MEET
YOUR INSTRUCTORS

​DOMINIC HANNA
Dominic is a dance instructor currently based in Raleigh, North Carolina. He has been dancing Blues for about 7 years, but has been dancing in his bathroom mirror for as long as he can remember! He is originally from The Bahama Islands, and the Caribbean style music he grew up listening/dancing to has an unmistakable influence on his style. He enjoys the depth and richness of the stories told through Blues music, and the strong characteristic sounds of the music itself. Dominic is best known for his fluid leg movements, whole-body multi-rhythm techniques, musicality, and creative subtlety in solo/partnered dancing. Dominic has taught at regional and national Blues events such as Take My Hand Blues in Washington, DC, Blues Geek in St. Louis, MO, and Austin Blues Party in Austin, TX. He draws inspiration from years of freestyle roller-skating to the sounds of hip hop, house and R&B, and is enthusiastic about bringing his perspective to every class setting!

VICCI MOORE
There is nothing Vicci loves more in the world than dancing!  She has a broad knowledge of dance and the body, training initially as a solo dancer and gaining a degree in Contemporary Dance and Choreography, and a diploma in Anatomy and Physiology. Her background in a variety of solo dances proved invaluable when she discovered Lindy Hop, Balboa and Blues dance and she is known for approaching her partner dancing with grace, fluidity and intense body awareness. 

Vicci is committed to studying the history of blues dance and music and, through her teaching, hopes to honour and celebrate the dance and the people who created it.  She is fascinated by the wider context of dance and its influences from and on society; when she's not dancing you can find her writing her blog about a variety of blues-related topics or studying for her Masters degree in Education. 

​As a trained teacher Vicci is passionate about providing high level pedagogy in her classes. In addition to organising ESBF she also organises Bluesology, a week long teacher training camp, and offers teacher training workshops all around the globe.

Find out more about Vicci on her website www.adamoandvicci.com and check out her online dance school at thebluesroom.com

​ADAMO CIARALLO

​Adamo is dedicated to nurturing, developing, and promoting the blues scene in Europe and beyond. He is the co-founder and organizer of Espanish Blues Festival, Spain’s first ever blues dance festival.  

Adamo has a professional qualification in teaching adults and he sees his role as teacher to facilitate the classroom in response to learner’s needs, enabling all students to achieve to their potential. His classes focus on highlighting the relationship between the dancers and the music and the importance of personal expression and creativity.

​He loves social dancing, teaching, competing, and listening to music, and spends his ‘spare’ time reading and learning about the history of the dance forms he loves so much.  But what makes Adamo’s dancing life worthwhile is the commitment, enthusiasm, and energy of his students and everybody else around in what he describes as “this beautiful community of dancers”.

Find out more about Adamo on his website www.adamoandvicci.com and check out his online dance school thebluesroom.com

ALBA MENGUAL
Alba met these dances in 2007. She started to teach them 'for fun' and  became a full time professional in 2013. She brought her analytic foundation from her old career (pharmacy, medical information) and found in teaching a new way to apply her love for communication. Seven years ago she opened a school alongside Gastón Fernández, in her hometown, Madrid. Her passion made her want to cover everything: from the local organisation to organising international workshops, local and international teaching (teaching all over Europe, with some incursions into China, Australia and the USA, having the pleasure to teach at iconic festivals such as Lindy Shock or Snowball), and little by little developing experience in choreographing and shows. Her true passion is teaching and social dance, letting go and allowing the communication magic to spark, being in the present moment and in her body. If she can teach both things, connecting the student with their self expression and how to express it through the jazz/blues language, she knows she has succeeded. 
Alba also understands the responsibility of being a cultural surrogate of this culture, and is very aware that she has to keep learning herself and conveying in classes the love for the culture, so people don't isolate the dance from its roots and people. Everything framed by jazz culture, she has learned to love and study with devotion. One day they were walking through Harlem and Gas said to her “after this walk, your dance will never be the same”. Indeed, it was true.  

Find out more at www.gasandalba.com

GAS FERNANDEZ
Gas is a professional dancer and dance instructor, based in Madrid, Spain. He specialises in vintage dance styles including Lindy Hop, Charleston, Blues and Tango. As a former gymnast he is known in the swing dance community for his powerful acrobatics and aerials, while his background in Tango gives his Blues style drama and strength, grounded in a sensitive connection with his partner. Gastón’s passion for Blues has taken him around the world, and he has taught and performed in Argentina, Brazil, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany, England, Portugal, Australia, EEUUU, among others.

Gastón is devoted to promoting and fostering swing and blues dance and culture in Argentina and Latin America. He has directed two stage productions featuring live jazz and vintage dance in Buenos Aires and ran South America’s first and largest annual swing dance festival,LHAIF (Lindy Hop Argentina International Festival) each year in Buenos Aires, and the first Blues event Careless Weekend.

He has also been a major proponent of Blues dance in Buenos Aires and is now increasingly in demand to teach Blues internationally. With intense partner connection, Gas fuses Blues with Tango technique, though always striving to stay grounded in the essence of the Blues. His mission in life is to pass on his passion for Lindy hop and Blues to others. ​

SPECIALITY CLASS TEACHERS

TETIS BARCENAS
A strong woman, direct from Guinea Ecuatorial. She is loving and fierce at the same time. She learned dance in a family / community setting and has been teaching it in Madrid since she arrived more than 10 years ago. In her classes she not only teaches you the moves, but the culture and attitude behind them. Don't expect just a dance class... because that is not what you will get!

Afrobeat is a combination of yoruba, jazz, highlife and funk, popularized in Africa in the 1970s. It is an energetic rhythm, with polyrhythmic percussion, of different dance influences, danced to big bands a lot of the time. Improvisation is a fundamental aspect of it. It has a lot of overlap and common points with other dances... come along to the speciality class on Saturday and find out for yourself! ​

YANULKA OFARRILL HERNÁNDEZ
​Yanulka is a cuban dancer, based in Madrid. At the age of 11 she started in  Escuela Vocacional de Arte de la Habana, and  later got accepted at Escuela  Nacional de Arte en la Habana, ENA, where she graduated as a modern and folkloric dancer and teacher and participated in numerous festivals and events.

She thereafter got accepted into both schools as a professional but decided to work with  Danza Nacional de Cuba y  Folklórico Nacional, where she worked during 8 years travelling all over the world including Mexico, Haiti, U.S.A., London, and France whilst working in parallell with  FOLKUBA, where she participated in many national and international events. Since 1999 she lives in Madrid where she spreads the love for the cuban dances that she learned and trained since she was a kid: afrocuban, Cuban rumba, regueatón, salsatón, timba, female salsa style (specialized in “Tropicana” style, the famous cuban cabaret 20s venue). She has taught numerous Masterclasses in different European cities since 1999.​

​TYSON MUANOKA
Tyson hails from Guinea Ecuatorial, based now in Madrid. An incredible dancer, he is winner of the Spain HHI (hip hop international) 2023 championship. But in all honesty no written biography can do him justice... you need to see him dance!  Follow him on Instagram @tysonmuanoka to be inspired!

​MARCIO MONTEIRO

A dancer born in Brazil, Marcio Monteiro has trained in many different dance styles. He specialises in urban dances, in particular hip hop freestyle and house dance. 

​