Balboa beginners' workshop

*Registration opens 25th of August at 3pm EEST* Join awesome Riikka Väänäkoski and Mikko Väänäkoski for full 3h of Balboa Beginners. About this course This workshop will give you all you need to hit the social Balboa dance floor. You will get a notion of both types of Balboa, Pure Bal and Balswing. The course is also an excellent chance to recap your previous knowledge or change your dance role. If you will be attending the Balboa track during Helswingi without or with little previous Balboa knowledge, this course gives you the base to fill the minimum requirements. You have a spot guaranteed until the 30.8. Registration for the workshop is also open for everyone else. Requirement: One year of experience in any swing (or comparable) dance. Duration: Sunday, 23.9., 15.15-18.45 (includes two breaks) Location: Kamppi area (details to be announced) Price: 40€ About Balboa This dance was born in California in the second half of the 1920’s. The music of choice for Balboa is uptempo swingmusic. Balboa was danced in crowded ballrooms, which led to most of the dance to happen in closed position focusing on sophisticated partner connection and fancy footwork. That form of the dance is nowadays often referred to as Pure Balboa. With time dancers started opening the closed position and integrating flashy moves: Balswing was born. Balboa challenges dancers with complex footwork and rewards them with a beautiful connection and a floating feeling. About the teachers Riikka started dancing Lindy Hop in 2006 which was soon followed by Authentic Jazz and Balboa, teaching and other sorts of swing-connected craziness both in Finland and abroad. Today, Riikka teaches Lindy Hop and Balboa in Helsinki. She loves teaching people how to dance in rhythm and in control while having an awesome time with one’s partner. Mikko fell in love with swing dances in 2004. He started teaching Lindy Hop in 2007. Balboa and Authentic Jazz followed in a couple of years. Mikko loves the freedom of experimentation with rhythms and movements in swing dances and enjoys teaching people about rhythm and connection. Together they are one of the most requested teaching couple in Finland.