Duke’s Blues 2025
Our Dance teachers
Get ready to meet the international teachers Luisa & Edmilson for Intermediate and Advanced couple blues dance and Trisha for wonderful solo blues topic classes aswell as a solo class for our more advanced students.
On top of this, we have Kamilé, our current resident teacher, from Vilnius for a special topic class on Saturday as well as Sofia and Dongsheng for a fundamentals class to let more dancers get the blues!
Teachers
Luisa Barros & Edmilson Botelho (PT)
Luisa is passionate about dancing since she was a child, when she took 2 years of Classical Ballet classes. But she paused her dancing studies until adulthood, for her other passion – Music (classical piano).
Her adventure in the world of American dances started with Tap dancing in 2006 and soon after with Lindy Hop, in 2007.
She has moved through different dance styles, partner and solo, since body movement is really her passion: Lindy Hop, Solo Jazz, Tap dancing, Modern Jazz, Blues, Balboa, Shag, Boogie Woogie, Contemporary Dance, Forró, and really, if there is music playing, you can find her dancing to any style.
Since 2014, she found Blues and fell in love with this dance language. She has since attended several international Blues festivals, and she started teaching in 2017, as a way to share her passion and make the local Blues community grow.
She has also been one of the organizers in local festivals – Porto Swing Jam (since 2014), Porto, Blues Exchange (2017 to 2020), Blue Monday Festival (2020 to 2022) and Howlin’ at the Moon-Blues&Fusion (since 2023) – and in regular social dance gatherings of Swing and Blues, occasionally DJing in Swing and Blues.
What she values the most about dancing is a strong connection with the Music, with the partner (in partner dancing), and with herself, and using owns body as a musical instrument and as a way of expressing ourselves fully.
Born and raised in the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, Edmilson Botelho has always been surrounded by music, drawing inspiration from the vibrant rhythms of African traditional dances such as Usôa, Puíta, Funaná, Cadence, Kizomba, Semba, Kuduro, and many other African dances, as well as POP dance.
His dance journey began at the age of 17 when he moved to Porto (Portugal) and discovered his love for Lindy Hop and Blues Dance. Currently, he is one of the managing partners at Hop Dance Studio in Porto.
As a passionate dancer and teacher, Edmilson embodies the essence of dance, finding joy in every step and rhythm. With his dynamic energy and charismatic personality, he creates an atmosphere of fun and humility wherever he goes, inspiring others to feel the beat and express themselves through movement.
Trisha Sewell (UK)
Trisha hails from Hertfordshire, UK, and has been teaching since 1997 and on the international scene since 2003. For 10 years she contributed to establishing the first European swing dance brand and the biggest of its time. She is now thrilled to manage her own company SavoyHop.com creatively directed by her personal vision. Trisha has built up a reputation for being one of the most influential teachers within the European Swing Scene.
She has spearheaded the revival of Authentic Jazz within the UK, working and training with some of the freshest dancers and teachers around. It’s been said that her teaching style is innovative, dynamic and inspiring. Always engaging and fun, Trisha loves to make people laugh and feel relaxed in her classes. At the end of her classes students are filled with energy and excitement. Trisha ensures that class material is detailed and balanced for followers. The result is the dance looks as authentic as it can. Trisha’s ability to communicate complex concepts and patterns clearly means students find themselves easily understanding how movements and steps should look and feel.
Trisha has natural flair, a unique touch and very distinctive style on the dance floor. Her focus is to recreate the look of the original dancers of Lindy Hop, mixed with providing followers with drills, technique and musicality. An accomplished musician & experienced in Tap she helps others to understand rhythms and how to improvise within the dance. She has had formal training in Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Tap and musical theater since the age 5.
With 12 years’ experience in Swing dancing teaching most of the popular dances such as Lindy Hop, Authentic Jazz, Blues, 20’s Charleston. Trisha is serious about Swing and helps you get where you want to go! With a vast experience in choreography and artistic direction, she leads the way with her exciting approach to performance. Not only has she choreographed countless routines, she has also performed in the world famous Royal Albert Hall in London. Trisha loves to play and listen to early Jazz and swing music and has an extensive music collection; don’t miss out on inviting her to DJ!
In addition to appearing in the TV, Newspapers, Radio and Music Videos, she has been regularly invited to perform and teach workshops at major dance events all over the UK and Europe, including Sweden, France, Spain, Germany, Greece, Norway, Turkey, Switzerland, Denmark, Belgium, Czech Republic, Hungary, Amsterdam, Italy, Austria, Ireland, Israel, Iceland and Slovenia.
Kamilė Pundziūtė (LTU)
Kamilė is a real treat in Vilnius Lindy Hop community, keeping it swingin’ since 2003, the very beginning of Lindy Hop explosion in Lithuania. Whilst mainly focusing on the social side of Lindy, she has travelled many places in Europe teaching and spreading love for dancing.
Her education in somatics and movement therapy bring concepts of movement and dance to a whole new level and is a base for her teaching. A knowledgeable approach coupled with an honest, joyful perspective of life is attractive for students. Positive experience guaranteed!
Sofia Tsaliki (BE)
Sofia discovered African American dances in 2018, and it was love at first step. Since then, she has been deeply immersed in the
world of music and dance, exploring its many facets as a teacher, competitor, DJ, musician, and event organiser. Blues music, with its soulful depth and electrifying guitar sounds, quickly became her passion. In her dance classes, Sofia goes beyond teaching steps and sequences. She emphasizes the foundational elements of natural body movements, rhythm and musicality. Her unique approach fosters student’s independence and creativity, empowering them to express themselves authentically on the dance floor.
Sofia emerged herself in the art of DJ-ing for the first time at the age of 19 and since than she has been experimenting with various genres. For her, DJ-ing, is all about setting the right mood at the right time. Her ability to read the crowd and seamlessly blend classic and modern blues tracks creates an engaging and dynamic atmosphere that get your feet tapping, your head nodding and your body shaking all night long. She has played at festivals across Europe, including Big City Blues (Belgium), The Slow Down Blues (Czech Republic), and The Big Blues (Greece). As the founder of Bluesin’ Brussels and Blues Remix, and a teacher at Brussels Swing Dance Club, Sofia continues to inspire and enrich Brussels’ vibrant dance and music community with her passion and creativity.
Dongsheng Yuan (CHN, DE)
Dongsheng is a passionate blues dancer whose journey began in a vibrant blues bar in Shanghai. Captivated by the soulful rhythm and connection of blues dance, he fell deeply in love with it and embraced every opportunity to learn and grow in this art form. To Dongsheng, blues dance is more than just movement—it’s a celebration of culture, history, and the human experience. He has dedicated himself to understanding not only the dance itself but also the rich stories and traditions that shape it.
Besides blues, he also dedicated himself to other African American dances like Lindy hop, Locking and house dance. As a teacher, Dongsheng strives to share this passion with his students, creating an environment where they not only learn the steps but also immerse themselves in the heart&soul and the culture of blues.
main page I bands and musicians I dance teachers I classes I schedule I prices and registrations I terms & conditions