06/05/2026
Lazy River Festival is a wrap. And I’m still not entirely sure how to process that.
Let’s talk about the artists for a second.
Our teachers, Ana Lisa, Dara, Elena, Elze, Javier, Katja, Nejc, Peter, Pavlina, and Victor came from across the world and brought everything they had to those floors. Different styles, different backgrounds, different approaches to this music and these dances, all under one roof in Vienna with an approachable vibe. It felt exactly like what we dreamed it would be.
The music. OMG, it was SO GOOD. Let that sink in. Gordon Au brought his Louis Armstrong’s All-Stars tribute to Europe for the first time. The Hi-Stakes had everyone losing their minds like a rock concert. The Sam Ghezzi Blues Band made the room feel like a sweaty rent party. The Corner Pocket Jazz Band became Laura Loves Pockets Jazz band and brought chaos into creation with tons of swinging solos. The Jakub Zomer Quintet came back and immediately reminded everyone why we love them (and the organ). And the Grand St. Stompers gave us that hot swingin jazz we all craved. It was the best, most varied music we have experienced in Europe. Ever.
Tobias, Leigh, Yulai and Javier held down the DJ sets in between and kept the floor alive to th elate hours. Plus Tobsen & Remy covering our social activities with good tunes. With so much live music it was hard to find places for them to dj, but we are so glad we did!
To our staff and volunteers: you built the environment that made all of the above possible. The dancers felt welcomed and cared for because of you. You worked your butts off before and during. We couldn’t have done any of this without you.
To every single one of you: thank you for believing in this vision and showing up for it so completely. We heard it from every attendee. It was felt.
And to our dancers: you came to Vienna, you filled the floor, you made it worth every single thing it took to build this. We will carry this one with us for a long time.
What a way to go out. 💙
