Our Instructors
Jennifer Reed
Balboa, Lindy Hop, 6-count Swing
Project manager, event organizer, teacher, competitor and coach - Jen loves being involved in the dance community in all the ways!
Jen began dancing Balboa & Lindy Hop in the early 2000s with Valerie Salstrom, Joel Plys & Get Hep Swing in Cleveland, Ohio.
Currently she lives in Austin, TX where she teaches local classes, coaches the Capitol City Feetwarmers, and sits on the advisory board for the Hot Rhythm Foundation. She also co-organizes the California Balboa Classic and Hot Rhythm Holiday.
Jen has a classic, graceful style. She highly values partner connection, the “swing” feel, and connection to the music. A long time musician, Jen likes to bring a bit of music education to her classes, and she strives to pass on the things she loves about dance to students and ultimately help others fall in love with Swing dancing.
Tabitha Robinson
Balboa, Collegiate Shag, Lindy Hop, 6-Count Swing, Solo Jazz & Chorus-style
Tabitha Robinson fell in love with swing dancing in 2001 in Orlando, Florida. She quickly jumped into Lindy Hop, Shag, Balboa and Charleston just wanting to dance as much as possible. She met her now-husband Joseph Robinson there, and the two began a partnership of competing and teaching together. She helped start and run two Collegiate Shag teams, one in DC and one in Austin, and most recently helped start a Chorus Girl team. One of her passions is choreographing team routines and routines for her and her husband. She also loves to fly through the air and is always up for trying new air steps.
Matt Mitchell
Balboa, Lindy Hop, 6-Count swing
Since 1998, Matt has been honing his dance skills; starting with East Coast, he quickly moved into Lindy Hop and other Swing-era dances–with very short detours into Ballroom and Blues. He’s studied with top Lindy Hop and Balboa contemporaries as well being influenced by the original greats (Frankie Manning, Dean Collins, Maxie Dorf and Willy Desatoff).
From 2007 through 2011, he was one of the lead instructors for Get Hep Swing (assisting the incomparable Valerie Salstrom) and helped choreograph Hustle and award winning Swing routines. He strives to bring solid fundamentals and just-the-right amount of connection to Lindy Hop and Balboa, while creating room for musicality and playfulness. In 2011, he relocated to his hometown of Austin, Texas, where he’s enjoyed teaching Lindy Hop and Balboa for Four on the Floor and the Austin Swing Syndicate, and is a contributing instructor for BalAustin.
Nationally and internationally, Matt has been an instructor at Boogie By The Bay, the Eastern Balboa Championships, Dance Renaissance, and the Canadian Balboa Championships, Northwest Balboa Fest, Hot Rhythm Holiday, BalAstOff, Rocky Mountain Balboa Blowout, GLBE, and the California Balboa Classic, among other great events. He competes regularly in Balboa, consistently making the finals, invitationals, and has several placements at ABW, EBC, CalBal, ILHC, and Camp Hollywood.
Joe Robinson
Balboa, Collegiate Shag, Lindy Hop, 6-count Swing
Joseph Robinson found swing dancing in 1998 in Orlando, Florida after being persuaded by some girls. He really liked it and kept going even though the girls didn’t. He danced 6-7 nights a week, never wanting to take a break. He was instrumental in starting the UCF Swing Club and has one of the most vast collections of vintage dance clips. He eventually met his dance partner and wife Tabitha Robinson and the two began to compete and teach together. He loves the music and the dance and his focus has always been on maintaining the authenticity of the original dances and being creative within that structure.