Inter + Adv NEW! Enjoy this modern way of having some fun with Lollies. We cover getting into B-N-K lollies, the technique of sustaining them, and several exits.

Inter + Adv NEW! Back Pivots are one of the most popular Pure Balboa moves, originally created by Dean & Nancy Raftery. We showcase several techniques for learning this elegant favorite.

Welcome to Bobby's BAL PLAY — 7 lessons designed for Balboa dancers to get better at both technique and improvisation, all through the act of play. (You don’t have to do all the lessons in a specific order, you can mix and match as desired.) It's MORE THAN 7 HOURS of Instruction!

Intermediate The behind-the-back toss-out is, simply put, one of the quintessential moves of Bal-Swing. And, it’s one of the most poorly-lead moves on the dance floor, because it’s easy for leaders to lose the lead when they go for the look rather than the feel. So, without further adieu, here is an in-depth breakdown of the Behind-The-Back Toss-Out, including some extra Maxie Dorf technique and styling. $10

Intermediate Counterbody is a texture one can add in a lot of Balboa, especially Pure Balboa, to spice it up a bit, add another dimension to leading/following, and in general give some “swing” to some movements. This video breaks down three ways to use Counterbody: Counterbody Drags, Counterbody Stop, and Counterbody Stop w/ an outside turn. $15

This (streaming) DVD is geared toward getting a great look and style in Balboa and Bal-Swing. But it’s much more than just a collection of followers’ variations — it’s a DVD about showing followers how to build and invent their own styles and empower their own voices.

(streaming) Bobby & Kate tackle Bal-Swing from mechanics and styles inspired by old timers. They cover all the basic Out & In movements, Lolly Kicks, turns in Lollies, and Toss-outs. They also discuss tension, posture, arm-body relationships, the Out & In’s role as the Bal-Swing basic, and the history of the dance.

Intermediate/Advanced Since arms are almost always connected in Balboa and Bal-Swing, much of the dance is expressed through footwork (or, as we like to say, Body/Leg work). This (streaming) DVD gives lots of footwork variations for both Leaders and Followers in all of the “Five Basics” — Pure Bal, Out & Ins, Lollies, Toss-outs, and Swivels. It has sliding, crossing, kicking, swooping, shuffling, and more.

Bobby & Kate tackle Pure Balboa from its roots in rhythm and weight placement, allowing for dancers to start playing with the dance from their very first step. It then tackles the two main basics and all of the fundamental Ad-lib steps like forward/back progressives, side-scoots, crab walks, and paddles. They also discuss tension, posture, shuffling, and the history of the dance.

Kate & Bobby revolutionized Balboa learning when they put out DVDs specifically aimed for followers. They were also very pleased at how much Leaders seemed to get out of the DVDs. This streaming version of their DVD approaches the fundamentals of Balboa and Bal-Swing from the viewpoint of a follower — the one who doesn’t know which move is coming next, and must live and react in the moment.

Intermediate Here was salute legend Roy Damron, who did this beautiful combination of movements in the 1938 Gilmore stadium clip. It’s got it all! Open-hand Lollies! Multiple Turns! A Texas-Tommy! So make sure to check out those lessons if you get stuck or something doesn’t feel quite right. We go over the basic Damron and how to play with its pieces.

The dance we speak of commonly as "Balboa" today is actually a combination of two Southern California swing era dances, "Balboa Shuffle" and "Swing." This is a video to explain "Swing," which some teachers might refer to as "So-Cal Swing" or "L.A.Swing" today. As with all short history videos, it of course over-simplifies some for the sake of grasping the general ideas. Thanks to Sara-Sofia Rentas for her help!

Want to understand Pure Balboa better in just a few minutes? Enjoy this down-and-dirty guide to "Pure Bal," a.k.a. Balboa Shuffle, that of course over-simplifies some for the sake of grasping the general idea.

Intermediate Kate Hedin goes over the tips and tricks she used for practicing alone when she went from beginner to legend. She goes over mirror work, contact awareness, and shaping personal aesthetics. $10

Intermediate/Advanced Hal’s Roll, one of the greatest “shine” moves of Bal-Swing history. We break down all the nuances of Hal & Marge Takier’s intricate move. It’s gonna take hard work, but it’s also fun work. $12

Advanced It’s all in the title. Kate Hedin goes over her notoriously cool and tricky swivel variation, teaching dancers the advanced skill of separating their stepping from their body movement. $5

Intermediate It isn’t just footwork — it’s leg work. Here Kate Hedin goes over practicing Bal-Swing leg movement, especially in Lollies, Toss Outs, and Swivels, and how to practice on your own. It’s part of her series on practicing Balboa when you have no partner, and not much space. $10.

Advanced Maxie Dorf’s Slide is yet another incredible classic move, and involves a double turn for the follower, which requires a special trick for leaders. In this lesson we show Maxie doing it, and break it down with Maxie’s great timing and styling. We then show a jump-cross turn variation for follower’s, one of Kate’s favorite badass variations.

Intermediate/Advanced Maxie Dorf’s Stop Step is one of the greatest classic moves of all time. It’s also mentioned on many level test descriptions for Intermediate and Advanced classes. In this lesson we show Maxie doing it, break down the basic components, show viewers how Maxie did it, and then show viewers how they can change parts of it to adapt it to the music.

Intermediate / Advanced In this lesson, we go in-depth into how followers and leaders can master multiple turning. Then, we show one of the great classic Bal-Swing moves of all time, which uses both multiple turns and some basic Texas Tommy technique. In the modern era we call it “The Helwig,” named after Jack Helwig and his partner Genevieve Grazis, the dancers who performed it in the famous beach clip of 1938.

Intermediate/Advanced Pop Turns — another great move from the classic repertoire. And, a tricky one, but not so much when you know the tricks. We break down the most common errors and get turns popping dependably and comfortably. For this tutorial, we cover the Clockwise collecting pop turn and the Counter-clockwise collecting pop turn.

All levels This FREE lesson covers some basic fundamentals of posture and connection for both Balboa and Bal-Swing.

Want to practice, but don’t have a partner, or much space? Check out Bobby’s video series on improvisational jazz movement training, from live-streams done during the COVID-19 quarantine. Each season is eight half-hour training episodes — that’s four hours of material for only $20! (With, you know, fish eye lenses and FB video quality). There’s even a FREE EPISODE to see if it’s your thing.

Want to practice, but don’t have a partner, or much space? Check out Bobby’s video series on improvisational jazz movement training (Season 2!), from live-streams done during the COVID-19 quarantine. Each season is eight half-hour training episodes — that’s four hours of material for only $20 (With, you know, fish eye lenses and FB video quality). There’s even a FREE EPISODE for you to try out.

Want to practice, but don’t have a partner, or much space? Check out Bobby’s video series on improvisational jazz movement training (Season 3!), from live-streams done during the COVID-19 quarantine. Each season is eight half-hour training episodes — that’s four hours of material for only $20! (With, you know, fish eye lenses and FB video quality).

Intermediate Promenade is one of the most useful ways to create a dynamic dance as well as hone leading and following skills. This is one lesson we’d recommend for every student. Plus, it’s got SO MUCH STUFF. Over 23 minutes we cover: Basic Promenade, Out & In Exit, Folding entrance, Clockwise exit, Drag slide, and the “Little Swivels” Exit.

Intermediate Kate Hedin brings you part of a series on practicing Balboa when you have no partner, and not much space. Here she goes over practicing Pure Balboa foot shape, leg shape, and posture, and options to make them your own. $12

Intermediate/Advanced Roll Outs — Physics creates a satisfying experience once again! We break down this move and add a tricky advanced lead/follow and timing variation. For this tutorial, we cover the Roll-out, Roll-In, Continual rolling, and the Roll-out hand catch.

Advanced One of the slickest moves of modern Balboa. Some call it “The Butterfly kick,” or “The Tango.” We like something with a little more bite: “The Scorpion Kick.” This move requires the leader to lift the follower and the follower to both jump and be lifted. We cover a lower-impact, smaller version, and a higher-power, trick step version. Please be safe!

Beg/Inter “Swivels” are considered by many to be the “fifth basic step” after Pure Bal basics, Out & Ins, Lollies, & Toss-Outs. They especially show off the “twist” of Bal-Swing wonderfully, and thus are one of Bal-Swings signature moves. They often come up in level tests for intermediate classes. This is Part I of Swivels. It covers double-time Lollies, swivel entrances, basic swivels, and basic exit.

Beg/Inter Swivels are, in a lot of ways, the “5th basic” of Bal-Swing. In Swivels I, we covered the basic structure. Ready for round two? In Swivels II we play with kick-step swivels, swivel timing, and give a very satisfying and cool looking turn exit.

Inter/Adv Probably the greatest scourge of the social-floor for followers, "the lawn mower move." Our aim was to create the most in-depth Texas Tommy primer we could, geared towards making sure it’s as comfortable as possible, so that everyone will enjoy the experience. That’s why it’s long, and why we call it The Ultimate Texas-Tommy.

Advanced “The Seattle Move” is a Bobby & Kate original. It’s one our favorite moves we’ve created, and the entrance allows for tons of inspiration. For instance, we give three exits to the move in our lesson — a basic exit, a double-turn exit, and the original “Helwiggy” wrap-up exit, which we can say without bias has very satisfying flow when you finally get it.

All levels (From Bobby!) Designed with help from New York physical therapist and dance movement specialist Nicola Banger, this video takes the dancer on a one-hour journey through healthy body alignment and movement. Complete with dance challenges, it's designed for all swing dancers.

Advanced The Dandy, is an explosive step requiring both dancers to be in control of both their partner and their aesthetics. For the follower, an Irene Thomas wrapped-up quick stop. For the leader, an unexpected footwork combination into a fast circle slide. A true fanboy/fangirl move, its a combination of three dancers we greatly admire — David Rehm, Randy Maestretti, and Irene Thomas. $10

Intermediate/Advanced The Vortex, a Bobby & Kate original. One of our favorites moves, but a trick to get quite right. Only $5!

Intermediate This video takes your Pure Balboa up a notch by showing three different textures Leaders can add to Pure Bal movement, and Followers will experience on the floor: The Box Step, The Lilt, and the Counterbody basic (which is not covered in the Counterbody video, but is a companion to it.)

Intermediate/Advanced Why not enjoy three classic very socially lead-and-follow-able moves from the Old-Timers. First, there’s the Three Little Words, a infamous floor-touching, jumpy move. Then, there’s the Flea Hop, a infamous kicky, jumpy move. Finally, we got the Bart’s Leg, a kicky, swingy move. (Jumpy optional.) We put specific emphasis on both high-energy and high-comfort.

Intermediate/Advanced Pure Bal Triples can be very tricky due to the shuffling nature of the dance. But once you get them, they are very satisfying. There’s also a history of different stylings for triples among the original dancers. For this tutorial, we cover the basic triple as well as Maxie Dorf’s special triple timing and his pull-back triples.

TURN TIPS Intermediate Kate Hedin goes over turns, turns, and more turns. She goes over the four top tips for turning technique ™, and the tools and tricks for practicing turns at home. $12