What is Balboa?

Balboa is a type of swing dancing that developed in the 1920s and ’30s in Southern California.  The name Balboa comes from the Balboa peninsula in Newport Beach where it is believed to have been popular.  The movements look and feel like they are loosely based on Charleston, but became something entirely unique.

The modern term “Balboa” (or “Bal” for short) is essentially made up of two styles of dance that were done during the swing era which are now referred to as “Pure Balboa” (or “Pure Bal”) and “Bal-Swing.” While they were separate dance styles back in the day, they had enough similarities in connection and aesthetic that they’ve blended together over time and are now commonly danced together.

 
Pure Balboa is done in a close, closed position (supposedly due to congested ballroom floors with little space to maneuver and rules prohibiting break-away movements), and uses the close lead-follow connection to create a smooth movement with subtle weight changes and footwork variations.

Pure Balboa competition at the California Balboa Classic

 
Bal-Swing, originally referred to simply as “Swing,” is really just a catch-all term that refers to a family of figures and movements that developed around the same time as Balboa, in different areas around Southern California. While the dancers generally remain connected, the connection itself can be more open and allows for more freedom and variation of movement, including turns and breakaways, while still remaining closer together and having more rotational shapes and dynamics than several other styles of dance around the US during this time period. (such as Lindy Hop, Charleston, and Shag)

The final all-skate of the Open Mixed Finals from the the 2024 California Balboa Classic

 
The smaller scale of the movements in both Pure Balboa and Bal-Swing allows dancers to more easily keep up with the fastest tempos while still being creative, connected, and musical.