logo festival 2024

It’s always a pleasure to welcome you to the Alpine Jitterbugs – Shag ‘n‘ Bal Festival in Innsbruck. Based in the beautiful City of Innsbruck, we are able to offer you unforgettable alpine surroundings.

Our goal is to create a dancefloor where Shag and Balboa are enthusiastically danced together.
We truly believe that Shag and Balboa have a lot in common and that’s why we would like to encourage you to celebrate both dance styles at our festival.

Have a look at some of our pictures in review!

schedules

!!! Due to organizational reasons the Masterclass Aerials changed from Friday to Saturday !!!

*The schedule could change slightly according to organizational changes.

…and YES: you should stay for the sunday dance! As there is live music and a great party planed this year. 😉

Tracks

We have the pleasure to offer you 3 levels in Collegiate Shag. 

✅ Curious (4 h)
✅ Confident (4 h)
✅ Invitational (3 h)

You will find the level requirements below.

Most classes will be taught by Michal & Kasia, but you can also look forward to some classes with Heiko & Larissa. 

Michal Oblacinski & Kasia Dybowska (PL)

*if you book at least one track, ALL Evenings are automatically included

We have the pleasure to offer you 3 levels in Balboa

✅ Curious (4 h)
✅ Confident (4 h)
✅ Invitational (3 h)

You will find the level requirements below.

Most classes will be taught by Grace & Blake, but you can also look forward to some classes with Heiko & Larissa. 

Grace Babbes & Blake Thiessen (US)

*if you book at least one track, ALL Evenings are automatically included

We have the pleasure to offer you 2 levels in St. Louis Shag

✅ Simple Basics/ Curious (4 h)
✅ Confident (4 h)

You will find the level requirements below.

All St. Louis Shag Classes will be taught by

Simona Pogosian & Rokas Borusevičius (LT)

*if you book at least one track, ALL Evenings are automatically included.

Join our Shag ‘n’ Bal Track, where the elegance of Balboa blends with the energy of Shag! Explore the nuanced similarities and exhilarating differences between these dance styles and how to switch fluidly between them. We will foster a vibrant learning environment for you to thrive in and evolve your skills in both dance styles on their own and together.

We have the pleasure to offer you 2 levels for the Shag ‘n’ Bal Track

✅ Curious (4 h)
✅ Confident (4 h)

You will find the level requirements below.

Most classes will be taught by Heiko & Larissa, but you can also look forward to some classes with Michal & Kasia and Grace & Blake.

Heiko & Larissa Heckendorn (CH)

*if you book at least one track, ALL Evenings are automatically included.

Levels St. Louis Shag:

Beg/Curious St. Louis Shag:
You want to learn the St. Louis Shag Basics, or have you already taken your first steps?
This level will take both the Beginners and the slightly more experienced St. Louis Shagsters onto a new level. Let yourself be blown away by Rokas and Simona’s positive energy and dive into the world of St. Louis Shag!

Confident St. Louis Shag:
You definitely have experience in this dance and have enjoyed many classes in the past couple of years. Then this level is the place to be. Even if you are quite experienced in St. Louis Shag you will be challenged in this class. Freak out!

 

Levels Collegiate Shag & Balboa

Curious:
The Curious level is suitable for those who have a solid knowledge of all the basics. Numerous rhythm and footwork variations, variing leading/following techniques and concepts, and moves are now waiting for you. Also, you will gradually get used to different tempos and improve your feeling for music. Let the learning begin!

Confident:
After many years of experience in this swing dance, numerous local or international workshops and festivals, you are always confident on the dancefloor at all tempos and with every dance partner. Here you can work intensively on details and techniques and get in touch with unusual combos. Freak out!

Invitational:
You are totally confident in your dancing, and that’s all there is to say.
You understand the concepts and underlying structure of the dance and see it as a form of communication. You compete in different swing dances, teach them actively in your home scene or internationally – or you would say about yourself, that dancing is the one thing in your life, that takes it ALL.

At this level, you will play with the quality of your movements, enhance your improvisational skills, use different levels of musicality, and bring the finesse of your leading or following to a whole new level. Let`s explore together!

*to ensure a very high level of this class, we ask for a formal application during the registration process (text and video). Thank you for your understanding.

 

Levels Shag ‘n’ Bal

Curious:
You have a solid understanding of Collegiate Shag AND Balboa?
You dance both dances at social dances frequently and you dabble in mixing them in a single dance?
Come and join this level to spice up your fluency in both dances and explore ways to connect them together. Your Shag ‘n’ Bal Journey begins now!

Confident:
You dance Collegiate Shag and Balboa for several years, travel to festivals frequently and you are completely in love with switching between them?
You consider yourself in one or both dances as an “Advanced” dancer? You have competed in one or both dance styles already? In that case, this is the place to be: your Shag ‘n’ Bal Heaven!

Come and join us for 3 unforgettable evenings with Live Music and plenty of DJ Sets!

Pre-Party @ Tribaun 🎷
18:00 – 01:00 h
Pre-Party with The Carolina Reapers Swing playing a special New Orleans Set
Find the event online!

Friday Party 🎷
20:30 h – till late
Location: Orangerie – Herzog-Otto Straße (riverside), 6020 Innsbruck
Live Music, Teacher Presentations & Good Vibes

Saturday Party 🎼
20:30 h – till late
Location: Orangerie – Herzog-Otto Straße (riverside), 6020 Innsbruck
Live Music, Competions & Good Vibes

Sunday Party 🍻
18:00 h – 01:00 h
Location: Orangerie – Herzog-Otto Straße (riverside), 6020 Innsbruck
Blues Taster, Good Floor & Good Vibes by The Roaring Cats 

We look forward to presenting you…

 

Carolina Reapers Swing


…annnnd…

The Roaring Cats

…annnnd…

The Big Five

…annnnd…

Meschugge Quintett

With DJing-support of…

DJ Ale G

…annnnd…

DJ Marijke

*the Evening Ticket does not include any workshop nor the Masterclasses

*the Evening Tickets WILL BE LIMITED THIS YEAR! SIGN UP FAST!!!!

*the evening location ORANGERIE will be reached via the RIVERSIDE

This year we offer 3 different Masterclasses, so choose wisely. 

Masterclass 1: Aerials and Tricks 🎓

Add some Aerials and Tricks to your Collegiate Shag and Balboa!
Teacher: Minn & Karolina

 

Masterclass 2: Musicality in your dancing 🎓

A class that invites balboa and shag dancers to improve their rhythmical dance skills by using authentic jazz steps. You will learn how to spice up your partner dancing, especially on phrase breaks.
Teacher: Simona & Rokas

 

Materclass 3: Put some Lindy in your Bal 🎓

Learn to include some Fast Lindyhop into your Balboa dancing.
Teacher: Grace & Blake

* Masterclasses are held on an open level, nevertheless you should have a solid basic and a good understanding of the dance.

Our 3 Main Locations for this festival will be: 

StreetMotion Studio
Ing.-Etzel-Straße 7-10
6020 Innsbruck

Ferrari Schule Innsbruck
Weinhartstraße 4,
6020 Innsbruck

Congress Messe Innsbruck – Orangerie
Herzog-Otto Straße
(riverside)
6020 Innsbruck

Please note, that on Google the entrance of the Orangerie Messe Congress Innsbruck might differ: However you will be able to reach it via the entrance ON THE RIVERSIDE – indicated by the arrow:

 

The History Track will be held at…
Das Wundervoll Coworking
Pembaurstr. 14
6020 Innsbruck

As in Innsbruck everything is very close together, so please take a bike, the public transport or your own feet to walk from location to location.
Please leave your car at home – WE DO NOT PROVIDE PARKING ON ANY LOCATION – neither paid nor unpaid. 
Plus, its bad for the environment. 😉 🌱

Special History Track

The History Track is our new Side Track that we’d love to introduce. It consists of three hours of seminars. We want to create a “classroom” format, where you can actively engage with the topic, the speakers and each other. Unlike normal history talks, we will be creating interactive workshop settings for all parts of our track. We strive for you to engage actively with the topic and with each other.
We invited a group of very inspiring speakers for these workshops and will offer various topics for you to choose from. Pick your favorites (maybe that means all of them!) and come join us…

… on a journey in those 3 separate hours through the history of American jazz dance! From Harlem to Hollywood through the 1930’s and 1940’s, Harvest Moon, Hollywood Studios and beyond. We will uncover the legends and cultural influences that have made these dances timeless. Don’t miss out on discovering this rich legacy of American History!

For covering the costs of the location and class setting we kindly ask each participant to pay 10 € per hour that they participate. We hope that you can understand this request! <3

Classes, Speakers & Moderation 

Class 1 | Historical Moves in Shag and Balboa (Ryan & Minn) ​​​​​​​
Class 2 | Oldtimers, the Who is Who (Minn & Teis) |
Class 3 | Get inspired by Balboa history and some original Dancers (DJ Marijke)

Location:
Das Wundervoll Coworking
Pembaurstr. 14
6020 Innsbruck

Yoga to unwind

In Cooperation with Antaratma Yoga Shala Innsbruck

In cooperation with the Antaratma Yoga Shala in Innsbruck we are happy to offer you an amazing yoga deal!

Enjoy up to 4 h of Yoga from their regular class schedule on this weekend for only 30 €. 
You will find all possible classes in the registration form.

Merchandise

💚 We love good quality Merchandise! 💚

Cotton Bags

Our new cotton backpacks are made of recycled cotton. They have a very convenient outer compartment where you can store your dance shoes, for example. They will be a perfect partner for every festival and in the summertime!

Drinking Bottles

Get yourself one of the best drinking bottles (500 ml) on the market available from 720Degree. It’s perfect for hot and cold drinks and is made out of stainless steel and BPA-Free plastic components. Thanks to 720Degree we can offer you the lowest price you will find on the web. And we even have some more good news for you: If you want, you can personalize your drinking bottle by adding your name. Just add a comment in the text field of the registration.

T-Shirts

Our super soft T-shirts are made out of 70 % Bamboo Viscose + 30 % Organic Cotton Fair Trade. We want you to enjoy our T-shirts, that’s why we have chosen these eco-friendly products with a great and loose fit.

*please note: once ordered we have to charge for the merchandise. No returns are possible. 

This years Additional info

Accomodation

There are two local partner accommodations Nepomuk Hostel Innsbruck and Montagues Hostel – we can warmly recommend them. Many more hotels you can find on innsbruck.info.

Please contact them directly if you would like to book a stay with them – after the registration opens we will have some space blocked for you, so please mention the festival!

we hope to be a green event again!

💚 …by the way, we have been repeatedly a green event. 💚
Find out more about all the measurements we take, for social and environmentally friendly behavior on our green event page of 2023’s festival.
There you will find lots of additional information regarding travel and transportation, as well as your stay in Innsbruck.  
Stay tuned for the 2024 edition of being green again.

logo green event tirol 2023