BE-BLUESED 2023
Dara Anderbard
Dara´s love of dancing started with moving to the latin rhythms growing up in the Caribbean, but he fell in love with Lindy Hop in the frozen north of Scotland, in 2009, and fell in love again with Blues at a workshop just 6 months later. Dara has been teaching Lindy Hop and Blues since 2011 and lived out of a suitcase as a travelling man for 5 years; moving between scenes, teaching and DJing workshops around Europe. Dara teaches Blues Dance, Lindy Hop, Authentic Jazz, blues DJing and blues history both at international events and in his home scene in Valencia, Spain.
Bibi
Bibi has been dancing for 25 years (and teaching for over 18!), but it is only when she discovered the blues that she found her true “perfect match”.
The overwhelming passion for blues music and dance quickly became a one-way ticket to the world. In fact, she is a well-known face on the international scene, she travels all around Europe, USA and Asia to deepen her knowledge, teach, share and spread all of her love and appreciation for the blues. She has given birth also to several communities of blues dancers in Italy, teaching weekly courses and workshops.
Bibi holds a strong sense of respect for the values of African American culture, and for the importance of researching and respecting the cultural roots and history of blues. What she loves about blues are the breadth of blues music as well as the creativity, the freedom of expression and the deep connection and communication with the music and the partner in the dance.
Bibi is also a known Dj, and for her, music is a great, continuous source of emotions, the true engine of everything she does! She has been spinning the decks since 2014, inspiring tons of dancers all around the globe and keeping the party jumping everywhere she went! She can Dj with different supports, including Vinyls!
Aside from dancing, she is a nerd of body mechanics, in fact she is also a certified yoga instructor and she is just about to graduate in Kinesiology and Movement Sciences.
Jamica Zion
Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Jamica Zion prides herself in being a dynamic follow. She aims for range, not just in connection and style, but across genres too! She holds multiple titles in Blues and Lindy Hop contests from top US events including Lindy Focus, Beantown, and Camp Hollywood. When she’s not social dancing, teaching, or working on choreography, she’s likely working on her research for her dissertation which focuses on these scenes (that she has been a part of since she was 15)!
Her approach towards sharing dance with others includes a critical understanding and appreciation of its
history and culture, while simultaneously ushering students to build their own styles and meaningful connections to it. Jamica is a Frankie Manning Ambassador for this approach both in her local community and as a guest instructor in other scenes. She draws on the professional training she’s received while working with organizations like the Anti-Defamation League and her sociology doctoral program which allows her to deliver inclusive, responsible, creative, and original classes.
Mike Sonder
Mike lives and breathes dance. He is constantly honing his skills and developing new ideas. If you run into him at a grocery store, on public transit, in a museum, or on a mountain top, you’ll probably catch him dancing.
Mike strives to create a learning environment that is fun, challenging, and inclusive. The goal is for each individual student to find their next step forward and enjoy that process of growth. Mike loves seeing students’ eyes light up when they understand a concept or feel a movement work naturally in their body for the first time.
Mike has taught dance in 21 countries and counting. He currently teaches Lindy Hop, Air Steps, Solo Jazz, and many different Blues styles.
Carla & Rodrigo
Based in Lisbon, we started to teach and spread the love for Blues&Swing dance in 2018. From a bigger school, and due to the pandemic, we decided to have our own project focus in a more cozy and small studio which improved the interaction with our students, giving a more individual feedback, but mainly be more more inclusive on the relation between teachers and students. The result become a born of a new family which is growing slowly but with a huge bounds between erveryone.
𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙖 is a real explosive cocktail of joy and vitamins! She started teaching Swing dance classes in 2012 and Blues classes in 2014. What she likes most is seeing the energy and joy that dance and music bring to students.
𝙍𝙤𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙤 started learning Blues&Swing dance at 39 years old and from then never stopped. His mojo is to show all students that it is never too late to start dancing. He wishes that everyone can feel as him, the real happiness that dance brings to your private and professional life.
Together they teach on a weekly basis Blues, Balboa and SlowBal dance classes, always with good energy and complicity! Privileging well-being and socializing, in an inclusive and fun environment to learn to dance. As they say in class: “dancing is good for your health, it makes the body move and uplifts the soul”.