NEJC ZUPAN (SLO)
Nejc started dancing swing back in 2003 as a result of his contemporary dance experience and a strong love for jazz music. Because of this he became the main culprit for the popularization of Lindy Hop and Balboa in Slovenia in the early 2000s. Since 2010, he has been teaching various swing dances — Lindy hop, Balboa, Charleston, Blues — first on his own, then at Studio Dansa dance school and now in different projects around Ljubljana.
He travels extensively to teach at international workshops, sharing his love of swing, and also competes in many international competitions, winning quite a few (Lindy Shock, Rock That Swing, both the Solo Jazz and the Jack’n’Jill at the Ljubljana Sweet Swing festival,…).
His swing dance experience is a collection of endless research into different dance forms, many international workshops, show troupes and his humble willingness to keep learning from anybody who is willing to teach him. He pays special attention to jazz body movement, control and musicality, all quintessential to any swing dancing.
ŠPELA PREMeLč (SLO)
Špela is an active dancer and teacher of various dance genres. In her childhood she attended dance classes in standard and Latin American dances, trained gymnastics and passed a small music school of guitar. At the age of 15 she was introduced to jazz ballet and contemporary dance at the Terpsihora Dance Company, where her teaching career as a contemporary dance teacher began. Since the age of 18 she has been teaching contemporary dance and “jazz” ballet to children, students and adults. She has always received additional training at dance workshops around Slovenia.
Since 2013 she has been actively dancing and teaching swing dances (lindy hop, solo jazz, balboa). In 2015 she started teaching locally, and has been developing and deepening her knowledge and love of the many dance styles of swing at various festivals and dance workshops in Europe.
As a dancer and swing instructor, Špela focuses on quality body movement as the fundamental basis of all dance styles, both rhythmically and musically, and deeply values her relationship with her students as a co-creative two-way flow: moving from teacher to student as well as from student to teacher.
Her specificity is her dance versatility and her pedagogical and anthropological background, which allow her to teach different age groups and genres.
Pedro Vieira (Por)
Pedro discovered Lindy Hop and Authentic Jazz in 2012. His enthusiasm for the dance was so strong that, one year later, he started to teach. His passion led him to try new styles and become a regular teacher of Lindy Hop, Authentic Jazz, Collegiate Shag, Balboa, and Boogie-Woogie in Porto (Portugal).
Nicholas Brothers, Al Minns, Leon James are some of the dancers that most inspired him in his journey until today.
The dance for him is always about this trinity of connecting to the music, to your partner and to yourself.