Balboa

bal·bo·a
noun | a close-embrace dance built around the feeling of rhythmic movement between dancers

Balboa

Balboa is a refined and elegant swing dance that emerged in Southern California on crowded dance floors of Orange County, CA in the 1920s and 1930s, with contributions coming from the socially and ethnically diverse SoCal dance communities. With some ballrooms mandating that couples stay in a close-embrace position, the swing music lovers created a dance that borrowed rhythms and movements from Fox Trot and Charleston, shrinking them down to an elegant and swinging shuffle dance and adapting its signature close embrace.

Later in the 1930s, the Balboa dancers of Orange County started combining their dance with another swing dance style from the Los Angeles area, simply called “Swing”. Over time, Balboa and Swing came to be known as Bal-Swing. Close embrace Balboa, referred to now as “Pure Balboa,” and “Bal-Swing” make up what we now call “Balboa,” a hugely popular swing dance around the world. Because of its mechanics and partner connection, Balboa has the widest range of comfortable tempos of any of the classic swing dances! Balboa is particularly well-suited to faster tempos, allowing dancers to glide smoothly across the floor with minimal movement while maintaining a strong connection with their partner.

Classes We Offer

  • Learn the basic rhythms and movements of Balboa including come arounds, adlibs/rhythm-stutters, and the history of this great swing dance!

    No dance experience required/no prerequisites.

    5-week class session

  • *Level 2 classes can be taken in any order*

    Explore more Balboa movements in Bal-Swing and Pure Balboa, including lollies, toss outs, out-and-ins, drags, and swivels! Each series will explore these core movements, as well as a variety of variations and stylings.

    Prerequisites: Completion of Balboa 1 or equivalent. Comfortable with uphold/downhold basics, come arounds, promenades, and adlibs at a variety of tempos.

    5-week class session

    Balboa 2A: Lollies & Toss Outs

    Balboa 2B: Out & Ins

    Balboa 2C: Bal Swivels & Drags

    Balboa 2D: Advanced Pure Balboa

Let’s Dance

Questions? Comments? Ideas? We’d love to hear from you!