, exploration, and creativity.
Hot Gravel Eskimos
live on Friday & Saturday
“Hot Gravel Eskimos”, the top-class eight-piece band from Milan lead by one of the most representative “hot jazz” specialist in Italy, multi-instrumentalist Mauro L. Porro, relives the pleasure of Classic Jazz tradition through exhilarating live performances of a musical repertoire focused on the original “Swing” music from the 1930’s and the beginning of the 1940’s.
For this to happen, the band performs with vintage musical instruments and bandstand instrumentation, with ad-hoc orchestrations based on precise musical transcriptions from its members’ own shellac libraries, as well as an immaculate stage presence recalling the thrill of the splendid “Swing Era”.
Andrea Peschiera, vocals
Pasquale Gravela, trumpet
Lorenzo Baldasso, clarinet, alto sax, vocal
Davide Vincenzi, tenor sax, clarinet, vocal
Mauro L. Porro, piano, soprano sax, cornet, vocal, arr. & transcr., leader
Yuri Biscaro, guitar, banjo
Marco Rottoli, double bass
Paolo A. Vanzulli, drums, percussions
New Hot Club of Zurich
live on Sunday
The New Hot Club of Zurich pays tribute to the music of guitar extraordinaire Django Reinhardt and the Hot Club of France.
Part of a global movement, the fully acoustic string quartet plays authentic French swing music from 1937 with an infectious rhythmic feel.
Corsin Battaglia, guitar
Dave Hasler, guitar
Gabriel Grapelli, violin
Michel Münch, contrabass
DJ Rija Ball
Rija Ball is a connoisseur of Swing dance and music.
From the heart of the Parisian dance scene, he is frequently found dancing and deejaying at several renowned international events.
His source of inspiration is his natural love for Swing music and watching his fellow DJ friends play. Rija is often appreciated for his intuitive sense of rhythm and musical tastes. Thus, why he is often found deejaying for some of our scene’s greatest events.
Join us for Rija’s amazing upcoming sets. Be ready to get inspired.