Joel began his swing dance career in the summer of 1998 on a date in Chicago. He learned very quickly from countless workshops and non-stop dancing and brought his skills to Cleveland, OH.

Joel taught swing full-time out in Cleveland, OH for 4 years (1999-2002) and started Get Hep Swing, LTD. He co-created the very first All Balboa Weekend with Valerie Salstrom (June 2001). He moved to San Diego in 2002 with Alison Scola and started teaching abroad.
Joel continues to travel the globe sharing his love of Swing dancing.

Joel has a high quality, energetic approach to the dance that makes every lesson with him and any partner a blast! As a regular teacher at major events all over the world, his down to earth, enthusiastic attitude is contagious. He has taught all over the US (26 states and counting) as well as Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Scotland and Sweden.

He has a full knowledge of various styles from years of study that he shares in his instruction of Balboa, Lindy, Charleston, Collegiate Shag, Jazz Movement, and Pre-Swing dances (Texas Tommy, One Step, etc)

To 'preserve' a dance, you must understand the technique and characteristic fundamentals of that dance. For a dance to 'evolve', you must be open to everyone adding creative elements to that dance. Joel encourages students to study and be open to “differences” so that they can make the dance their own.
He embodies these qualities in his instruction and dancing while remembering the true reason we dance - for FUN!

Besides teaching all over the world, Joel also has a passion for organizing amazing dance events, including:
* Swing Camp OZ (held each January in Australia)
* Balboa Rendezvous (held each April in San Diego)
* Catalina Jazz Dance Festival (held each November on Catalina Island)
* Steven & Virginie in Chicago (held each year in his hometown of Chicago, IL)
* Swingin' the New Year (San Diego's laid back lindy exchange and New Year's Eve

Known for her magical energy, high-flying aerials and dynamic movement, Evita Arce is a specialist in The Charleston, Lindy Hop, and other Swing era dances. She has performed at many of New York City’s top venues, including Lincoln Center Plaza, The Waldorf Astoria, The New York Athletic Club, and The Rainbow Room. She has starred in musicals, appeared as a dancer in movies, commercials and recently competed with partner, Michael Jagger, on the Fox TV show, So You Think You Can Dance. Some of her other credits are the movie Be Cool with John Travolta, V.J. Day 60th Anniversary Special on the History Channel, a Los Angeles regional production of A Chorus Line as Diana Morales, Shoe Carnival’s Holiday Dance commercial, and an advertising campaign for AMENA cell phones, filmed in Barcelona.

M ost recently performed in the "Let Freedom Swing" a Celebration of America program sponsored by Jazz at Lincoln Center and held at Kennedy Center. It was part of the Martin Luther King day and 2009 Inaugural Festivities.

Evita's choreography and partner work have earned her 1st and 2nd place in multiple national contests. This past October 2007 at the American Lindy Hop Championships she won 1st place in Blues and Cabaret. Evita also has been recognized for her solo-Charleston dancing with 1st and 2nd place standings. Her competition credits stretch back to 2001, when she placed 1st in Jack and Jill at ALHC.

She has also won 1st and 2nd place in several regional qualifiers for American Showcase and twice advanced to the final round.

Evita began teaching swing as an assistant with Four on the Floor in Austin, TX in 2000. She later taught in Los Angeles, CA for 3rd Street Dance Studios and The Dance Doctor. In 2004, Evita moved to New York City, where she joined the Swing Faculty at Dance Manhattan. Evita is also the instructor for student swing clubs at Columbia University and Seton Hall University. Now Evita is invited to teach at dance camps all over the world. She has taught with Michael Jagger at Camp Savoy (UK), Swing Out North West, Swing Out New Hampshire, Lindy Focus, and she has taught at many other regional workshops.

Evita’s teaching jobs and competition track are balanced with her professional performance career. Evita dances for several other companies in styles of Modern, American Folk, Latin and Swing. She performed in the Rudolstadt Folk Festival in Germany with The Vanaver Caravan, a company that incorporates clogging, tap, jazz, and percussive folk dances. She performs as a guest artist for The Gehring Dance Theatre, a modern and contemporary company under the direction of Heather Gehring. Evita also toured Florida with Angel Garcia’s company, Tango y Mas, a fusion of sensual latin dances with partnered acrobatic tricks. Evita has danced for The Lindy Hop All Stars, organized by Paolo Lanna, for three years. Evita’s longest running company membership has been with Swing X-treme, directed by Ryan Francois and Jenny Thomas. Swing X-treme was featured in the Edinburough, Scotland Jazz Festival, and annually performs at the Cabarets of Camp Savoy..