Bio - Carla Heiney
Lindy Hop Instructor, Event Coordinator, Swing Central Owner, and Swing Dancer Enthusiast!!
Competing is fun for Carla and a great way to push her limits, but her real passion is teaching dance and social dancing. She travels all over the country and the world teaching this art form to others and is excited to call San Francisco home and be a part of the thriving San Francisco Bay area dance community. She has a down to earth teaching approach, but still takes learning seriously and focuses heavily on quality of movement, partner connection, musicality, and most importantly, enjoying the dance! Carla searches for that fine balance of staying connected to the roots of the dance, where it came from and why, while still pushing the envelope of where the dance can go. Lindy Hop is a constantly evolving dance that should be rooted deeply in its vibrant & extensive history, but still bursting with energy towards a brilliant future. Carla currently teaches, choreographs, judges, competes, & social dances all over the world & feels very fortunate to be able to do what she loves most.
Among many of her titles, Carla is a 2006 US Open Showcase Champion, 2007 National Jitterbug Champion, & 2007 American Lindy Hop Champion. She has also won the Lindy Showcase division with in 2001, 2002, 2004 and the US Open Strictly Lindy division in 2003. She is a 4 time American Lindy Hop Champion and the 2005 World Lindy Hop Champion in the Improvisational division. She has worked with great artists such as Aretha Franklin, Jeff Tyzik, B.B. King, Erich Kunzel, Nell Carter, and Rita Moreno. She has had the wonderful opportunity to dance at prestigious places such Carnegie Hall & the Kennedy Center as well. She has appeared on ABC's revival of the TV show "Dance Fever" in 2003 and was a featured dancer using Motion Capture technology in the 2004 Feature Film "The Polar Express" in 2004. Carla will also be featured in the upcoming 2008 movie "Love and Dancing." For more information on where Carla will be traveling next and where she has been, please see her full bio and tour schedule.
Carla wants to thank all the dancers at Swing Central who make every Tuesday evening so unique and special to her and she especially wants to thank all the dancers from the 3 Minute Maniacs for their support and passion! For more information on Carla, please visit at www.carlaheiney.com
~ A few good Swingouts a night can leave a person wanting more and more and more......a healthy addiction that keeps the mind, body, and soul all feeling satisfied... ~
AWARDS :
- 2007 American Lindy Hop Champions Jack & Jill - 1st place
- 2006 US Open Showcase Champion
- 2005 American Lindy Hop Champions Jack & Jill - 1st place
- 2005 Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown - Champions Jack & Jill - 1st Place
- 2005 Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown - Slow Tempo Division- 2nd Place
- 2005 Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown - Medium Tempo Division- 3rd Place
- 2005 National Jitterbug Championships - Pro Jack & Jill - 3rd place
- 2004 US Open Swing Dance Championships - Lindy Showcase - 1st place
- 2004 US Open Swing Dance Championships - Strictly Swing Team Battle - 1st place
- 2004 Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown - Team Division - 1st Place
- 2004 National Jitterbug Championships - Pro Jack & Jill - 1st place
- 2003 US Open Swing Dance Championships - Strictly Swing Challenge - 1st place
- 2003 US Open Swing Dance Championships - Strictly Lindy - 1st place
- 2003 North Atlantic Dance Championships - Lindy Showcase - 1st place
- 2002 US Open Swing Dance Championships - Lindy Showcase - 1st place
- 2002 American Lindy Hop Champion - American Showcase - 1st place
- 2002 North Atlantic Dance Championships - Lindy Showcase - 1st place
- 2001 US Open Swing Dance Championships - Lindy Showcase - 1st place
- 2001 American Lindy Hop Champion - American Showcase - 1st place
- 2001 Virginia State Open
- Open Showcase Lindy Hop - 1st place
- Open Showcase Hollywood - 1st place
- Open Showcase Jitterbug - 1st place
- Open Classic Lindy Hop - 1st place
- Open Classic Hollywood - 1st place
- Overall Showcase - 1st place
- Overall Classic - 1st place
- (set new record for Virginia State Open by winning both overall showcase and overall classic dance divisions for a second time)
- 2000 US Open Swing Dance Championships - Team Division - 1st place
- 2000 American Lindy Hop Championships - Team Division - 1st place
- 2000 North Atlantic Dance Championships - Open Showcase - 1st place
- 1999 American Lindy Hop American Showcase - 1st place
- 1999 Virginia State Open
- Open Showcase Lindy Hop - 1st place
- Open Classic Lindy Hop - 1st place
- Open Classic Jitterbug - 1st place
- Overall Showcase - 1st place
- Overall Classic - 1st place
- (set new record for Virginia State Open by winning both overall showcase and overall classic dance divisions)
- 1998 Virginia State Open - Open Showcase Jitterbug - 1st place
NATIONAL TOURS:
Concert tours: Aretha Franklin "Queen of Soul" (incomplete)
- Wolf Trap theatre - Virginia - Summer of 1999 and 2000
- Detroit Symphony Orchestra Hall
- New York - Pepsi Cola Award Ceremony
- Fox Woods, Connecticut
- Soaring Eagle Casino, Michigan
- Merrifield, Illinois
- Atlanta, Georgia - ampitheatre
Erich Kunzel - National Pops Conductor and National Symphony Orchestrator Performances-
- Detroit Symphony Orchestra
- Cincinatti Pops Concert
- Naples Philharmonic - Millennium New Years Gala (Florida)
- "Swingin' with the Pops" Blossom Festival, Riverbend Concerts, Rivinia Concert Park, Miami Whitewater Forest Park, Sawyer Point Concert Park
- Chicago Pops Concert
- Cincinatti Pops Christmas Special Concert - 2000
- Carnegie Hall - Scheduled for January 23rd 2001
- Buffalo, New York - scheduled for January, 2001
Bud Forrest and His String of Pearls Orchestra
- Georgia National RV Convention
- Naples, Florida
- Fall 2000 Tour
- Fairview 87th Infantry Reunion, Falls Church, VA
- Wright State Univ. Nutter Center - Dayton, Ohio
- Ritz Theatre - Tiffin, Ohio
- Franciscan Center - Sylvania, PA
- Pasavaant Centre@Thiel College - Greenville, PA
- Palace Theatre - Marrion,Ohio
- Soaring Eagle Casino - Mt. Pleasant, MI
Special Performances: (incomplete)
- Kennedy Center Performance - November, 1999 Children's Fair
- International Children's Festival - Tyson's Corner, VA August 2000
- 17th Annual National Shag Dance Competition - Myrtle Beach, SC 2000
- AMS Performance with Difficult Run Jazz Band
- United States Army Birthday Celebration - 2000
- Brian Setzer Concert - Benefit Dance
- Peaches O'Dell and Her HeMan Orchestra - Glen Echo Spanish Ballroom
- - host swing dances at venue which supports crowds of 500-800
- Tom Cunnigham Orchestra - America Restuarant - Tysons, VA
- Doc Scantlin - private corporate parties
National Television and Print:
- PBS Capital Concerts Presents:
- National Memorial Day Show - Dancing and singing with Rita Moreno, Memorial Day, 1999
- A Capital 4th - National Fourth of July Celebration - dancing with Nell Carter - July 4th, 1999
- National Memorial Day Show - Dancing and singing with James Naughton
- 2000 (on stage with B.B. King for finale)
- The Today Show - dancing - November 4th, 2000 team performance
- Black Entertainment Television - performance 1998
- Interview Channel 4 Newsteam / performance and interview - 1999
National Teaching Accomplishments:
- Camp Catalina, CA June 2000 ( scheduled for 2001 also) - by Pasadena Ballroom Society
- March Madness - Detroit, MI
- Herrang - Prestigious Swedish Dance Camp - scheduled for July and August 2001 - Stockholm, Sweden
- Harvest Moon Ball - Palm Springs, CA - November 2000
- Houston Lindy Society - August 2000
- Atlanta, Dance Society, North Carolina, West Virginia
- North American Swing Dance Championships, Chicago
- Swing Du Nord - Minneapolis Swing Dance Society
Long-term Instructional Classes - local
- University of Maryland
- Catholic University of America
- American University
- Millersville University of PA
- Hollywood Lindy Series - Bethesda, MD ( at Maryland Youth Ballet)
Choreography :
- Camp Hill High School Marching Band - 1999, Band director of Dean Zirkle
- Dancing Segments from PBS shows mentioned above - assistant to co-choreographer
- Kennedy Center Performance - Swing Dance Segment
