Alina Sokulska

Kyiv born, Barcelona based, Alina Sokulska is an international dance artist, choreographer, performer, instructor and researcher.

Through the inspiration, deep research and more than 12 years of practice of jazz, social & urban dances, in a mix with contemporary dance techniques and movement research concepts, Alina’s style crystallized as one with strong presence of footwork, body isolations, sophisticated musicality & abstract storytelling. Her improvisational approach to dance has formed out of her experience of collaborating with jazz musicians and performing with improvisational music live, with her dance language getting influenced and shaped by its structures & principles.

Currently Alina is collaborating with the top dance and music events, music bands, working on experimental performance scenic pieces, as well as sharing her methodology with her group Giant Steps for professional and amateur dancers. As a choreographer, she is refining her craft studying at Conservatori Superior de Dansa (Institut del Teatre) in Barcelona. 
Alina is a founder and curator of Evolution Solo Weekend, a festival and a platform for education in social dances, and is currently finishing her doctoral research on performance art at University of Barcelona’s Comparative Literature department.

For Alina, dance is a tool, not a purpose. An ephemeral embodiment of the cycles of life, where the body as a dynamic subject, captures a moment that is constantly changing.

Learn more about Alina on her website

Alina and Nicolas

Alina and Nicolas are united by a long story, tested by time and distance. 

Having met each other in Minsk back in 2015, they instantly felt their duet to be harmonious and easy going. The classes with them, marked by a fascinating mix of French charm and eastern austerity, are friendly meetings where everyone laughs, shares thoughts aloud, listens to the stories of the sensei, gets silent and flows into the dance…

As each of them has their own independent dance background and experience, their dancing style is rich in different techniques. Tango, hip-hop, classical, contemporary dance and later lindy hop and blues – all these different families of dance now help them in understanding mechanics and aesthetics of the body and the way of moving according to the traditions of different dances. Relying on feelings and self-expression, virtuously combining their experience in dance, with every dance they build their unique universe of blues.

Nicolas and Alina are based in Rennes (France), where they are organizing numerous events and teaching in a school called “Dance Addict”, established by Nicolas in 2014. They have already taught together in their native France, Belarus, and beyond, took prizes in competitions separately and in a couple. And the common passion for travel and sharing each time inspires them for new projects – they love traveling and inspiring smaller communities helping them to grow.Their passion in blues doesn’t stop at dancing only. The hunger for knowledge of history and blues culture pushed them to make regular research that finally turned into the idea of creating an unusual festival, called “Blues Spirit”, dedicated to discovering Blues Ethos.

Maria Malenkova

Maria is a passionate blues dancer and educator, based in Vilnius, Lithuania. She started dancing at a very early age, coming from ballroom and latin background and eventually discovering vernacular jazz and blues dances in 2013.

Since then, Maria has been following her passion all around the globe, continuously working on her craft, teaching both locally and around Europe. In the international scene she is well-known for her highly structural approach to the teaching process, as well as for her captivating performances and choreographies.

In her classes Maria places a high value on history, technique and musicality, helping students find their own voice within the cultural context of the dance. As of 2020 Maria is also a professional mediator, consulting dance couples and teaching workshops on verbal communication and conflict management for dancers.

Flouer and Vittorio

Flouer and Vittorio both currently reside in Turin, Italy where they have newly been working and teaching together. They both have fun-loving, passionate, and charismatic personalities in the classroom; with the rare skill to emphasize both precise technique and personal artistry in their curriculum. They want excellence for their students and are always pushing you to the next level no matter where you are.

Throughout their lives, they share the past experiences of performing both solo and couple dance onstage and in several independent films. Although they have both dabbled in many forms, Vittorio has concentrated on Lindy Hop and Ballet, while Flouer has emphasized Blues, Ballroom and Contemporary dance.

Vittorio has taught Blues and Lindy Hop in Turin and abroad since 2013, and since 2015 has placed first or second in blues and lindy competitions in France, Spain, and Italy. Meanwhile Flouer has won plenty of major competitions in the US and Europe, and has been teaching Blues since 2009. She has had the honor to be invited to teach all over North America, Australia, and Europe.

Their differences complement each other, as Vittorio is a professionally performing opera singer who’s focus in the dance is musicality and rhythm. Flouer is an academically trained dance history nerd who strives to share the context of where and when a dance came from. 

They both strongly believe in the human value of dance as a tool to face one’s limits and grow individually and in a group, and are looking forward to working with you!

In their own words:

“If you smile the music will too. If music smiles on you, life will too”  – V. Paragallo

“The reason to master technique is so the body does not prevent the soul from expressing itself” – Flouer

Lotte and Hamed

Lotte and Hamed met each other for the first time on Lindyshock 2018. And found out they do not only share a great passion for blues music but also are a great match on the dance floor.

Since then they have been exploring blues music and dance together. In their classes they like to focus on playfulness, self expression, blues aesthetic and connection. They strongly believe that you’re a solo dancer first and within partner dancing share your movement and feelings with your partner to create a wonderful movement conversation together and to the music. 

Expect fun classes, full of nerdy talks on connection techniques and finding your blues voice in dancing.