Bern, Switzerland
January 4-9, 2027
with
Flouer Evelyn &
Mark Carpenter
So... what is this thing?
This is a weeklong in-person training to help you along your journey of becoming a Fusion Dance Instructor.
This week will be focusing on Module Two of our FTT system, which is specifically designed for the skills of teaching.
We meet the week after the Fusionizers Festival in Bern, Switzerland. Every day there will be about 6 hrs of studio time, with a 1.5 hr lunch break. We accept around 20 people in the group, so it’s nice and intimate.
There will be necessary online pre-work and zoom meet-ups before our week together so that we can get theory out of the way and focus on the important in-person skills of teaching.
On the Saturday after the intensive, we’ll host a local workshop where you can opt in to teach and get feedback on your class from Mark, Flouer, and your peers. All FTT participants can teach if they want to, but it’s not mandatory.
What will you learn?
This module is all about working with beginners and creating great weekly fusion dance classes. It’s designed for instructors who want to make their lessons fun and accessible while building confidence in their teaching style. You’ll get hands-on experience leading classes and exploring practical teaching techniques with the support of a group going through the same journey.
Across the week we work through:
- Fusion frameworks & theory
- Structures for how to think about the world of partner dance
- Teaching an awesome intro class
- Every scene grows through a friendly and informative first class
- Building class structure
- How to shape a single hour so people leave having actually learned something
- Building a curriculum
- How to keep dancers engaged across multiple classes
- Communication & classroom management
- One of the most challenging and important parts of making every class feel great
Plus bonus conversations on history, culture, scene organizing, and what your new role as a teacher looks like in the community.
Why bother learning to teach?
You’ve planned the class and you think you know exactly how it will go — and then you’re standing in front of the room and you watch the room slowly fall apart around you.
The material doesn’t land. Students look lost. You run out of time to get to the point of the class.
Someone’s struggling and you spend all your time on them and forget the rest of the class — or you freeze, not sure how to adjust on the spot.
Sound familiar? Eep!
Being a great dancer doesn’t automatically make you a great teacher. Building classes that are balanced, effective, and feel good to be in takes a whole different skill set — how to present in front of a crowd, how to structure a class, knowing how to break down and stack material so what comes next takes you where you want to go.
Most teachers build these skills through years of trial and error, one uncomfortable class at a time. It works eventually, but it’s slow, and it’s often a painful thing to figure out alone.
That’s what we’re here to shortcut. We each have over 20 years of teaching, and that experience has taught us something about what actually works. We want to pass that on, so you can skip the guesswork and get to classes that land, fast.
Your Instructors:
Flouer & Mark
Mark and Flouer are an intercontinental teaching team known for pairing deep care with serious craft. They have been teaching together at festivals since 2018, and launched their Fusion Teacher Training in 2024. Together, they’re a powerful duo—blending different yet complementary teaching styles to offer multiple pathways into partner dance. Grounded in a shared value system and ethics around dance theory, culture, and community, they balance rigor with play as they help dancers expand both technique and creative voice.
Flouer—from New York City and now based in Italy—is equally recognized internationally for both Blues Dance & Fusion Dance. She has an MFA in contemporary and decades of experience across other partnered and solo forms. Dancing “fusion” since 1999 and teaching internationally since 2011, she’s known for her warm, academically rigorous approach that gives dancers clear structure for improvisation and self-discovery.
Mark—based in SF, California—is an internationally acclaimed Fusion instructor, DJ, and event organizer who has helped shape the global scene for more than a decade. He founded the Fusion Dance Academy and created events like & All That Jazz, the SLO Exchange, and Fireside Fusion, drawing from styles like Lindy Hop, Blues, and Tango to make the impossible look easy—and the easy look impossible.
What is the structure?
Each day, you’ll participate in six hours of classes, learning directly from Flouer & Mark, as well as working closely with your group of peers.
There will be online orientation and theory workshops prior to our live week, so that when we are in person we can make the best use of our physical studio time together.
Monday night after Fusionizers is an open organizer panel to meet with FTT Alumni to talk about their experiences with local teaching and organizing.
Saturday we’ll host a workshop for local dancers in which you can sign up to teach if you desire, but it’s not mandatory.
Where will we be learning?
Rhythm Rebels Studio
We’ll be spending our week in the beautiful Rhythm Rebel’s dance studio, located in downtown Bern. It’s bright and cheerful, as well as intimate enough to feel like a home for the week.
Address: Aarbergergasse 40, 3011 Bern
What is Fusionizers Festival?
Dec 31 – Jan 3, 2027
4 magical days to start your year dancing…
3 days of workshops with international teachers, 3 parties with live music, a sunday dancemarathon, loooong nights and just a wonderful, loving atmosphere in the cozy city of Bern, Switzerland.
Our vision is to create a festival where people from different backgrounds and dance styles come together to celebrate the music and language of movement that connects us.
What participants have said...
Lucerne, Switzerland
Their frameworks for understanding fusion and breaking down pedagogy are both accessible and inspiring, and will change the way you think about your dance forever (in the best ways possible!)! It is clear that they deeply love what they do, and their passion for teaching is infections."
Portland, Oregon
Greenville, South Carolina
Is this Fusion Teacher Training for me?
This is for people ready to go from “I dance” to “I teach.”
- You want to start teaching local classes, hosting local practice groups, and/or building a fusion dance community where you live.
- You’ve got at least a couple years of consistent partner dancing behind you.
- You’re curious about the skills that make a teacher great — not just the skills that make a dancer great.
- You’re ready to commit to a week-long intensive with a room full of people just as dance-obsessed as you are.
- You want to plug into the wider European fusion scene and meet the other people out there building local classes too.
This program isn’t the right fit if:
- You’re a beginner with only a year of partner dance experience. Keep sticking with it — when you’re ready, we’d love to work with you!
- You just want to work on your physical dance skills. This course is about the skills around being a teacher, not leveling up your dancing. Consider Fusionizers or our other weeklong workshops if dancing itself is the goal.
- Your learning style is a few hours a day with lots of time to integrate. That’s a great way to learn! But this is an intensive week, and we’re covering a lot of material, relatively quickly.
How much does it cost?
FTT Intensive
Mentored FTT
Financial support
What is the registration process?
Registration is open.
You fill out the registration form with your details. Inside the form we will also ask you to upload a video of you partner dancing. The link is included in the questionnaire, and can also be found here.
After you register we will need some time to review your videos. You will get an email with details on how to pay for your spot. If there are any problems, send an email to connect@flouerdances.com
Then we’ll see you in January!
