Anyone who has ever heard me talk knows that I’m originally from Germany. I came to the United States in early 1998 to work at the University of Vermont and began taking local swing dance classes in the spring of 2001. Since then I’ve been to many workshops where I learned from some of the best dancers in the world including Steven Mitchell and Virginie Jensen, Paul Overton and Sharon Ashe, and Sylvia Sykes to name a few. Very soon I discovered my love for Balboa and since than have been working to expand my knowledge and skill in Lindy Hop and Balboa in order to feel confident that I can give some of it back to our Swing Dancing community.

Coming from a Martial Art background I was surprised how similar the body experience is in terms of learning how to control your movement and balancing your body. And like the Martial Arts Swing Dancing teaches you also to appreciate yourself and your partner in dancing. But most off all, it is fun. The social aspect, the workout (believe me, dancing to fast music is a workout), the feeling you get mastering complex movements… The whole package is addictive.

I think I’ve always loved movement. I joined “girls’ gymnastics” when I was nine years old and stayed addicted through high school. I especially loved floor exercise because I got to dance and express myself to music; it always made me smile, even during competition. As an adult I discovered jazz and modern dance and, eventually, Lindy Hop. That’s when I found my passion!

I began swing dancing in January 1999 and, since then, have danced nearly every day, attended numerous classes and workshops, and invested in private lessons with world-renowned dancers and instructors in both Lindy Hop and Balboa. I was asked to teach my first beginning swing class to a group of teenagers in October of that first year and a few months later I was approached by a group of adults in Middlebury, VT to teach in their area. I taught beginner and intermediate classes in Middlebury for two years and have been teaching in Burlington since then.

It may seem melodramatic to say but Lindy Hop has truly changed my life; having all that joy on a regular basis has made me a much happier person! My biggest reward in teaching is that I get to help add some of that joy to other people’s lives!