About Us
We organize swing dance classes, swing dance performance groups and social dances in Washington DC and beyond. Come join us!
Welcome to Capital City Shuffle. We offer swing dance lessons and social dances in Washington DC. We primarily offer classes in Balboa, a swing dance originating in Southern California and now danced all over the world. You can learn about the two forms of Balboa from dance historian Bobby White: Pure Bal and Bal-swing. We also teach classes in Lindy Hop, Collegiate Shag, and Slow Balboa.
We hope you’ll join us for our classes and swing dance socials around DC and elsewhere. Whether you’re completely new to swing dancing and want to just try it out, or you and your partner are looking to prepare to dance at a wedding, or you’ve been dancing for years and are intent on mastering your skills, we offer high quality classes and private lessons that can help you reach your goals. Together, we’ve been teaching, performing and competing in swing dances for years, so we have a wealth of experience to draw from, and our primary focus is always offering dancers ways to communicate together and have fun on the dance floor.
Meet Instructors with Capital City Shuffle
Capital City Shuffle prides itself on offering high quality classes that are tailored to our students. Here are the current instructors offering classes through Capital City Shuffle.
Amanda Gerken has taught classes and workshop for Balboa, Slow Balboa, Collegiate Shag, and Lindy Hop in the DC area for over 8 years. In 2022, she created Capital City Shuffle with Connor Cole and began teaching Balboa workshops. In 2023, they started weekly Balboa classes. For her, teaching is a way to give back to the community and to empower others on their dance journey.
Amanda has attending and competed in events all over the world, organized practice groups and created and performed choreographies for Balboa, Lindy, and Shag.
She views swing dancing as a conduit though which she can explore connecting to others, self-expression, and improvisation. She would like to share a dance with you.
Connor Cole has been swing dancing since 2007 and teaching swing dance since 2011. In 2022, he created Capital City Shuffle with Amanda Gerken and began teaching Balboa workshops. In 2023, they started weekly Balboa classes.
He enjoys many of the dances in the swing family, including Lindy Hop, Balboa, Collegiate Shag, Slow Balboa and Foxtrot. His teaching emphasizes communication between partners and connection to the music, and he prioritizes maintaining an atmosphere of playful fun and creativity.
He is a regular swing music DJ at local & regional dances and national events.
David Lee has been passionate about swing dancing since he first started in 2006. He loves to share his enthusiasm for Lindy Hop, Balboa, Collegiate Shag, Charleston, and other swing dances. He is known for his musicality and creativity on and off the dance floor and excels at breaking down mechanics in a way that is accessible to dancers of all levels and learning styles.
David has placed in many swing dance competitions all over the country. He has been special guest mentor at the Balboa Experiment since 2012.
David joined the teaching staff of Capital City Shuffle in Jan 2025 and has taught weekly Balboa classes there since.
2024 Competition Titles
1st place in New York Bal Week Open Pure Balboa Contest
1st place in New York Bal Week Balboa Rendezvous Contest
2nd place at Great Lakes Shag Escape Advanced Mix and Match (Connor)
3rd place at Great Lakes Shag Escape Advanced Mix and Match (Amanda)
2023 Competition Titles
1st place in Hot Rhythm Holiday Amateur Strictly Balboa
1st place in Hot Rhythm Holiday Amateur Mix & Match Balboa (Amanda)
1st place at Flying Home Advanced Lindy Hop Mix and Match (Connor)
3rd place in Great Lakes Balboa Escape Advanced Mix and Match (Connor)
2nd place in Great Lakes Balboa Escape Open Slow Balboa Strictly
2nd place in For Follows’ Sake Balboa Mix & Match (Connor)
3rd place in For Follows’ Sake Balboa strictly (Amanda)
3rd place at Lindy Focus Open Balboa Strictly
2022 Competition Titles
1st place at Flying Home Advanced Lindy Hop Mix and Match (Connor)
3rd place at Lindy Focus Open Balboa Strictly
Join our community!
Anyone can learn to swing dance, whether you have years of experience in dance classes, or you’ve only been dancing by yourself, or you’ve never been dancing before. The hobby is for everyone.