Meet your Teachers
Luis Arredondo
Mallorca, Spain
Luis Arredondo is renowned for his energetic dance style, risk-taking moves, and never-ending smile. With a detailed approach to the learning process, Luis ensures every class is dynamic and tailored to meet the students’ needs. After a decade in Toronto, where he travelled, taught, and competed across North America, he returned to Spain to build the Balboa scene in Mallorca. His classes are filled with positive energy, creative partnership conversations, and a strong focus on technique, making learning both fun and effective.
Maria Acuñas
Mallorca, Spain
Maria Acuñas began her swing dance journey in 2014, quickly becoming a standout with her fun, carefree style. As a lover of high-energy swing music, Balboa was a natural fit for her. In 2015, she founded Jazz Bouncing, a dance studio in Mallorca, where she is the principal instructor for Lindy Hop and Balboa. Maria is known for her creativity, musicality, and strong partner communication. She has won numerous national and international competitions, including a recent first place at the European Balboa Championships.
Cara De Grandpré
Cara became hooked on swing dance in its many forms in 2013 and her involvement now includes teaching, mentoring, helping organize events and founding troops like the Bal Gals. She particularly enjoys Slow Balboa, which she loves to dance, explore and teach.
As an ambi dancer, Cara is committed to constantly improving her dancing, and her understanding thereof, in the hope of sharing insights with others. She is known to be caffeine fueled and hug powered. She firmly believes in the power of “sound effects” when she teaches and that “life is too short for boring socks.”
Montréal, Québec
Jennifer Barnett
New York City, New York
Known for bringing a little math and science into the ballroom (don’t worry, just a little), Jen began tap dancing in pre-school and continued learning and later teaching through high school. After putting aside dance to focus on chemistry in college, Jen was happy to return to dancing–-this time the partnered swing dance of Balboa. During that time, Jen began teaching and promoting, co-running beloved Philly events such as the Saturday Night Fish Fry, Tokio/Jazz Attic/Jazz Attack, Philly Bal Night, and Bal Jam ’08. She now calls New York City home and enjoys teaching locally at You Should Be Dancing! and dancing at White Heat among other favorites.
Matt Mitchell
Matt Mitchell is an internationally recognized swing dance instructor and competitor specializing in Balboa and Lindy Hop. He began dancing in 1998 and has since trained extensively in swing-era dances, drawing influence from both historical and contemporary masters of the form.
As an instructor, he is known for emphasizing strong fundamentals, connection, musicality, and playful improvisation while maintaining the integrity of classic swing dance technique. Based in Austin, Texas, he continues to teach, compete, and contribute to the global Balboa community.
Austin, Texas
Dan Repsch
Montréal, Québec
Dan is immersed in the music and the movement. As a teacher, his enthusiastic approach brings a focus on innovation, connection, and attention to your partner. As a veteran DJ, he's played for events across 4 continents, DJing everything from international events to local dances. He’s also organized both locally and for international events, including a Head DJ role in BluesSHOUT! and The Balboa/Blues Experiment. In the end, Dan is most excited to work hard at improving the dance and to see people break through their boundaries.
Blake Thiessen
Blake has earned numerous national and international competition titles, including victories at ILHC, Camp Hollywood, California Balboa Classic, Hot Rhythm Holiday, and Camp Jitterbug. As an instructor, he combines a deep appreciation for the history of swing dancing with a thoughtful, musical approach to teaching. His classes emphasize strong fundamentals, authentic movement, and the joy of social dancing, helping students build confidence and connection on the dance floor.
Southern California
Alice Jeng
Southern California
Alice is an internationally recognized swing dancer, instructor, and competitor known for her exceptional Alice Jeng is a Southern California-based Balboa dancer known for her poise, nuanced connection, and eye-catching agility. On the dance floor, she blends technical precision with a subtle, elegant artistry; in the classroom, she strives to share her deep appreciation for partnership, musicality, and effortless flow. Alice holds winning titles from various international competitions including CalBal, Camp Hollywood, NY Bal Week and has taught in the US, Europe, and Asia.
Olga Marina
Olga was born into a family of teachers and since early years has been an energetic live wire – studying music, doing athletics, martial arts and gymnastics. In 2007 she was introduced to Lindy Hop and this is where the real passion story begins. She got dance hooked and started to explore more of the dance world by getting into Blues and later Balboa. She has been actively travelling the globe in pursuit of more opportunities to dance, learn and compete. Later she began to share her love for swing music and dance by teaching. Now Olga is the international balboa instructor, teaching solo and couple Balboa all over the world.
She is also the creator of iSoloBalboa, an online solo Balboa training system designed to help dancers improve their individual technique, timing, and musicality through structured solo practice. The program is built on the idea that strong solo fundamentals directly enhance partnered dancing, and it offers progressive drills and exercises for both leaders and followers.
Stockholm, Sweden
Felix Rioux Sabourin
Montréal, Québec
Félix Rioux Sabourin is a Canadian Balboa dancer, instructor, DJ, and active contributor to the Montreal swing dance scene. He is based in Montréal, Québec, where he has been deeply involved in Balboa and swing dancing since around 2014. Félix is known for his strong musicality and social dance presence, as well as his work supporting and organizing local Balboa events and initiatives.
In addition to dancing and teaching, he is also an active Balboa DJ at events, where he focuses on selecting music that supports energy, flow, and partner connection on the social floor.
