Conversations in Closed

Sam Chan enters the chat. And gets boba with Jenn & Jose! Strap yourselves in for a ridiculous episode. Sam has been swing dancing since 2003 and trained under original dancers like Dean Raftery, and old timers like Marge Takier. He took 1st at the Balorado 2025 Invitational and 1st in the Wildcard at The California Balboa Classic in 2025. He has placed in Invitational contests at Hot Rhythm H...

Bienvenidos a Conversations in Closed! Jose y Estela charlan con Neus Castells ... Neus descubrió el swing por casualidad en 2007 en el Parque de la Ciutadella de Barcelona. Comenzó formándose en Lindy Hop y Solo Jazz, y hacia 2009 se sumergió en el Balboa. Desde entonces ha vivido la escena al máximo: practicando, enseñando, compitiendo, haciendo de DJ y actuando. Desde 2015 entrena e imparte cla...

Denise chats with Miyabi Hong from Taiwan! Listen to them talk about the crossover between Taiwan's street dance scene, follower's voice, and of course we couldn't have Miyabi on without asking her about all her different hair colors. If you have ever watched Miyabi on the dance floor, she is incredibly playful, and she has a unique way of approaching the dance. Miyabi's passion for street dance b...

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 flo...

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...

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...

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,...

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, Swede...

Let's talk vintage fashion. Denise & Jose visit Chloe Hong in Seoul, Korea to talk about vintage attire, how she 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 supporte...

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...

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!

Join Jose & our guest interviewer, Jennifer, as they talk to Fancy Dougherty ! Hear Fancy talk to us about her experience dancing in SoCal, what she looks for in a dance partner, and her thoughts on pedagogy. Hailing from Los Angeles, California, Fancy fell in love Lindy and shag in 2008, with Balboa trailing not far behind. She’s been hooked ever since, constantly endeavoring to improve her t...

In this episode, we interview a *very* special guest. Ray Huffman was born in the 1930s and grew up dancing Balboa in Southern California, where he got to listen and dance to bands such as Tommy Dorsey, Nat King Cole, and Count Basie! Featuring Guest Interviewer: Cory Von Korff Links: Ray's favorite modern balboa video

Jose & Denise spend time with Natasha Shevchenko & Michael Tan ! One of Balboa's power couples and innovators in the scene. Natasha's accomplishments in the swing dance world include prestigious wins at the California Balboa Classic, Camp Hollywood, BalLove, The Snowball, Valencia Balboa Festival and BalWeek NYC, along with notable placements at the International Lindy Hop Championships an...

In this Bite Size episode, we listen in on Denise's chat with Bobby White at Bal-Love 2025. Bobby talks practice tips, and Balboa history & resources.

In this episode of Pulse , Jose & Denise interview a panel of dancers from the queer community! Listen to Emily Schuhmann , Jona Venzor , and Chuyu Liang share their diverse experiences as queer folks moving through dance spaces. Special thanks to Balorado (Denver, CO) for supplying promo material.

Denise & Jose hang out with Taiga Miyajima at Snowball 2025! Taiga found Swing dancing in 2016 and since then has been relentlessly traveling and competing across the world. In 2023, he embarked on a dynamic six-month worldwide dance adventure, making 23 stops across 17 countries and immersing himself in Lindy Hop, Balboa, and Collegiate Shag. Along the way, he earned placements in both nation...

Our season finale! Welcome to the first of a new episode format titled Pulse , where we interview everyday dancers from the Swing community at large. Our guest is Karen Tong , from Hong Kong, China. In this episode, Karen talks to us about her injury she obtained during a competition and the discussions that have arisen in the aftermath on competition etiquette and safety.

Jose meets with international dance instructor, Jennifer Lee . Jenn is an internationally recognized swing dancer and Balboa instructor with a long list of competition titles, but some of her most important victories happened far from the dance floor. She earned her first blue ribbon at age eight by winning the 4-H Food Festival, an achievement made possible entirely by her mother’s cooking. In hi...

The tables are turned! Guest host Desiree Roffers interviews Jose Tello and Denise Lwin about how they got started with this podcast and what we can expect in the future. Listen for a preview of the next interview with Jennifer Lee !

Denise & Jose sit and chat with Andreas Olsson . Andreas grew up immersed in both wrestling and violin, early experiences that helped shape the creative, musical, and unpredictable style he brings to swing dancing. Trained in Lindy Hop, Balboa, and Solo Jazz, he built an accomplished career in performance, competition, and international teaching, earning top placements at events such as Camp H...

Jose and Denise visit Jeremy Otth to hear his stories on how he found dancing and his experiences with the old timers. Jeremy has amassed a great amount of knowledge on the historic essence of vintage swing dances from many of the original jitterbugs. His expertise lies in Lindy Hop, Collegiate Shag, Balboa, and Solo Jazz. He holds championship titles in competitions such as The International Lind...

Jose interviews & hangs with Dominic Hanna . Dominic is a dancer and dance enthusiast based in the Triangle region of North Carolina. He has been dancing balboa for nearly 10 years, has numerous competition placements, and is deeply fascinated by the elements that compose the feel and aesthetics of balboa. Music: Deja Vu by Greg Ruby .