About Deirdre
When Deirdre discovered Lindy Hop, many years ago in Berlin, she became a true addict. Soon, Lindy Hop wasn’t enough, so Balboa joined the Swing Book. Afterwards, she found that teaching Lindy Hop helped her to learn more quickly and get a better understanding of the dance.
In 2015, she discovered Slow Bal, watching a video with Mickey Fortanasce and Kelly Arsenault. Following an online course with Mickey and Kelly helped her get the basics, but there was hardly anyone to practise with… so what was next? She started teaching short basics courses and together with some enthusiasts she formed a practise group.
The big change came in 2018 when gradually, Slow Bal was getting more popular. All over Europe she met international teachers and learned a lot during workshop weekends and private lessons. In 2019 Deirdre was ready to open her own Swing dance school in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, that focuses solely on Slow Bal and slow Swing dancing.
About Joost
When Joost started dancing as a kid, it was all about gymnastics, competitions and performance. Acrobatic rock’n roll was his sport and he worked hard to perform and win. When he grew older his fascination for the dance went a little bit further back in time. After dancing Boogie Woogie for a few years he discovered Lindy Hop and that’s where the swing virus started.
Joost fell in love with all the technical aspects of the dance, the creativity, the expression and connection. He tried to attend international workshops as much as possible to learn from the best. At parties he was often the last man standing. After Lindy Hop, Balboa was quickly added to his Swing repertoire.Later, during Castle Camp, he was inspired to dance to slow jazz music. And Slow Bal was perfect for that!
When Joost is teaching, he hopes to inspire everyone to find their own voice in the dance. He is happy to share all the knowledge he has, to teach every step he knows and to give everything he’s got. But in the end he is truly happy when he sees students who are having fun and are dancing to their own style and liking.