Igor PITANGUI was born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil and is based at Toulouse, France. A multi-artist who performs as a dancer, choreographer, artistic director/coach, instructor, event director. His artistic career began at the age of 8 learning modern dance and latin-brazilian partnered dance styles. After winning a TV show "Raul Gil" in Brazil (at age 14) started dancing classical, contemporary, jazz and street jazz. Igor also joined five other Brazilian TV shows after winning this one. At the age of 17 (2009) discovers the West Coast Swing and since then, he has been learning with the legendary champions of the United States, the most renowned on the circuit as Jordan & Tatiana, Melissa Rutz, Ben Morris and Benji Schwimmer. Igor joined professional dance companies, played as a producer and coordinator of show business events such as: operas, musical theater, congresses and artistic festivals. He’s the only one to win 1st place at Budafest All Stars/Champions J&J - two years in a row - and the Open Stricty at the same year, in two different roles as follower and leader, in the same year at the world largest competition. He’s well ranked with many routines at the French Open WCS (three times 1st place Showcase), the US Open (2nd place Rising Star, 6th place Showcase), West in Lyon (1st place Classic) and nowadays he competes in the WSDC All Stars category as a leader and follower, often in the top 5 of the podium.

Antoine started dancing with swing dance in 2010: Rock, Boogie, Lindy... then in an all-dance party, he discovered West Coast Swing and was immediately attracted by its fluidity and began to learn it. in 2011. For him, each class of each dance is an opportunity to practice as a leader and to absorb the information given to the followers. He therefore learns to Switch from the very beginning. He first learned from Nicolas Bourgeais, and deepened his knowledge by learning from renowned Champions such as: Maxence & Virginie, Jordan & Tatiana, Myles & Tessa. Nowadays he competes in the WSDC Advanced level. From practicing WCS and travelling, he found his place in the communities of Europe and the USA where Switch and Steal are practiced. He now wants to develop these communities in Europe to benefit as many dancers as possible.

Kyle FitzGerald is an accomplished West Coast Swing dancer and teacher with over 10 years of experience in the dance form. With multiple All-Star competition wins to his name, he brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his teaching. His teaching style is competition and technique-focused, with a strong emphasis on helping students improve their skills and reach their full potential. He has a gift for breaking down complex movements and techniques into clear, understandable concepts, making it easy for students of all levels to learn and grow.

Hélène's dance journey began in 2012 in Strasbourg, where she explored various styles such as Lindy Hop, Blues, Zouk, and Ballroom dancing. West Coast Swing soon became her primary focus. After spending a year in the Paris dance community, she is now based in Amsterdam. Hélène travels internationally to learn, connect, and compete. While WCS is her main focus, she occasionally explores solo dances to enhance her movement. Her passion for dance is fueled by her desire to develop creativity, technique, and partnership skills. She enjoys switching between leading and following, challenging and building creativity and connection in every dance. For her, connection is the essence of dance.

The youngest All-Star in Europe and US Open Champion in the Young Adult Division, Melodie began dancing at the age of 4, focusing on contemporary and jazz styles. At 13 years old, she discovered West Coast Swing and instantly fell in love. Melodie is passionate about the co-creative and improvisational elements of switch and steals dancing. Imparting her knowledge to students of all levels, making it accessible and approachable for everyone !

Lena & Olivier are managing the Temple du Swing, a couple dance school of more than 750 dancers, among which the biggest West Coast Swing community : 500 westies. They own a dance studio in Paris center now, Montparnasse station, where most of Temple du Swing classes happen, and where two weekly parties (Tuesdays and Thursdays) gather the parisian westie community (but not limited to ;-)). As dancers, they both danced, competed in several events and divisions all over the world, as teachers they have more than 20 years of experience. They teach and dance in both roles since the beginning, as leader or follower. They took part of a special class of stealing in Riga in 2019, and judged the steal competition. They opened the first regular class ever of steal & switch last year in Paris. They love creative and smooth moves, playing with connection, counterweight and momentum. They are thrilled to take part of the first Steal & Switch Parisian edition!

Lena & Olivier are managing the Temple du Swing, a couple dance school of more than 750 dancers, among which the biggest West Coast Swing community : 500 westies. They own a dance studio in Paris center now, Montparnasse station, where most of Temple du Swing classes happen, and where two weekly parties (Tuesdays and Thursdays) gather the parisian westie community (but not limited to ;-)). As dancers, they both danced, competed in several events and divisions all over the world, as teachers they have more than 20 years of experience. They teach and dance in both roles since the beginning, as leader or follower. They took part of a special class of stealing in Riga in 2019, and judged the steal competition. They opened the first regular class ever of steal & switch last year in Paris. They love creative and smooth moves, playing with connection, counterweight and momentum. They are thrilled to take part of the first Steal & Switch Parisian edition!

Raphaël is a smiling and enthusiastic all-star dancer from Paris. Coming from a background of martial arts, he is passionate about pedagogy and understanding the biomechanics of movement.
He regularly competes and teaches as both leader and follower, and loves helping others to unlock their full potential in this dance ! You will love his structured and technical approach.

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Initially a rock and salsa dancer, Valérie discovered West Coast swing by chance. Addicted from the first moment, she then took part in numerous events throughout France and Europe. Today, Valérie follows, leads, teaches, and competes in both roles. In west coast swing, what she loves the most are the opportunities of creativity and sharing emotion trough dance.
A few years ago she discovered switching and stealing, and loved this new way of dancing. As a new form of creativity that also allows a deeper undertanding of the connection and communication techniques in west coast swing.

Also, she likes dinosaurs.

Laura is a passionnate dancer who feels strongly that anyone should be able to dance both roles. She has been taking weekly lessons as both a leader and a follower and occasionally competes as a leader. She had the chance to take her very first steal workshop in 2019 in Riga with Lena & Olivier. Laura feels very happy to be able to assist them in further spreading this knowledge. She was very excited to participate in the first European strictly steal competition in 2019 and cannot wait to see what the students bring on the floor at SwitchXperience! Also, Laura is absolutely not an Elf.

Clem loves exploring musicality and creativity on the dance floor with his partner. Drawing from his decade of musical studies and background in Ballet, Hip-Hop, and Contemporary dance, he brings a unique blend of elements to his West Coast Swing.

With over 10 years of experience in West Coast Swing, Clem is passionate about the dance's freedom and versatility, especially the ability to switch roles. He enjoys sharing his enthusiasm at WCS socials, creating a lively and welcoming atmosphere. Whether leading or following, Clem's approach offers a fresh and enjoyable perspective to the dance floor.

Evi discovered WCS in 2013 and has been a passionate Westie ever since. She has been dancing for most of her life and completed her training as a professional contemporary dancer in 2011. Since then she has worked as a freelance choreographer, dancer and dance teacher. Evi incorporates many elements from her diverse dance background, including ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary and contact improvisation, into her WCS style.