Click to join JitterBal

JitterBal Egroups is for Steve & Heidi Balboa, Bal-Swing, Lindy Hop, etc. dance students who would like to keep in touch, practice, go out dancing, meet people of the same dance level and set up groups for privates with Steve & Heidi.

"If you haven't had a chance to take classes from Steve and Heidi yet, sign up now!
I had the privilege of taking classes with them ...
and they [are] some of the best teachers and most entertaining..."

We are available for private lessons by appointment, which are taught in our home studio, unless, of course, we are traveling to teach and not at home in which case the private will take place at the camp, depending upon availablilty. If the camp does not provide space, the student will be responsible for floor fees.

The Series: The Beg/Int. Balboa Swing & Advanced Balboa Swing Series are progressive, normally lasting 4-5 weeks. If you are new to swing dancing, please start the Beginning class at the start of the series as we will build on material throughout the series. If you have experience in Bal-Swing, please do take our Beg/Int. series as the Advanced class is truly Advanced and you will learn the way we do Bal and Swing and be able to get into the Advanced class in no time. December will be an only 3 week series as we will be closed for Christmas and New Year's Day. Every now and again we will offer Special 2 Hour Workshop ranging from Int./Adv. Lindy Hop, Dean Collins' Shim Sham, Big Apple and Partner Charelston, stay tuned for the next exciting special workshop.	The Pricing List: Privates are: $80 per hour for an individual $90 per hour for a couple $100 per hour for 3-6 couples Privates are usually with both Steve & Heidi, however, there maybe times when only one can teach the private, prices will remain the same. Individual pricing for 4 week series is $48, $88 for two series. Couples pricing is $88 for one series, $168 for two series. Individual pricing for 5 week series is $60, $110 for two series. Couples pricing is $110 for one series, $210 for two series. Drop-ins welcome for $14 per class per person. *Series are not refundable or transferable to the following month.
Balboa: Balboa is a closed position swing dance with no break aways that was started in the early 1930's by dancers in the Los Angeles area. The dance was named after Balboa Island in the Newport Beach area which was the location of the Rendezvous Ballroom. The dance is known for its romantic closeness, fast and fancy footwork and effortless flow. This is a dance you perform to songs as slow as Tuxedo Junction or as fast as White Heat! Some of the great L.A. Balboa dancers were Dean & Nancy Raftery, Ed & Inez Thompson, Ernie & Elsie Rubin, Bob & Marge Steinbrenner, and Gordon & Mary Almas, to name just a few. As L.A. dancers began to get the JitterBug spirit they started to add L.A. Swing Dancing to their Balboa, adding turns, slides and other break away moves, and from this Bal-Swing, as we now call it, was born. Some of the great L.A. Baboa Swing dancers were Maxie Dorf, Willie Desatoff, Hal Takier, Harry Berlin, Marie Fido, Anne Mills, Bart Bartolo, and Natalie & Tony Esperza, to mention but a few. JitterBal: JitterBal, what Steve & Heidi call their smooth and seamless transitions between Balboa, L.A. Style Swing and Lindy Hop. We've taken the joy of the Jitterbug and added it to the finesse of the Bal dance.	Beg. Balboa Swing: Beg. Balboa Swing is a beginning Balboa & Swing class where you will learn the 5 Fundamentals: the basic, transition, come around, inside turn and back to closed, as well as various outside turns and Pure Bal moves and some basic L.A. Style Swing moves, like an 8 count basic, side pass, sugarpush. You will learn the Balboa feel, and how to lead and follow these fundamental and fun basics. No partner or experience needed. Int./Adv. Balboa Swing: In this very fun class you will take all of your basics from Balboa, Balboa Swing and Lindy Hop and learn how to expand your style, focus on technique and really learn to social dance all three exciting forms of swing. You will learn more complex combinations, fun Pure Balboa ad lib steps, fancy footwork, and, the really cool part, is learning how to put it all together with Lindy Hop using smooth and seamless transitions to get you really Jitterbuggin'! If the this class is something that sounds interesting to you, please do make sure you know the 5 Fundemantals of Balboa/Balboa Swing and all the 6 and 8 count Basics of Lindy Hop. If you do not know them or are a bit rusty, please take one series of the Beg. Balboa Swing course to get ready for JitterBal. We also have DVDs for sale, which you can use to learn the Lindy Hop basics in order to join our JitterBal series. No partner necessary.
Lindy Hop: Lindy Hop is the granddaddy of swing dancing, it's where East Coast and West Coast swing orginated from. While there are many stories about where and when Lindy Hop began, we do know that Lindy Hop started off when dancers began to "break away" from closed position. There is evidence that the first break aways were done as early as the 1900's in the Barbry Coast. The 8 count swingout, or whip or Lindy Basic, whatever you like to call it, is the very heart of this dance. The beauty of Lindy Hop is that it is comprised of both 8 and 6 count moves so that you find yourself dancing over the 8 count swing music, allowing dances to be musical and fun.