Ali:

I have an idea!

Most people know me as a pragmatic person who loves to try and apply new ideas. Often these ideas are based on my interest areas such as science, psychology, stand up comedy or one of my many educational audio-books. In our dance classes, it is not uncommon to find me citing books like “made to stick” (by Dan and Chip Heath) when I talk about communication between the dance partners. Our passion and goal is to spread swing dancing, both in Germany and around the world. That’s why we are running several online activities, blogs, discussion groups, free instructional videos that cover all aspects of the life of a dancer.

Is it “Katja approved”?

When you feel that your mind is just about to explode with new ideas, it is perfect to have an amiable wife whose greatest pleasure is to challenge all of these ideas. This is why we established the “Katja approved” signature. If it is “Katja approved” – it is good! When preparing a class or workshop, I always make sure the material gets “Katja approved”.

I am a Pack Leader!

The “about me” section can not be complete without a short description of our lovely dogs. Their names are Rufo and Lulu – two friendly rescue dogs from sunny Spain. From the great dog behaviorist Cesar Millan, I learned how to be a pack leader – the motto goes “exercise, discipline and affection”. Hmm, I just got an idea for our next dance class…

Katja

Vintage is the new cool

From living the vintage life style to living on the vintage dance, the swing dance era has brought me a lifetime of joy and happiness. First, I fell in love with the clothes and the hair do’s. Dancing and teaching all across the globe gave me the opportunity to share my knowledge about the vintage style, helping the girls to make their hair like in the old movies.

Swingout!

Imagine a rollercoaster ride on your feet, that’s how I feel when the leader swings me across the dance floor. My passion is to spread this feeling to women every where. With my background as a professional translator, I can communicate the motions and techniques of swing dancing in fluent German, English and French.

Pushing the boundaries

My culture and upbringing imprinted a strong need for security in me. Living on swing dancing is not exactly the most obvious and easy way to achieve security in your life. When I’m sometimes wondering if all will work out well, Ali jumps in and re-paints the big picture for me and points out our achievements. He’s my rock and he surely rocks! Him dreaming up the big plans and me filtering and challenging them has made it possible to live an exciting life as a dancer and a swing dance evangelist.

Swingingly yours

Ali&Katja