STORY SWING FESTIVAL

STORY SWING FESTIVAL feature image

The Story Swing Festival takes place in Grenoble, gathering 400 dancers from France and abroad for three immersive days.
More than a festival, it’s a journey through dance, live music, and monumental scenography inspired by the legendary Orient‑Express — complete with a handcrafted station, locomotive, wagons, and vintage details built by the volunteers of Grenoble Swing.
16 international teachers from 7 countries, all connected by the legendary train theme.
Lindy Hop, Balboa, Blues and Solo Jazz classes, with multi‑dance passes available.
Two live orchestras set the stage for unforgettable party nights.
A major show, “From London to Istanbul”, featuring 45 dancers on Saturday night.

ℹ️ About

The Story Swing Festival is an event organized in the heart of Isère, in Grenoble. It brings together 400 dancers from all over France and abroad for three unforgettable days.

Far more than a simple festival, the Story Swing Festival is an immersive experience blending dance, live music, monumental scenography, and a journey through time. For its first edition, the festival transports the public into the mythical world of the Orient‑Express: a reinvented train station, a locomotive, wagons, a newsstand, a ticket counter, a sandwich bar… all handcrafted by the passionate volunteers of the Grenoble Swing association.

16 international teachers from 7 countries, all crossed by the legendary train.
LINDY TEACHERS
Elle Brenecki / Asael Munoz
Stefano Tertuliani / Giulia Cicerale
Fabien Lanchon / Cemre Kirec
Liane Wergen / Ionut Bajescu

BALBOA TEACHERS
Dominik Knoll / Nora Locher
Mel and Jo Calanglang

BLUES TEACHERS
Veselina Daneva / Victor Hristoskov
Annette Kunhle / Elise Klein

SOLO TEACHERS
Almost all of them


Lindy Hop, Balboa, Blues and Solo Jazz classes, with multi‑dance passes available.
All classes and parties will take place in the same venue, inside this large reinvented train station.

Two live orchestras for unforgettable festive evenings.
The schwings band on saturday an sunday evenings / The rhythm outlines on friday evening.
“The orchestras and DJs will truly play for each dance style, ensuring everyone feels fully delighted.”

A surprise ! A major show, “From London to Istanbul”, bringing together 45 dancers on Saturday night

📅 Dates & Registration

📍 What & Where

💃 Dance Styles

  • Lindy Hop
  • Solo Jazz
  • Balboa
  • Blues

🎉 Activities & Highlights

  • Workshops
  • Social Dancing
  • Live Music
  • Parties
  • Shows / Competitions
  • A show !

1. An immersive and monumental décor
A fully reinvented 1930s train station
A locomotive, wagons, a newsstand, a ticket counter, a sandwich bar
All the décor handcrafted by passionate volunteers
➡️ A journey through time from the very first step.

2. The presentation of the international teachers
16 instructors from 7 countries
A refined, beautifully staged introduction
A powerful moment that launches the festival with emotion and energy.

3. The dance classes
Lindy Hop, Balboa, Blues, Solo Jazz
A joyful, welcoming, intergenerational spirit
Rich learning and a truly unique atmosphere.

4. The evenings with two live orchestras
The Rhythm Outlines on Friday
The Schwings Band on Saturday and Sunday
DJs specialized in each dance style
Vibrant, elegant, unforgettable nights.

5. The big Saturday‑night show
“From London to Istanbul”
45 dancers on stage
A signature moment—spectacular and moving.

6. And of course… surprises!
Animations
Artistic interludes
Unexpected moments throughout the station
The spirit of the festival: the magic of the unexpected.

Theme / dress code: Orient express / “The 1930s, a journey by train!

🧑‍🏫 Teachers & Artists

Elle Brenecki
Hailing from Australia and now Berlin-based, Elle has been exploring dance from an early age, dabbling in various styles. However discovering Lindy Hop and Authentic Jazz was when she felt most inspired, especially drawn to the conversational nature of jazz and the freedom it offers. Elle is constantly deepening her understanding of the African American roots of jazz dances while also exploring other social dance styles. As a teacher, she aims to create a space for her students to move beyond the steps, encouraging them to embrace their unique identities and connect to the music authentically.

Asael Munoz
Originally from Mexico and now based in Berlin, Asael draws inspiration from
self-expression, shared spaces, and storytelling through movement, which have fueled his dedication to exploring this African American art form over the years. He has a deep love for rhythms, and his passion for learning about Jazz culture and values has also inspired him to explore his own roots further, preserving Latin American influences in his art while uncovering their connections to Jazz.

Stefano Tertuliani / Giulia Cicerale
Stefano discovered Lindy Hop in 2010 after trying different kinds of couple dancing with her partner Giulia, he therefore found a way to combine his passion for black music and dancing.
He started to travel around European festivals and workshops to study Lindy Hop and to search his own style with international teachers.
Together with Giulia Cicerale he founded the Dusty Jazz Association of Torino in 2013, where they started to teach, perform and organize events.
During his classes he matches passion and fun, he likes to work on dancing technique, rhythm and connections.

Giulia discovered Lindy Hop in 2009 in Spain.
It was love at first sight because she was already passionate about retrò and vintage style.
She loves the expressiveness of Lindy Hop dance probably due to her previous job as actress in theatre..
She started to travel to European festivals and workshops to study Lindy Hop with international teachers and to social dance.
Together with Stefano Tertulliani she founded the Dusty Jazz Association of Torino in 2013, where they started to teach, perform and organize events.
During her classes she likes to match fun and technique, her main skill is to find many different ways to explain notions.

Fabien Lanchon et Cemre kirec
Living between Istanbul and Marseille, we’re Cemre & Fabien. We love jazz for the Afro‑American spirit it brings to celebrating the world: music, struggles, dissonances, stories, grooves. A whole culture that pushes us toward more subtlety, respect, accuracy, and justice.
We created the Coco Swing Ballroom to shake all of that up with the best of what’s happening in our neighborhoods — a Marseille jazz club kept alive by its community.
Our intimate and collective desire: to bring everyone into expressing themselves, celebrating themselves, becoming one with jazz, without self‑judgment. In short, to throw a proper teuf‑in‑jazz!

Liane Wergen
Liane is a London-based dancer who loves social dancing, competing, creating, and teaching.
Continuously learning more about the dance and challenging herself in new ways, she is convinced that anything can be learned with the right tools.
In her Lindy Hop teaching, she focuses especially on connection, follower voice, and contrast. She cares about creating an inclusive and engaging learning environment where students feel empowered to explore their unique styles and have the tools and support to develop their ideas and technical skills.
In her downtime, she enjoys reading about jazz history and culture and draws inspiration from clips of dancers such as Willa Mae Ricker, Mildred Pollard, and Mabel Lee.
Liane is also writing her PhD thesis on feminist philosophy, focusing on issues of oppression and culture. Her interest in jazz informs and inspires the questions she investigates in her academic work.

Ionut Bajescu
Ionut is a dancer and teacher based in London known for his wild but precise connection, the effort to connect with each dance partner, and an ever-happy demeanour
He draws his inspiration from the old clips of Frankie Manning and Shorty George, as well as tap dancers such as the Four Step Brothers. - Cab Calloway, Al Minns
He also enjoys expanding his knowledge about jazz through books on dancing and music.
In London, Ionut teaches weekly classes, attends regular socials, and takes classes in other dance styles.
When teaching, Ionut focuses on rhythm and connection. He cares about versatility, clarity, and contrast. His aim is that everyone leaves the class with something to take home and practice.

Annette Kuhnle
Annette lives in Heidelberg, Germany, and is one of Europe's most prominent champions for blues dance. As a teacher, dancer, DJ and organizer, she has been spreading her love for early Black American dances in general and blues dancing in particular for almost two decades, and is renowned Internationally for her expertise, dedication, energy, and kindliness. Her infectious appreciation and passion for blues music, dancing and history shines in every step she takes and every lesson she teaches.

Elise Klein
Elise Klein is a dancer and dance teacher, passionate about African-American dances and their origins: Blues, Lindy Hop, Solo Jazz. With about thirty years of experience in a range of genres, including modern Jazz, Funk, R&B, Afro-Urban, Salsa, Swing, Blues, theater, and singing, her artistic and dance path is marked by diversity. Formerly a member of an improvised dance troupe, a feminist jazz cabaret, and a musical, Elise has performed many times both on stage and in the street since a young age. However, her main and love focus is improvisation and she does her best to share that aspect in dance class. Elise is now based in Lyon, France, but she worked for a long time as a Lindy Hop and Blues dance teacher in Paris between 2015 and 2020, then in Tours, where she founded her own local Blues association to honor the culture of Blues music, its history, and to place the notion of well-being at the heart of pedagogy. Elise contributes as much as she can to value and honour Blues music, dances and values in France; by conducting extensive research about the socio-cultural contexts of Black American dances, by keeping learning from gorgeous artists, by creating a partnership with musicians, by co-organizing events in Paris, Tours and Lyon with Blues on my Mind festival.

Vesélina Daneva
Veselina is a multi-disciplinary dancer with over 15 years of professional experience. She started her dance journey as a child with professional training in classical ballet and ballroom dancing, later earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Ballet Pedagogy and expanding her skills in jazz dance and musical theater. Eventually, in 2019 she discovered a new and profound love - the Swing dances in the forms of Blues, Lindy hop & Balboa. With over nine years of teaching experience across all age groups, including international teaching, Vesi is passionate about sharing the joy, freedom, and self-expression that dance brings. She is deeply inspired by the values of blues & swing dance and music, and their rich culture and history. As a performer, Vesi has been part of major productions, including Hauser’s concert “The final bow” 2025 (10 thousands people audience), Dancing with the Stars Bulgaria 2024, the musical The Book of dreams and performances with the Sofia Musical Theater (2021–2023), TV, commercial and movie productions, and this stage experience has given her valuable expertise in performance and theatrical dance as well as social dance.

Victor Hristoskov
Victor Hristoskov has been immersed in the magical world of dance since his teenage years. His journey began in Ballroom dancing, training with one of the top Ballroom teachers in Europe. His curiosity led him to take classes in classical ballet, contemporary, commercial hip-hop, and Broadway jazz. Eight years ago, by chance, he discovered Blues and Lindy Hop. He’s falling in love every second with the freedom of the music which invites you to feel, to connect and to express yourself in the dance. He sees dance as a form of communication, beyond the moves and strict roles — often searching for unexpected and metaphorical ways to explain his ideas and share that spark. As a multi-style dancer, Victor brings a wealth of stage experience in both dance and musical productions, most recently in the musical “The Book of Dreams”

Mel and Jo Calanglang
Falling in love with swing fifteen years ago, Jo now finds her greatest joy in social dancing. Together with her partner, Mel Calanglang, she teaches Balboa across the United Kingdom and Europe.
Jo is known for her warmth and friendliness at social events, as well as for her playful and motivating teaching style. Her direct approach to understanding and analysing technique, combined with her natural ability to encourage others, helps every dancer express their full potential. Always striving to refine her own technique and partnership skills, Jo is eager to share her passion for Balboa.

Dominik Knoll and Nora Locher
Dom & Nora tried a lot of dances and sports since they could walk – when finally they discovered Swing Dancing! As for both of them movement, improvisation, fun and challenges are very important in life, there was no stopping anymore and the dance took over their daily life.
Today they are passionate swing dancers, instructors and performers.
They believe in the swing culture, to keep it alive and pass it on to next generations. The spirit of jazz should continue and live on!
In 2014 they founded their own swing dance school “SwingAUT” in Vienna, Austria. Since then they have shared their love for Lindy Hop, Balboa and Swing in Austria and all over Europe.
Their passion for fast music made them also dive deeper in Balboa enjoying the fast tunes with another swing dance.
As they have been dancing together already for 15 years, they know a lot about strong partnership and solid dance-connection.They love to dance up-tempo songs and seamlessly mix Lindy, Charleston and Balboa.
Their classes are filled with love and passion, their energy is contagious, students love it.

LINDY TEACHERS
Elle Brenecki / Asael Munoz
Stefano Tertuliani / Giulia Cicerale
Fabien Lanchon / Cemre Kirec
Liane Wergen / Ionut Bajescu

BALBOA TEACHERS
Dominik Knoll / Nora Locher
Mel and Jo Calanglang

BLUES TEACHERS
Veselina Daneva / Victor Hristoskov
Annette Kunhle / Elise Klein

🎷 Live Music / DJs

The rhythm outlines
The schwings band

✨ Festival Vibe

The atmosphere of the Story Swing Festival, as we have shaped is truly unique. It rests on three pillars that blend together to create something rare: the magic of the 1930s, the vibrant energy of swing dances, and full immersion into a train‑travel adventure.

🌟 The atmosphere in three words: immersive, warm, festive

A complete immersion into the world of the Orient‑Express
A life‑size reinvented train station
A locomotive, wagons, a newsstand, a ticket counter, a sandwich bar
A monumental scenography, entirely handcrafted by volunteers
An elegant, vintage, refined atmosphere inspired by the 1930s
You don’t just come to dance — you board.

2. The joyful, intergenerational energy of swing dances
400 dancers from France and abroad
16 international teachers from 7 countries
Lindy Hop, Balboa, Blues, Solo Jazz
A welcoming, inclusive atmosphere where everyone finds their place
Orchestras and DJs playing for every dance style
It’s a festival where you feel welcomed, supported, surrounded.

3. Festive, vibrant, unforgettable evenings
Two live orchestras
DJs who adapt the energy to each dance
One big shared party in a single venue
An exceptional show, “From London to Istanbul,” featuring 45 dancers
The evenings are electric, elegant, and deeply human.

In summary
The Story Swing Festival is:
a journey through time, a celebration of swing, and a human adventure where we dance, laugh, share, and dream.

❤️ Why You Should Come

Because the Story Swing Festival is far more than a dance event — it’s a full‑scale journey through time.
You step into a life‑size 1930s train station, meet dancers and teachers from all over Europe, and experience three days filled with energy, elegance, and emotion.

You attend for the immersive décor, the international teachers, the high‑quality classes, the two live orchestras, the spectacular Saturday‑night show, and all the unexpected surprises that make the festival truly unforgettable.

You come to dance, to learn, to celebrate…
but above all, to live an experience you won’t find anywhere else.

🧾 Quick Overview

  • 📅 Dates: October 30 – November 1, 2026
  • 📍 Location: grenoble, France
  • 💃 Styles:
    • Lindy Hop
    • Solo Jazz
    • Balboa
    • Blues
  • 🎟️ Passes:
    • Full Pass
    • Party Pass
    • Classes Only
    • Parties Only
    • Other
    • multi dance passes
  • 🏕️ Type:
    • Festival
  • 🎉 Activities:
    • Workshops
    • Social Dancing
    • Live Music
    • Parties
    • Shows / Competitions
    • A show !

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