Natalia (she/her) is a visual artist and a jazz dancer, teacher and performer based in San Diego, California. Her swing and jazz adventures began in late 2010 although she had been dancing since the age of 4 and considers movement to music akin to breathing. Since her first steps into the professional swing dance circuit around 2012, she has taught, competed and performed at many notable national and international dance events, acquiring numerous awards along the way.

While performing and teaching are a great source of passion for her, Natalia feels the most fulfilled when creating meaningful connections with her students and colleagues on the social dance floor.

Hello, I’m Christian Frommelt (he/him/his), a swing dancer and musician from St. Louis, Missouri. As a teacher, organizer, and social dancer, I’ve dedicated much of my life to bringing people together through music and dance. The African-American vernacular dance values of spontaneity, rhythmic propulsion, and communal improvisation captivated me as a teenager, and I’ve been bent on learning jazz-based artforms ever since. It has become a privilege to also share the stories, sounds, and skills I’ve gained along the way as a teacher, writer, and performer. 

I’m proud to have been recognized with competitive accolades at the Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown and the International Lindy Hop Championships, which include awards for choreography with Jenny Shirar. For nine years I served as co-organizer of the renowned Nevermore Jazz Ball & St. Louis Swing Dance Festival and Cherokee Street Jazz Crawl in the effort of collective expression. I’ve played piano for the Gaslight Squares jazz band since 2019.

Grace grew up in a family of actors and musicians and has been performing since the age of four. With a lifelong love of swing music and vintage art and fashion, she was instantly hooked when she discovered her first Lindy Hop class in 2012. Soon after, she became a fixture on Southern California’s social dance floors—dancing Lindy Hop, Balboa, Collegiate Shag, and Solo Jazz up to five nights a week. Now a full-time international instructor, Grace teaches across the United States, Europe, and Asia. She is also a seasoned competitor, with titles from events such as ILHC, Camp Hollywood, and Hot Rhythm Holiday. In addition to teaching and competing, Grace is a sought-after DJ and vocalist, known for playing and singing classic tracks that inspire dancers of all levels to connect with the music, its history, and each other.

Grace brings passion, playfulness, and deep respect for the roots of swing dance to every class she teaches. She encourages joy, delight, and a drive for excellence in her students. Heavily inspired by original swing dancers—especially those from Southern California—she frequently studies and shares vintage clips to spark fresh ideas. Grace’s teaching blends deep technique with joyful connection - leaving dancers empowered, grounded, and inspired. 

As an unsuspecting Southern California college student, Blake started swing dancing with a new year's resolution in 2014. Little did he know, SoCal was one of the world’s largest scenes, with a rich history and dozens of the world’s best dancers and instructors. Immediately hooked, he developed a relentless obsession for Lindy, Balboa, and Collegiate Shag. He’s since gone on to win in a variety of international competitions and has taught around the world in places like Europe, Korea, Japan, Australia, and the US.

In his free time, Blake loves to study vintage dance clips. He has a deep reverence for the original dancers and loves to teach classes that focus on particular styles and techniques they used. As an instructor he also focuses on imparting his values of partner connection, tasteful musicality, and developing beautiful basics. While he loves practice, competition, and performance, his favorite thing about dancing is just having a simple, deeply-connected social dance with a like-minded partner.

Thalia (she/her) has always been an avid dancer–from tap and jazz to Hellenic folk dancing, she hasn’t stood still since the age of 4! Her passion for music and dancing found a new home in the swing dance community back in 2015, and it was love at first sight. As she went from social dancer, to organizer, and eventually teacher, Thalia continues to find joy in the creativity and unique forms of expression that swing dancing offers on and off the floor. Every dance presents an opportunity to learn, adapt, and have the most fun non-verbal conversation with friends old and new. 

You can find Thalia dancing the night away right here in St. Louis, Missouri. And if she happens to sing along to songs while you’re dancing together, she apologizes–she just can’t help it! 

Xander (he/him) started his swing dance journey in 2018 by taking some local classes but quickly began traveling to events across the country to learn more and share that knowledge with local dancers. He has dedicated lots of time to cultivating a caring and friendly balboa scene in St. Louis and brings that friendly nature with him wherever he goes. Xander is very playful, musical, and creative in his dancing. Xander also has a passion for teaching, and always puts his best effort into making material as fun and understandable as possible. He excels at encouraging his students to try new and challenging concepts while providing the support and knowledge to help them succeed.