Flora and Thorbjørn
Professional dancers within the Swing category
How many years do you dance?
Flora: I started dancing 20 years ago.
Thorbjørn: I started dancing 21 years ago.
How many years do you dance as a couple?
Flora: Thorbjørn and I have been dancing together for 10 years now.
Thorbjørn: I have been dancing with Flora for 10 years now.
What do you like most in dancing?
Flora: What I enjoy most about dancing is dancing to the music, which allows me to improvise with the dance fundamentals of swing dancing both as a couple and as a dancer.
Thorbjørn: What I enjoy most about dancing is the feeling of moving to music and letting myself go, and enjoying the emotions that fill my body as I listen to music.
What’s the most important in dancing for you?
Flora: What is important for me is to achieve a certain flow in the couple connection to have smooth transition between movements, this allow the couple to understand and make the most creative lead and follow danced to the music together.
Thorbjørn: It’s hard to pin-point the most important part of dancing given that dance is such a complex form of both sports and art, however it has always intrigued me to be able to create artistically magical moments when my dance-partner, myself and the music just “click” together like a fine puzzle. When you manage to be at one with the music as a couple.
You were national, European and World champion multiple times and you teach others. What more would you like to achieve if anything was possible?
Flora: My mission has always been to teach swing dancing in an accessible way, with the goal of enhancing the social dance skills of my students, whether they are beginners or highly advanced.
Thorbjørn: As I already on a early stage of my dance path achieved many of my dance-goals, I felt a sort of fulfillment many years ago. However if we would be able to grow the dance to be a more recognized and valued art form I would say my goals would have been achieved in full.
What part of teaching in dancing do you like most (techniques, figures, aerials et cetera)?
Flora: What I enjoy the most is the creation of pattern to prepare classes, and being able to see a group of people gaining self awareness through learning new patterns/movements as a individual dancer and couple dancers.
Thorbjørn: I love to mix musicality and technique together. To be able to give students the possibility to adapt their dancing so they can express their movements in the way they want gives me goosebumps.
What dancing experience you’ll always remember, do you want to share with us?
Flora: In 2016 we got the chance to tour with the amazing Silvan Zingg Trio (S) doing 9 shows in 10 days touring in 4 different cities. It was hectic, but so much fun.
Thorbjørn: In the beginning, with Flora as my dance partner, we had the opportunity to participate in the World Championship in 2014. We were not prepared at all during the selection, however we went all in, trained like never before and eventually went on winning the competition. This process is something I will remember my whole life.