Kelly Arsenault
Kelly, from Knoxville, TN, has been dancing as long as she can remember. As a child she took ballet and jazz, but she was especially drawn to modern dance. At age 11, Kelly joined the Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble. She was with the modern dance company for 6 years, performing around the globe including Taiwan, Singapore, and Indonesia.
Kelly attended the University of Tennessee from 1997-2001, during which time she was a member of the UT Dance Company. She was also a dancer and choreographer for Circle Modern Dance Company. In 2003, Kelly moved to New York City where she continued her modern dance career performing with Von Ussar Danceworks and MAD About Dance. When she met Mickey in 2004, she discovered her love for balboa and lindy hop; and so began their amazing friendship and partnership.
Natalia Eristavi
Natalia (she/her) is a jazz dancer, teacher and performer from Southern California based in St. Louis, Missouri. She has been dancing most of her life but discovered Swing dance in Southern California in 2010 when she was 17 years old, falling in love first with Balboa and Lindy Hop and venturing out into Solo Jazz, Collegiate Shag and Carolina Shag.
What she loves most about Swing dancing is Jazz Music and the freedom to improvise through movement, whether solo or with a partner. Being a guest in this culture and creating together with others, whether in a class, social dance or jam setting is a beautiful and vulnerable experience that she feels privileged to be a part of.
Mickey Fortanasce
After a few years of watching Lindy Hop, Shag and Balboa at local swing clubs in Los Angeles, Mickey began his dance education in 1998. After moving to New York, Mickey began teaching local classes for the New York University Swing Dance Society. Traveling and taking classes between New York City and Los Angeles during this period gave him a unique perspective as he was able to meet and watch the old timers from both coasts on the dance floor. This experience helped Mickey gain the confidence that brought him to his first competitions, choreographies and performances in 2001. Since that time Mickey has won numerous competitions, performed and taught all over the world.
Dee Mathews
Dee Mathews is a balboa and lindy hop instructor based in Greensboro, NC. They learned balboa in 2010 both as a lead and a follow working with Randy Maestretti and Kara Britt, who taught them a love of pure balboa and the original dancers.
Since then they have danced, taught, and competed all over the world. They have won balboa contests at California Balboa Classic, All Balboa Weekend, and the International Lindy Hop Championships, as well as been a mentor at The Balboa Experiment.
D is invested in balboa as a dance of connection, playfulness, and dynamism. They are excited to explore the fundamental mechanics of the dance and help students find new ways to be musical, listen to their partner, and find new ways to enjoy balboa.
Sara-Sofia Rentas
Sara-Sofia Rentas (she/her) fell in love with Balboa, adopting social dancing as her classroom, and never looked back. On the dance floor and in practice she would experiment with mechanics, musicality, and the relationship between leader and follower.
This learning process deeply shaped her approach to teaching, encouraging students to curiously analyze movement and ask questions the way she has. In her classes you’ll find a unique blend of excitement for efficient technique and playful improvisation that honors the greatness of swing music and each student’s personal expression.
Since January 2022, she has enjoyed spreading the joy of Balboa in weekly classes at You Should Be Dancing…! in Manhattan.