✨Balboa ✨ Lindy Hop ✨ Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA 🌶️⛰️

All information provided is subject to change.

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Overview

Breaking Bal, episode 3, is a swing dance weekend in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Santa Fe Swing Dance Society (SFSDS) is excited to welcome guest instructors Jenn Lee and Blake Croxdale from Seattle, WA. There will be workshop lessons, and social dance parties for Balboa and Lindy Hop dancers featuring live music!

This is Santa Fe’s biggest annual swing dance event! Enjoy 3 nights of social dancing, 2 nights of live music, 2 full days of workshop classes with 2 class tracks, performances and contests, history talks, late night festivities, and more. This year, we’re joined by legendary guest instructors Jen Lee and Blake Croxdale, two of the most talented, experienced, entertaining, and fun-loving swing dancers of our generation! Classes and dances will cater to Balboa enthusiasts and Lindy Hop lovers alike, with a healthy dose of neighboring dance genres like blues, soul, and tango.

Santa Fe is known for its scenic beauty, its delicious green Chile, and its incredibly friendly and welcoming dance community. Come visit us in the Land of Enchantment for an unforgettable weekend!

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Guest Instructors

Her strong music background allows her to seamlessly integrate rhythmic concepts and musicality into her classes, helping students express themselves on the dance floor.

Jenn is deeply aware that jazz, including swing dance, is a Black cultural art form, and she strives to honor its roots by teaching with respect for its history and the community that created it.

Jenn’s love for social dancing and the swing community is evident in her warm approach and adaptable style, making her a valuable addition to any dance event she participates in.

A few years later he moved from The Land of Enchantment to Land of Seasonal Affective Disorder, Seattle, where he remains today. Blake’s Balboa rap sheet includes suspiciously strong finishes at comps across the US. Authorities have yet to determine whether this reflects actual talent or simply an alarming willingness to enter contests.

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Local Instructors

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Schedule

Overview schedule. subject to change without notice

Detailed schedule coming soon.

Friday, October 16th

evening social dance, instructor demo, and contest prelims

Saturday, October 17th

daytime workshop lessons, evening social dance and contest finals

Sunday, October 18th

daytime workshop lessons and evening social dance

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Monday, October 19th

Consider sticking around after the weekend for our weekly swing social dance: Monday Night Swing! Start times below are accurate.

• 7:15PM all-levels Lindy Hop lesson
• 8:15PM social dance

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Class Descriptions

Balboa and Lindy Hop workshop lessons. More details to be announced.

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Pass Prices

We ask you to choose your own price tier, either Sponsor, Standard, or Discount. We do not want cost to be a barrier to entry, so we offer financial assistance upon request.

Prices until August 31st.

•  Sponsor :  $200 all-access pass, $110 day pass,  $60 dance pass
•  Standard:  $175 all-access pass, $100 day pass,  $55 dance pass
•  Discount:  $150 all-access pass,   $90 day pass,  $50 dance pass
•  Financial Aid: register with intention to provide volunteer hours and/or pursue a scholarships

Prices will increase on September 1st. Registering in advance saves you $$$.

Prices on and after September 1st.

•  Sponsor :  $225 all-access pass, $120 day pass,  $65 dance pass
•  Standard:  $200 all-access pass, $110 day pass,  $60 dance pass
•  Discount:  $175 all-access pass,   $100 day pass,  $55 dance pass
• Financial Aid: register with intention to provide volunteer hours and/or pursue a scholarships

Á La Carte

à la carte purchases for lessons and dances are only available at the door on the day of.

• Each drop-in lesson: $20
• Friday night social dance w/ live music: $25
• Saturday night social dance w/ live music: $30
• Saturday late-night social dance: no additional charge
• Sunday night social dance w/ DJ’d music: $20

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T-shirts

Preorder in the registration form for $20 each. Purchase at the event for $25 each. Preorders must be submitted prior to September 21st, 2026.

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Competitions

Breaking Bal is not a competition focused event, but we are planning a mix & match contest. “Any Swing Goes”, but with a fast foot element! Be prepared for fun and silly challenges. There will be sweet prizes, including free passes to other regional dance weekends. Let us know you are interested when you register.

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Venues

Odd Fellows Hall, Lodge #2

1125 Cerrillos Rd. Santa Fe, NM 87505

Saturday & Sunday workshop lessons

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Bands

Burque Jazz Bandits feat. Lauryn & Ryan Gould

Amado, rhythm guitar; Racquelita, vocals; & Arthur, violin featuring Lauryn Gould, clarinet/saxophone; Ryan Gould, stand-up bass.

Based out of Albuquerque, NM, the Burque Jazz Bandits bring fun danceable music inspired by 1920s-40s swing jazz, with toe-tapping rhythms, sizzling instrumentals, and passionate vocals. Formed in the local swing dance community, their shared love of jazz brought the Bandits together. The band has three core members and lots of musician friends. They will form a quintet or sextet for this event. Visit the Burque Jazz Bandits’ website for more information.

Golden Hour Heptet

Led by Lauryn & Ryan Gould featuring several spicy New Mexico based musicians

The Golden Hour Heptet plays swing music inspired by the great jazz artists of the 1930’s and 40’s, such as Don Byas, Slam Stewart, Lester Young, Mary Lou Williams, Johnny Hodges, Billie Holiday, Teddy Wilson, et. al. With a mix of original arrangements and fresh interpretations of classic tunes, this ensemble has become a favorite with the swing dance community in Austin, TX and nationally. 

The Heptet’s instrumentation of saxophone, trumpet, trombone, piano, guitar, drums, and bass, inspired by groups like Count Basie and the Kansas City 7, allows for a blend of small group spontaneity and harmonized riffs and arrangements sure to delight dancing and listening audiences alike! Visit Lauryn Gould’s website for more information.

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DJs

Guest DJs

Jen Delk (she/her) a.k.a. DJ Battle

At age 3, Jen started her DJ career in the basement, on a Fisher Price record player, before an audience of dolls.  She spent countless hours listening to funk, disco, soul, jazz, R&B, and pop music throughout her childhood and went on to study music from elementary through high school.   After moving to Austin, the “ live music capital”, she fell hard for dancing in dive bars to gritty blues, jazz, and swing music. She started DJing for a live audience in college when she ran a small swing dance club on campus and started teaching classes.  Jen started learning blues dances in 2004 when they crossed over into the lindy scene.  She joined the bluesSHOUT! Team in 2010 when it came through Austin.   As years passed she became more involved in driving the mission and vision of the event by working on content curation and eventually the curriculum and lectures.

Jen lives in Denver now, teaching and DJing blues at the local level and events out of town. Drawing on her vast musical knowledge to help dancers find grounding, a voice, and a better connection with the music.

Ashley Cohen Conner (she/her) a.k.a. DJ Ashley CC

Ashley Cohen Conner has been dancing for almost a decade, focusing on Lindy Hop, Balboa, Shag (Collegiate and Carolina!), and Solo Jazz. She started DJing at local weekly venues in Mesa, Arizona, and quickly learned that she loved sharing the music she enjoyed with fellow dancers. She particularly loves Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Williams, Dinah Washington, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Roosevelt Sykes, and Helen Humes.

Ashley has DJ’d all over Arizona, most notably at SWINGdepenDANCE, Phoenix Lindy Exchange, and BadAZ Balboa. Additionally, she has DJ’d across the southwest for LA Jitterbug, LindyFest, Downbeat Swing, Salt City Stomp, Breaking Bal, SwingDanceVegas, 505 Swing, Summer Swing Fest, Hot Jazz Jamboree, and Boise City Swings. She is excited to be back at Breaking Bal and share her sets with you!

April Hornbuckle (she/her) a.k.a. DJ Peach

Phoenix’s favorite Georgia transplant, DJ Peach, discovered her passion for swing dance when she was pulled into a class in 2016. It became a meaningful way for her to connect movement with the music she loved from a young age. Over the past nine years, she has been deeply involved in the swing dance community. Locally, she is organizing and DJing weekly events and hosting workshops and community gatherings to support local DJs and nurture emerging talent. Nationally, she has DJ’d and organized events on both coasts, including DJ Coordinating Summer Swing Fest (AZ) and Swing Out Savannah (GA). She loves uncovering fun hidden gems to share with fellow dancers.

Local DJs

Emma Thunderkill (she/her) a.k.a. DJ Thunder

Emma hails from Boston, MA and now lives in Santa Fe, NM, where she is a founding member of the Santa Fe Swing Dance Society and a deeply involved member of the local dance community. She regularly teaches and DJs for local swing dance events and adores lindy hop, balboa, and soul dance styles with equal enthusiasm. Having studied music performance with a focus on jazz and ethnomusicology throughout her youth and undergrad years, Emma’s passion for dance is rooted in 3+ decades of musicophilia and geekery. She spends most of her free time falling into music and dance related rabbit holes, organizing Santa Fe dance events like Breaking Bal with her partner, and trying in vain to teach her dog the Balboa uphold basic.

Mike Garcia a.k.a. DJ Mike (he/him)

DJ Mike Garcia is a long-time Santa Fe based swing dance scene leader, dance instructor, and DJ. We’re blessed to have him in our community and on our team.

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Staff

Email our event staff at breakingbalboa@gmail.com

• Emma Underhill
• Josh Pritts
• Silke Maietta-Hatch
• Bandi Chorh Khalsa
• Elli Hindmarch
• Mike Garcia

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Cancellation & Refund Policy

If you registered for Breaking Bal 2026 but cannot attend, we offer the following options:

1. You may transfer your registration to another person at no cost for Breaking Bal 2026. The last day to transfer your pass is Monday, October 5th, 2026*. They pay you, we just change the name in our records.
2. You may transfer your pass to Breaking Bal 2027. The last day to transfer your pass is Monday, October 5th, 2026*.
3. You may request a refund. Refunds are considered on a case-by-case basis by emailing breakingbalboa@gmail.com and telling us about your situation. The deadline for refund requests is Friday, October 9th, 2026*

* If you become sick or another illness within 7 days of the event, please contact breakingbalboa@gmail.com to transfer your pass in order to protect the health and safety of others.

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All information provided is subject to change.