Minor Swing 2025
Celebrating the 10th Edition of Balboa Magic!
Minor Swing is a Balboa festival run by members of the non-profit dance association West Coast Jitterbugs. Like all other swing dances that WCJ dances, Balboa originated during the swing era, dancing to the music emerged largely under the influence of Afro-American artistic traditions and values. Read more about Balboa here.
Each year, the Minor Swing team works hard to create new Balboa memories for local dancers and international guests. This year, we’re thrilled to celebrate the 10th edition of this fabulous event!
Please get in touch with us at minorswing@wcj.se if you have any questions.
Also, have a look at the
Code of Conduct
for the event.
/Minor Swing team 😘
Tickets
Full pass registration opens January 12th!
Tickets
Full pass registration opens January 12th!
Tickets
Full pass registration opens January 12th!
REGISTRATION
NOTE: Party pass is included in the workshop fee. No registration is needed if you are accepted to classes. Though, if you are on the waiting list to the complete workshop, please register for a party pass, and we will cancel this registration if you are accepted to classes.
PROGRAM
Workshops
PROGRAM
Workshops
PROGRAM
Workshops
Full pass includes 6 hours of quality lessons with wonderful teachers - Elena Paiola, Alberto Boffa, Sanna Leinonen, Adam LaMontagne, Sylvia Sykes, and Nick Williams on Saturday and Sunday during the daytimes and all evening parties, from Friday to Sunday.
Level Majorna
A hidden treasure just waiting to be discovered – Improver
You want to learn more moves and variations. Dancing and mixing up fundamentals is fun and effortless at lower tempos. At the higher tempos you feel safer sticking to your basics but of course you risk it and throw in the cooler moves every now and again – and hey there’s no wrong there’s only variations, right? You know Balboa is the thing, and you are ready to continue your learning experience.
Level Majorna
A hidden treasure just waiting to be discovered – Improver
You want to learn more moves and variations. Dancing and mixing up fundamentals is fun and effortless at lower tempos. At the higher tempos you feel safer sticking to your basics but of course you risk it and throw in the cooler moves every now and again – and hey there’s no wrong there’s only variations, right? You know Balboa is the thing, and you are ready to continue your learning experience.
Level Majorna
A hidden treasure just waiting to be discovered – Improver
You want to learn more moves and variations. Dancing and mixing up fundamentals is fun and effortless at lower tempos. At the higher tempos you feel safer sticking to your basics but of course you risk it and throw in the cooler moves every now and again – and hey there’s no wrong there’s only variations, right? You know Balboa is the thing, and you are ready to continue your learning experience.
Level Linné
There is some really cool stuff going on – Intermediate-advanced
You like learning new moves and adapting them to your own style. You know a wide variety of moves, and the faster it gets the more fun you have. You are working on making the dance your own and being able to be comfortable and elegant at the higher tempos or with a partner that is new to you.
Level Linné
There is some really cool stuff going on – Intermediate-advanced
You like learning new moves and adapting them to your own style. You know a wide variety of moves, and the faster it gets the more fun you have. You are working on making the dance your own and being able to be comfortable and elegant at the higher tempos or with a partner that is new to you.
Level Linné
There is some really cool stuff going on – Intermediate-advanced
You like learning new moves and adapting them to your own style. You know a wide variety of moves, and the faster it gets the more fun you have. You are working on making the dance your own and being able to be comfortable and elegant at the higher tempos or with a partner that is new to you.
Level Guldheden
At the top of the hill – Advanced
You like to geek and tweak on those basics and moves, and challenge yourself and your way of dancing Balboa. You are relaxed and comfortable in your dancing and that’s what makes you look so darn elegant. You can adapt your style to the different partners you meet and you like to inspire and be inspired by your dance partners. Tempo is not a problem, you embrace it! Taking classes is not so much about the moves anymore, it’s about musicality and inspiration.
NOTE: This level will be split into two groups at the audition first thing Saturday morning. Make sure to be there on time, even if the Friday party is great.
After classes end on Sunday, there will be an afternoon tea open for everyone to attend, which then merges into the Sunday party. Come and enjoy the scones, the cakes, the tea (and the coffee).
Level Guldheden
At the top of the hill – Advanced
You like to geek and tweak on those basics and moves, and challenge yourself and your way of dancing Balboa. You are relaxed and comfortable in your dancing and that’s what makes you look so darn elegant. You can adapt your style to the different partners you meet and you like to inspire and be inspired by your dance partners. Tempo is not a problem, you embrace it! Taking classes is not so much about the moves anymore, it’s about musicality and inspiration.
NOTE: This level will be split into two groups at the audition first thing Saturday morning. Make sure to be there on time, even if the Friday party is great.
After classes end on Sunday, there will be an afternoon tea open for everyone to attend, which then merges into the Sunday party. Come and enjoy the scones, the cakes, the tea (and the coffee).
Level Guldheden
At the top of the hill – Advanced
You like to geek and tweak on those basics and moves, and challenge yourself and your way of dancing Balboa. You are relaxed and comfortable in your dancing and that’s what makes you look so darn elegant. You can adapt your style to the different partners you meet and you like to inspire and be inspired by your dance partners. Tempo is not a problem, you embrace it! Taking classes is not so much about the moves anymore, it’s about musicality and inspiration.
NOTE: This level will be split into two groups at the audition first thing Saturday morning. Make sure to be there on time, even if the Friday party is great.
After classes end on Sunday, there will be an afternoon tea open for everyone to attend, which then merges into the Sunday party. Come and enjoy the scones, the cakes, the tea (and the coffee).
PROGRAM
Evening Parties
PROGRAM
Evening Parties
PROGRAM
Evening Parties
Minor Swing is a party event and the evenings will hold a lot of great happenings.
The main parties with live music will take place at our dance society’s venue, the Forum, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Live band music tuned for Balboa dance will be ready for each evening party.
Each year’s Minor Swing integrates various activities outside of the dance evening. Some can be placed at the beginning of the Friday, between the Saturday workshop and evening party, or even on Thursday evening as a pre-party.
On Sunday, the party starts with afternoon tea, which moves into the Sunday party, bar emptying and music for dancing.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and stay tuned to the exciting news of the band, DJ lineup, preliminary schedule, and activities that are spicing up the joy.
Minor Swing is a party event and the evenings will hold a lot of great happenings.
The main parties with live music will take place at our dance society’s venue, the Forum, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Live band music tuned for Balboa dance will be ready for each evening party.
Each year’s Minor Swing integrates various activities outside of the dance evening. Some can be placed at the beginning of the Friday, between the Saturday workshop and evening party, or even on Thursday evening as a pre-party.
On Sunday, the party starts with afternoon tea, which moves into the Sunday party, bar emptying and music for dancing.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and stay tuned to the exciting news of the band, DJ lineup, preliminary schedule, and activities that are spicing up the joy.
Minor Swing is a party event and the evenings will hold a lot of great happenings.
The main parties with live music will take place at our dance society’s venue, the Forum, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Live band music tuned for Balboa dance will be ready for each evening party.
Each year’s Minor Swing integrates various activities outside of the dance evening. Some can be placed at the beginning of the Friday, between the Saturday workshop and evening party, or even on Thursday evening as a pre-party.
On Sunday, the party starts with afternoon tea, which moves into the Sunday party, bar emptying and music for dancing.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and stay tuned to the exciting news of the band, DJ lineup, preliminary schedule, and activities that are spicing up the joy.
PROGRAM
Garden Party
PROGRAM
Garden Party
PROGRAM
Garden Party
Begin the Saturday with a garden party under the sunny Gothenburg sky.
It’s May, and the weather in Gothenburg will hopefully be lovely! What better way to start the Saturday than with a garden party full of fancy drinks and surprises?
Come early and bring your dinner, or come right after dinner and enjoy an outdoor at the start of the evening.
Between 7 and 9 pm, there will be a coffee station that serves fancy coffee without cost.
Come and enjoy a cappuccino and get the caffeine levels straight before the party starts and never ends.
More info about the garden party & some inspo pics will be updated here soon.
Begin the Saturday with a garden party under the sunny Gothenburg sky.
It’s May, and the weather in Gothenburg will hopefully be lovely! What better way to start the Saturday than with a garden party full of fancy drinks and surprises?
Come early and bring your dinner, or come right after dinner and enjoy an outdoor at the start of the evening.
Between 7 and 9 pm, there will be a coffee station that serves fancy coffee without cost.
Come and enjoy a cappuccino and get the caffeine levels straight before the party starts and never ends.
More info about the garden party & some inspo pics will be updated here soon.
Begin the Saturday with a garden party under the sunny Gothenburg sky.
It’s May, and the weather in Gothenburg will hopefully be lovely! What better way to start the Saturday than with a garden party full of fancy drinks and surprises?
Come early and bring your dinner, or come right after dinner and enjoy an outdoor at the start of the evening.
Between 7 and 9 pm, there will be a coffee station that serves fancy coffee without cost.
Come and enjoy a cappuccino and get the caffeine levels straight before the party starts and never ends.
More info about the garden party & some inspo pics will be updated here soon.
Teachers
The teacher line up of Minor Swing 2025!
We’re thrilled to have these amazing teachers coming to Gothenburg to share their knowledge and dancing.
Teachers
The teacher line up of Minor Swing 2025!
We’re thrilled to have these amazing teachers coming to Gothenburg to share their knowledge and dancing.
Teachers
The teacher line up of Minor Swing 2025!
We’re thrilled to have these amazing teachers coming to Gothenburg to share their knowledge and dancing.
Elena Paiola & Alberto Boffa
They are Balboa dancers and instructors, known for their elegant and harmonious style. With a background in contemporary dance and dedicated swing training, they bring their personal perspective to Balboa, emphasizing fluid dynamics and seamless partner connection. Their lessons focus on body awareness, movement mechanics, and the intricacies of leading and following in Balboa. Passionate about preserving early 20th-century partner dances, they emphasize historical context in their teaching.
In recent years, Alberto and Elena have been featured instructors at numerous events. Their contributions have included not only teaching and performing but also giving talks on Balboa’s rich history and its significance in the world of swing dancing.
They have also participated in many international festivals and achieved numerous placements in several of the most significant European Balboa competitions.
Elena Paiola & Alberto Boffa
They are Balboa dancers and instructors, known for their elegant and harmonious style. With a background in contemporary dance and dedicated swing training, they bring their personal perspective to Balboa, emphasizing fluid dynamics and seamless partner connection. Their lessons focus on body awareness, movement mechanics, and the intricacies of leading and following in Balboa. Passionate about preserving early 20th-century partner dances, they emphasize historical context in their teaching.
In recent years, Alberto and Elena have been featured instructors at numerous events. Their contributions have included not only teaching and performing but also giving talks on Balboa’s rich history and its significance in the world of swing dancing.
They have also participated in many international festivals and achieved numerous placements in several of the most significant European Balboa competitions.
Elena Paiola & Alberto Boffa
They are Balboa dancers and instructors, known for their elegant and harmonious style. With a background in contemporary dance and dedicated swing training, they bring their personal perspective to Balboa, emphasizing fluid dynamics and seamless partner connection. Their lessons focus on body awareness, movement mechanics, and the intricacies of leading and following in Balboa. Passionate about preserving early 20th-century partner dances, they emphasize historical context in their teaching.
In recent years, Alberto and Elena have been featured instructors at numerous events. Their contributions have included not only teaching and performing but also giving talks on Balboa’s rich history and its significance in the world of swing dancing.
They have also participated in many international festivals and achieved numerous placements in several of the most significant European Balboa competitions.
Sanna Leinonen & Adam LaMontagne
Sanna and Adam have been dancing and teaching swing dances together for fifteen years. During this time, they have become well known for the joy and skill that they bring to the social dance floor. Mostly preferring balboa and lindy hop mix & match competitions, they have taken numerous titles individually at events in Europe and the US. In the classroom, they emphasize a solid mix of technique and playfulness resulting in a dynamic and personalized approach to musicality and movement that is accessible and fun for all dancers.
Sanna Leinonen & Adam LaMontagne
Sanna and Adam have been dancing and teaching swing dances together for fifteen years. During this time, they have become well known for the joy and skill that they bring to the social dance floor. Mostly preferring balboa and lindy hop mix & match competitions, they have taken numerous titles individually at events in Europe and the US. In the classroom, they emphasize a solid mix of technique and playfulness resulting in a dynamic and personalized approach to musicality and movement that is accessible and fun for all dancers.
Sanna Leinonen & Adam LaMontagne
Sanna and Adam have been dancing and teaching swing dances together for fifteen years. During this time, they have become well known for the joy and skill that they bring to the social dance floor. Mostly preferring balboa and lindy hop mix & match competitions, they have taken numerous titles individually at events in Europe and the US. In the classroom, they emphasize a solid mix of technique and playfulness resulting in a dynamic and personalized approach to musicality and movement that is accessible and fun for all dancers.
Sylvia Sykes & Nick Williams
Sylvia Sykes and Nick Williams are one of the most experienced and sought after teachers on the international balboa scene. Sylvia studied Balboa with Maxie Dorf and learned from some of the greatest swing dancers in California and has been teaching for 30 years. Nick has won some of the most prestigious awards. His deep understanding of the dance stems from studying with the original dancers. Nick’s desire for authenticity, combined with his passion for dance evolution, leads to a style known for precision, lightness, musicality and dynamic energy.
Sylvia Sykes & Nick Williams
Sylvia Sykes and Nick Williams are one of the most experienced and sought after teachers on the international balboa scene. Sylvia studied Balboa with Maxie Dorf and learned from some of the greatest swing dancers in California and has been teaching for 30 years. Nick has won some of the most prestigious awards. His deep understanding of the dance stems from studying with the original dancers. Nick’s desire for authenticity, combined with his passion for dance evolution, leads to a style known for precision, lightness, musicality and dynamic energy.
Live Bands
Enjoy live music every night!
Live Bands
Enjoy live music every night!
Live Bands
Enjoy live music every night!
Hot Gravel Eskimos
“Hot Gravel Eskimos”, the top-class eight-piece band from Milan lead by one of the most representative “hot jazz” specialist in Italy, multiinstrumentalist Mauro L. Porro, relives the pleasure of Classic Jazz tradition through exhilarating live performances of a musical repertoire focused on the original “Swing” music from the 1930’s and the beginning of the 1940’s. For this to happen, the band performs with vintage musical instruments and bandstand instrumentation, with ad-hoc orchestrations based on precise musical transcriptions from its members’ own shellac libraries, as well as an immaculate stage presence recalling the thrill of the splendid “Swing Era”.
Hot Gravel Eskimos
“Hot Gravel Eskimos”, the top-class eight-piece band from Milan lead by one of the most representative “hot jazz” specialist in Italy, multiinstrumentalist Mauro L. Porro, relives the pleasure of Classic Jazz tradition through exhilarating live performances of a musical repertoire focused on the original “Swing” music from the 1930’s and the beginning of the 1940’s. For this to happen, the band performs with vintage musical instruments and bandstand instrumentation, with ad-hoc orchestrations based on precise musical transcriptions from its members’ own shellac libraries, as well as an immaculate stage presence recalling the thrill of the splendid “Swing Era”.
Hot Gravel Eskimos
“Hot Gravel Eskimos”, the top-class eight-piece band from Milan lead by one of the most representative “hot jazz” specialist in Italy, multiinstrumentalist Mauro L. Porro, relives the pleasure of Classic Jazz tradition through exhilarating live performances of a musical repertoire focused on the original “Swing” music from the 1930’s and the beginning of the 1940’s. For this to happen, the band performs with vintage musical instruments and bandstand instrumentation, with ad-hoc orchestrations based on precise musical transcriptions from its members’ own shellac libraries, as well as an immaculate stage presence recalling the thrill of the splendid “Swing Era”.
Gentleman & Gangsters
Gentlemen & Gangsters play hot jazz with all the flair and sophistication of true gentlemen, coupled with the ruthless brutality of hardened gangsters. Like a devious conspiracy from a bygone era, this shady syndicate of jazz kingpins plot for world domination from their secret location in a run down part of Gothenburg. Armed with drumsticks instead of knuckle dusters and trombones instead of tommy guns these deranged masterminds spread mayhem, joy, and decadence wherever they go.
Gentleman & Gangsters
Gentlemen & Gangsters play hot jazz with all the flair and sophistication of true gentlemen, coupled with the ruthless brutality of hardened gangsters. Like a devious conspiracy from a bygone era, this shady syndicate of jazz kingpins plot for world domination from their secret location in a run down part of Gothenburg. Armed with drumsticks instead of knuckle dusters and trombones instead of tommy guns these deranged masterminds spread mayhem, joy, and decadence wherever they go.
Gentleman & Gangsters
Gentlemen & Gangsters play hot jazz with all the flair and sophistication of true gentlemen, coupled with the ruthless brutality of hardened gangsters. Like a devious conspiracy from a bygone era, this shady syndicate of jazz kingpins plot for world domination from their secret location in a run down part of Gothenburg. Armed with drumsticks instead of knuckle dusters and trombones instead of tommy guns these deranged masterminds spread mayhem, joy, and decadence wherever they go.
DJs
Something exciting awaits
Full reveal of the amazing DJ lineup coming soon.
DJs
Something exciting awaits
Full reveal of the amazing DJ lineup coming soon.
DJs
Something exciting awaits
Full reveal of the amazing DJ lineup coming soon.
DJ lil'roquette
Daniela aka lil'roquette dedicated herself to swing music in 2010 and since then not only dances Balboa, Lindy Hop and Blues passionately... she is a musician, booker and has been
travelling internationally as a DJ since 2015. Her passion for collecting music has already blown up several hard drives.
When selecting music, she seeks for a balance between contemporary classics, current recordings and new compositions. Her sets are known for their musicality, variety and muuuuuch energy.
DJ lil'roquette
Daniela aka lil'roquette dedicated herself to swing music in 2010 and since then not only dances Balboa, Lindy Hop and Blues passionately... she is a musician, booker and has been
travelling internationally as a DJ since 2015. Her passion for collecting music has already blown up several hard drives.
When selecting music, she seeks for a balance between contemporary classics, current recordings and new compositions. Her sets are known for their musicality, variety and muuuuuch energy.
DJ lil'roquette
Daniela aka lil'roquette dedicated herself to swing music in 2010 and since then not only dances Balboa, Lindy Hop and Blues passionately... she is a musician, booker and has been
travelling internationally as a DJ since 2015. Her passion for collecting music has already blown up several hard drives.
When selecting music, she seeks for a balance between contemporary classics, current recordings and new compositions. Her sets are known for their musicality, variety and muuuuuch energy.
Venue
Forum, home of West Coast Jitterbugs
Our society has its own venue called Forum, where all classes are taking place. There are two dance floors that are very slippery and perfect for Balboa!
Doktor Fries Torg 7, 41323 Gothenburg, Sweden
Venue
Forum, home of West Coast Jitterbugs
Our society has its own venue called Forum, where all classes are taking place. There are two dance floors that are very slippery and perfect for Balboa!
Doktor Fries Torg 7, 41323 Gothenburg, Sweden
Minor Swing 2025
Info
Preliminary Schedule
Code of Conduct
Copyright © 2024
/
All photos on the website, unless noted, by Daniel Turrietta
All photos on the website, unless noted, by Daniel Turrietta
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Logo designed by Gosia Aniolkowska
Logo designed by Gosia Aniolkowska
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Website designed by Inhye Park
Website designed by Inhye Park