For Follows' Sake: A Balboa Weekend

11/10/2023

Stay up to date with our class schedule at forfollows.com/schedule/ and plan out your Sunday afternoon electives featuring instructors Kelly Arsenault, Natalia Eristavi, Cami Asher, Sara-Sofia Rentas, and Dee Mathews!

11/09/2023

Attention competitors! This year’s mix and match will be a bit different than last year’s. Instead of the traditional format, we’ve opted for a truly social final.

Partners will be judged individually and rotate between all spotlights and all-skates. We can’t wait to see how you express yourselves with different leaders and followers to the musical stylings of Keenan Mckenzie.

We are also thrilled to announce our guest judge Lila Desatoff Roberts who will be joining us remotely from Las Vegas.

11/06/2023

Last chance to pre-register!! This Wednesday, November 8th we will move to at the door pricing for full weekend passes, dance passes, and a la carte Saturday passes.

Send this to your procrastinating friends and we'll see you in just a few days!

11/04/2023

The countdown starts now! We’re one week away from For Follows' Sake 2023! What are you most excited for?

11/03/2023

Don't be late for our Saturday party!

Inspired by the remarkable small group recordings of Benny Goodman, the Keenan McKenzie Sextet presents a night of balboa favorites, with the classic sounds of clarinet, guitar, and vibraphone. The group features veterans of major dance events like All Balboa Weekend, Hot Rhythm Holiday, I *Heart* Bal, Bal-Ast Off, and the California Balboa Classic. Expect precise recreations of Goodman arrangements, new adaptations, and a few surprises!

11/03/2023

Do you have your partners!? This year’s event will have a strictly!

Prizes include 2024 passes to:
BAL WEEK (New York City)
Great Lakes Balboa Escape: Chicago, IL (Chicago)
For Follows' Sake: A Balboa Weekend (Durham)

Make sure to pre-register at forfollows.com

11/02/2023

Meet Sara 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.

11/02/2023

Meet 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.

11/01/2023

Meet Mickey Fortanasce!

After a few years of watching Lindy Hop, S**g 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.

11/01/2023

Meet 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 S**g and Carolina S**g.

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.

10/31/2023

Meet 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.

10/31/2023

A la carte registration is now OPEN! Sign up for a weekend dance pass or our Saturday party with The Keenan McKenzie Sextet and late night DJs at forfollows.com/registration/

Pre-register now to lock in the current tier price!

Reminder: competitors must have either a full weekend or weekend dance pass to participate!

Registration Information REGISTRATION IS OPEN! Register Here! Full Passes Tier 1: $155 Tier 2 until Oct 28th: $165 Tier 3 until Nov 8th: $185 Tier 4 at the door: $205 Please note that the listed ticket pricing does not include the $7 service fee. Also don’t forget PayPal’s Pay Later function if ...

10/27/2023

We are two weeks away from For Follows' Sake 2023 and tier 2 ends TOMORROW! Register at https://forfollows.com/registration

10/24/2023

Tier 2 ends this Saturday, October 28th! Register now at forfollows.com and share with the folks you want to see there!

10/17/2023

Instructor Announcement! We’re excited to announce the Triangle’s very own Dee Mathews and Sara-Sofia Rentas from NYC as our beginner track instructors. Come learn a new role, refresh your fundamentals, or learn Balboa from the ground up.

If you’re local and interested in Balboa, this track is an extra special treat and we encourage you to continue your dance journey after FFS with Dee at Back Studio Stomp.

10/17/2023

It's time to plan your weekend! See our schedule at forfollows.com/schedule/

10/15/2023

Meet your Head DJ & Music Coordinator for this weekend: Allison Meeks!

Allison began DJing swing music when she was a baby Lindy Hopper in college at UNC-Chapel Hill. Since then, she has become a regular swing DJ in the Raleigh-Durham, N.C. area and is the DJ coordinator for The Lindy Lab, a weekly dance in Durham. Her venues have ranged from local dance halls and breweries to nationwide events like ABW and Ballast Off. Recently, she was the Head DJ for Lindy Focus 2021. Allison is passionate about sharing swing music that inspires new and experienced dancers alike. She’s a fan of catchy melodies, small group arrangements, and a good clarinet solo (not necessarily in that order).

10/15/2023

The Triangle has a history of throwing down in fast competitions, so this year we’re adding Fastest Feet! A late night, tap out style competition. Grab a partner, a few bottles of water, and battle it out until the last couple standing takes it all (meaning, passes to Hot Rhythm Holiday 2024 in Austin, TX)!

Video taken from Flying Home's 2022 Fastest Feet, featuring the music of our Saturday night band: the Keenan McKenzie Sextet.

10/14/2023

Competition Announcement! After this 2022 mix and match we couldn’t put on this year’s event without bringing it back! Prizes for the top three couples will be 2024 passes to:

- Northwest Balboa Festival (Seattle)
- Great Lakes Balboa Escape: Chicago, IL (Chicago)
- I Heart Bal (Richmond)

10/13/2023

Get ready!! Our Saturday main dance will feature The Keenan McKenzie Sextet! You won't want to miss this Benny Goodman tribute night.

10/12/2023

Calling all leads! Join us at For Follows' Sake 2023 to explore a deeper and more creative connection with followers on the dance floor.

As classes kick off, Mickey will host a Lead’s Orientation Saturday morning to go over how best to approach this weekend. Leads will get a little extra of Mickey’s attention and be able to ask him questions about his theory/approach to balboa and being a better partner.

For Follows’ Sake aims to help you explore your leading so that you can also become a better dancer and partner on the social floor. We are very excited to have you at FFS and can’t wait to see how it changes your dancing for the better! For more details visit: forfollows.com/lead-info/

10/11/2023

Start your countdowns, we're one month away from For Follows' Sake 2023! Get your registrations in!

10/10/2023

Instructor Announcement! It’s an honor to bring out Natalia Eristavi this year. Natalia is such a powerful follow who beautifully presents her own voice while still prioritizing partnership and we can’t wait to learn from her!

08/28/2023

Don't forget, tier 1 ticket pricing ends tonight at midnight!

08/26/2023

Registration is live! Please go to our link here: https://forfollows.com/registration/
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08/24/2023

💛💛💛 New this year! A track just for beginners! 💛💛💛

This track is dedicated to total beginners and any swing dancers that haven't had the chance to take balboa classes before. Our beginner track will get you comfortable with the FUNdamentals of balboa in a follow-focused environment.

08/22/2023

We are so excited to announce our returning instructors, Kelly Arsenault and Mickey Fortanasce!
We love their dance values and approach to teaching, and we’re so lucky to have them again this year. Check them out in their 2020 Virtual ILHC Video Showcase and remember to register this Friday at forfollows.com. Tier One pricing ends Monday!

More instructor announcements coming soon 💛💛💛

08/21/2023

Set your alarms!
Registration opens this Friday at 8pm ET at forfollows.com!

We've got a lineup of phenomenal instructors, musicians, and competitions ready for you in Durham, NC so tag/invite all the friends you want to see this fall. Sign up early to take advantage of Tier One pricing as well as our payment plan option.

11/30/2022

FFS 22 Mix 'n Match is now up on youtube at www.youtube.com/

Wanted to share the Final All Skate directly to Facebook as it captures the fantastic joy and talent of all our competitors.

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