Readers Choice Winner 2019 - Best Dance Lessons
Thank you New Braunfels for allowing us to share our passion with you. We look forward to another great year filled with fun, friends and dancing!
Rob & Diane van Haaren
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SWING
JUNCTION
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Finalist
BALBOA - History, Video's, Lessons
BALBOA - The original Southern California Swing Dance from the mid 1930's that was danced at a well know spot called the Rendezvous Ballroom on Balboa Island! This dance is danced close to your partner to slow or fast swing music. Great for working on your balance and helping with your lead and following skills, it is a true social dance and allows you to really connect with your partner through traveling and weight shifting steps. It is ideal for a crowded floor or just to break up your swing dancing within a song. You can switch into it in the middle of your dance. As Balboa dancers started to add swing steps to the original closed position dance, they called it Balboa-Swing. See video's below
Summer Balboa Series - Classes August 22-29
SUMMER BALBOA SERIES with Rob & Diane. A 2 week series will be held Tuesdays August 22-29 from 6:30 -7:45PM. You can pay $18 per class or use your Punch Card for it as it will replace the Weekly Intermediate Swing Lesson held at the Elks Lodge in New Braunfels. 15 minutes of practice will be offered after each class. A thee week pass is available for $48 at the door, or buy a one month Punch Card online or at the door for $55 with 4 classes to be used for any weekly classes over a period of 6 weeks at www.swingjunction.org. We will cover a variety of material for all levels.
Location: Elks Lodge 353 S. Seguin Ave in downtown New Braunfels.
Register In Advance
Balboa History - A personal Journey
Rob was fortunate to be around the master Balboa and Swing dancers in the 1980-90's in the Los Angeles area when they all were still kicking a serious leg! Rob learned the Balboa originally from Jonathan and Sylvia in Santa Barbara, but many Sundays were spend dancing with the old timers at Bobby McGees in Los Angeles. He was one of the only young kids, at that time, interested in the amazing true American Dance History. It was exciting spending time at the lions den, being included as an inexperienced and hungry dancer, as several of them adopted him like family. This is how he met Jean Veloz, Vena Archer, Hall and Margie Takier, Willie Desatoff, Freda Wyckoff, George Christopherson, John and Anne Mills and Maxie Dorf. Rob and Diane started teaching Balboa in Europe in the mid 1990's but it really did not take off until 10 years later. Today Balboa has captured the hearts of many amazing dancers as it's popularity has spread around the world. Here a picture with one of the guru's of Balboa Maxi Dorf in 1989.
Get to know the fun and variety of this wonderful original Swing dance with Rob and Diane. Here a picture of Diane with John Mills (age 94) who's break step Rob named "Johnny's Drop", here at a the Balboa Pavilion on Balboa Island. In the background you see Anne Mills (Johnny's wife and one of the most well known Balboa dancers) and Hall Takier, another great from the Southern California masters.
Balboa - Videos
The first video is Anne Mills dancing with all the Swing and Balboa greats mostly filmed at Bobby McGees in Los Angeles in the early 1980's -1990's! Partners in order: John Mills - Willie Desatoff - Maxie Dorf - Swing with Willie Desatoff - Harry Berlin with white pants (Anne Mills credited him with being one of the best - but is never mentioned) - Dean Collins - and finally John Mills.
The second video is a recent fun Southern California Balboa Competition - and look at the creativity and individual look of all the dancers. "Pure Bal" is when you stay in close position and Bal-Swing is when you break apart.
Final Thought
You have shown a healthy interest in this American Original Swing Dance - The Balboa. You made it to the bottom of the page! Much research is done by many others recently so Google Balboa and you will find a Smorgesbrot of information and video's. We will post some of my personal video collection in the near future. Our rich American Culture can be preserved and practiced all at the same time. Share the joy and bring a smile to somebody else! We are all connected and let's bring us all together. Experience the power of social dance! The road to a healthier, happier life with great friends - Live life to the fullest!
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Thanks,
Rob & Diane