Slow Balboa is a general term used for dancing in styles inspired by the original Balboa swing dancers from California who liked to dance to slow music. Modern Slow Balboa is heavily influenced by three specific historic dancers. The first two are Dean and Nancy Raftery, two original Southern California swing dancers who developed a specific style of slow dancing that Dean taught in the swing dance community in the mid-2000s. The third is Ray Cunningham, a Los Angeles dancer who was highly regarded for his skill at Laminu, a form of slow dancing that was popular in Los Angeles in the 1940s through the 1950s. Slow Balboa works to a wide range of slow dance music, but it works especially well to slow swinging jazz and slow ballads.
You can read more about these dancers and the legacy that they left us with Slow Balboa with this essay from Mickey Fortanasce below.
Above: A photo of dancing at the Rendezvous Ballroom, one of the Los Angeles dance halls where some dancers did dancing we would regard today as Slow Balboa.
Stardust Slow Balboa Weekend is proud to feature as an instructor and organizer Mickey Fortanasce, one of the foremost modern performers of Slow Balboa who has been instrumental in shaping the dance through performance and teaching. In advance of the event, Mickey wrote an essay below about why dancers should consider learning Slow Balboa at Stardust Weekend.
Why Slow Balboa? Why Now? Slow Balboa is a bit of a hidden gem here in the United States. Even among swing and Balboa dancers in the U.S., many don’t realize just how much it has grown and blossomed. It’s strange to think that a dance born in Southern California has so few events dedicated to it here in the U.S., while overseas, there are now more Slow Balboa events than there were Balboa events when I first started dancing.
Historical Context
Slow Balboa’s journey feels very much like that of Balboa itself—a small but deeply passionate group of dancers keeping it alive and thriving. When my dance partner Kelly Arsenault and I began teaching Slow Balboa years ago, we never imagined it would grow into what it is today. We’ve been offering Slow Balboa as a taster class for over 15 years, and to see its rise has been surreal. Yet, it’s a reminder of the untapped potential in this beautiful dance.
Dean Raftery and Ray Cunningham played pivotal roles in spreading Slow Balboa and Laminu. Both of them traveled the world, sharing the dances they loved—dances they had often shared with their wives, who, sadly, they lost before Kelly and I had the chance to meet them. Dean was our original Slow Balboa teacher. Kelly and I were so fortunate to dance with him, take classes from him, and learn from him over the years. Although Dean has passed away, he remains one of our favorite old-timers. There’s something truly special about him—his love for this dance and the way he moves. Watching him dance and listening to his passion behind it is one of the reasons we continue to push Slow Balboa today.
Above: Dean Raftery and Kara Britt preparing to teach Slow Balboa at All Balboa Weekend in 2006.
Ray Cunningham was another treasure. He had an incredible knack for teaching Laminu. His experience on the board at Arthur Murray studios meant he really knew how to guide a classroom—a rare gift among old-timers. Kelly taught alongside him at Rock That Swing in Munich, and after that, we became friends, occasionally gathering to chat about dancing and Laminu’s history.
Above: Ray Cunningham and Darleene Lind demonstrate Laminu basics at the 2004 Balboa Rendezvous.
The Dance Itself
Slow Balboa is a dance like no other—so rhythmic, yet so smooth and elegant. I remember watching Dean dance with Kelly, thinking to myself, “Lindy hops, Balboa pulses, but Slow Balboa swims across the floor.” I just had to learn it. The way Dean moved was like he was swimming—no exaggerated counter-body leads that are so common today, but a whole-body rotation that was mesmerizing. He’d throw in some flash steps too—drags, slides, sways, and drops. I can’t help but wish I’d had a camera around back then; so much of what I do now is inspired by watching those dances.
I’ve always had a soft spot for dancing to slow music. I often hear people say they enjoy slow dancing, but without a clear basic to guide them, they sometimes shy away from it. Slow Balboa offers that structure—a basic that’s just waiting to be taken and made our own. Today, Dean’s Slow Bal is a favorite among teachers, and it’s where we’ll start when we teach this dance. We call it Dean’s Slow Bal because it reflects the way Dean and his wife Nancy danced to slow music. When Kelly and I slow dance now, we blend all these elements together. If someone asked us to demo pure Laminu or Dean’s Slow Balboa, we’d gladly do it. But in the end, as Oscar Wilde said, “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
Above: Mickey Fortanasce and Jenn Lee perform Slow Balboa in 2022.
Above: Mickey Fortanasce and Kelly Arsenault, two instructors at Stardust Slow Balboa Weekend in 2025, perform Slow Balboa in 2013.
Dean’s Slow Bal and Ray’s Laminu are gifts to us—precious basics and a treasure trove of techniques that we can expand on. After teaching the same class over and over, our students began requesting new material and more Slow Balboa. Innovation is the key to growing any new craft, and Kelly and I thrive on that creative process. We always say that there are dancers and there are historians, and it’s important to us to be both. One of our favorite old-timers, Hal Takier, once said, “Show me something” on the dance floor. He wasn’t asking you to show him his own steps or Maxie’s steps; he wanted to see you. The old-timers didn’t have YouTube, Balboa workshops, or the luxury of playing any song at any moment. But they did have one thing: no one telling them what they could or couldn’t do, what was or wasn’t Balboa. Artistic freedom is what made the old-timers great, and in my opinion, it’s the soul of all street dancing.
Looking Forward
My excitement about the dance’s current depth of artistic expressiveness and its continued potential for future growth is why I’m so excited to help bring Slow Balboa into the spotlight at Stardust Weekend. Slow Balboa is a dance ready to be explored, expanded, and embraced by a new generation of dancers. Whether you learn Dean’s style, Ray’s Laminu, or create your own interpretation, the most important thing is to dance with passion and authenticity. I invite all dancers and swing dance enthusiasts to dive into Slow Balboa and discover what makes it unique.
-Mickey Fortanasce
Join Mickey and all the rest of the Stardust Slow Balboa Weekend community in diving into Slow Balboa at our event and registering here.
