Valencia Fusion Exchange

Valencia Fusion Exchange is a fusion dance festival taking place from March 27–29, 2026 at Escuela de Ruzafa, in the heart of Valencia. Three days of workshops with international instructors, parties with DJs from across Europe, social dance picnics, and a guided massage exchange — all in a safe, inclusive space full of connection. Come dance, explore, and fuse with the community.

Online prices:

Full pass: €100,
Workshops pass: €70,
Parties pass: €50,
Friday day pass: €20,
Saturday or Sunday day pass: €50,

Buy tickets

Door prices:

Single workshop: €20,
Single party: €20.

Program

Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Escuela de Ruzafa: 20.00 Registration 21.00–1:00 Welcome Ceremony and Party with DJs	Parque central: 12:30–15:00 Picnic and Social Dance with DJs Escuela de Ruzafa: 16:00–17:15 Counterweights: when anchoring and inertia dialogue (Dani) 17.30–18.45 Off-axis: exploration through tango (Matías) 21:00–1:00 Party with DJs	Parque central: 13.00–14.30 Guided Massage Exchange. Marcin 14.00–16.00 Picnic and Social Dance with DJs Escuela de Ruzafa: 17:30–18:45 Ari’s Workshop 19.00–23.00 Party with DJs

Venues

Escuela de Ruzafa, Carrer de Dénia 32,
Parque central, C. de les Filipines, s/n.

Workshops: Creating Steps with Connection and Care

Dear dancers:

In this edition we want to focus on care as the main gear that allows everything to happen. We would like to begin by inviting you to take care of yourselves first as individuals: to listen to your own body, recognize your needs, and respect your rhythms.

From there, we invite you to open yourselves to a porous listening with the other and with the space. A way of being present that allows communication, movement, and creativity to arise more organically.

We believe that when we inhabit that shared presence, a world of creative possibilities opens up where steps are no longer just steps. Dance transforms into a living dialogue, where connection appears naturally and each encounter can become a unique experience. Each workshop will be the foundation of the next and, at the same time, the continuation of the previous one. The proposal is to build step by step a shared journey, where each encounter opens a different door within the same exploration, combining play, technique, improvisation, and moments of collective creation, allowing the tools to emerge organically. All of this will be held by the same guiding thread: exploring how connection and care can become the starting point for creating and inhabiting dance.

Welcome Ceremony: opening the space of connection

Sayil, Friday 21:00h

We will begin the gathering with a small welcome ceremony to arrive gradually into the space, the group, and our own bodies. Through connection dynamics, movement games, and breathing practices, we will awaken presence and curiosity.

The invitation is to enter the festival through play: to move, meet, listen, and begin building a climate of trust where dance can arise naturally. This first encounter will be an invitation to tune into bodily listening, open attention, and begin weaving the first bonds that will accompany the rest of the process. A moment to land, recognize each other, and open the dance space from care, curiosity, and enjoyment.

Counterweights: when anchoring and inertia dialogue

Dani, Saturday 16.00h

We will explore different ways of playing with counterweight and the ability to support your partner’s displacement.

Through the anchoring and stability of one person, we allow the other to feel cared for and held in their journey, while the one travelling can offer different qualities to the one anchoring, opening up different possibilities for play.

This will be a bi-role experience so that later, on the dance floor, regardless of whether your nature is more leader or follower, you will be able to employ anchoring and inertia at any moment that co-creation calls for it — offering a more versatile and less dependent experience in relation.

Off-axis: exploration through tango

Matías, Saturday 17.30h

In this third workshop we will integrate the foundations of connection, listening, and structure worked on in the previous workshops and bring them into the language of tango. From there we will explore the dynamics of volcadas and colgadas, investigating them from both roles to broaden the understanding of shared movement.

These steps or figures can be understood as the moment when we dance and play outside our own axis before returning to it. In these moments, by playing with and understanding weight, possibilities of suspension, elasticity, or speed appear, depending on how we dialogue with gravity and with the person we are dancing with.

We will explore how shared weight, trust, and listening allow us to create dynamic figures where structure supports the freedom of movement.

Guided Massage Exchange

Marcin, Sunday 13.00h

In this session we open a space of mutual care and connection, where through massage we can offer and receive attention from a place of presence. We draw inspiration from the Thai massage tradition, working in pairs with simple, accessible, and guided movements that invite stretching, relaxation, and the release of tension.

This encounter is also an invitation to turn our attention to the body in all its dimensions. A cared-for, available, and relaxed body opens to movement with greater lightness, presence, and awareness.

Beyond the physical, this practice reminds us of the importance of caring for ourselves and allowing ourselves to be cared for, of nourishing ourselves so we can give ourselves fully to dance, to encounter, and to life.

A gathering to rest, let go, and prepare the body to keep enjoying this wonderful weekend.

Dialogue in Motion: Connection Through West Coast Swing

Ari, Sunday 17:30

In this closing session, Ari invites us into the world of West Coast Swing as a space for play, communication, and shared listening.

We’ll explore partner connection through the logic of question–response, understanding dance as a living dialogue where every proposal opens new possibilities. We’ll investigate how to use energy, tension, and frame as tools for communication, refining our listening so that movement flows fluidly between both bodies.

Through dynamics and sequences, we’ll discover how to hold a connection that is both clear and flexible — where structure doesn’t limit, but instead fuels creativity and improvisation.

A space to play, connect, and let the dance happen in that constant exchange between proposing and receiving.

Teachers

Ari Levitt (USA)

Ari Levitt is a renowned fusion dance teacher with over thirty years of experience dedicated to teaching and the dance floor. His journey spans disciplines such as ballroom dancing, salsa, swing, balboa, and blues, among many others, which has allowed him to build a broad and versatile perspective on movement and partner dance. He stands out for his approachable, clear, and always kind way of teaching, combining technical precision with humor and sensitivity. In his classes, he creates a relaxed and trusting atmosphere where learning flows naturally, paying special attention to connection, listening, and dialogue between roles within the dance.

Dani Morillo (Barcelona)

Dani Morillo is an organizer, instructor, and multidisciplinary dancer specializing in partner dance, inspired by traditional dance and his training at Liberato Dance. His path began with lindy hop and tap dance, and has been enriched by contemporary dance, urban dances, and the study of traditions that connect body, music, and community. He carries out ongoing research into technique, biomechanics, and body awareness, integrating them with subtlety, enjoyment, and surrender. His way of teaching combines technique and sensitivity, offering dynamic spaces where each person can explore, express themselves, and find their own voice within the dance.

Matias Lorca (Buenos Aires/Valencia)

Matías Lorca carries tango in his blood from his native Buenos Aires, where he began training from a very young age at the Instituto de Artes Folclórico (IDAF). There he built a solid foundation in Argentine tango, folklore, classical and contemporary dance, as well as other performing arts that broadened his artistic vision. After joining tango and musical theater companies in Argentina, he chose Valencia as his home, where he has founded academies and accompanied hundreds of students on their journey into tango. La Cultural Tango, a school founded in 2004, is where he currently teaches, characterized by his approachability, personalized attention, and respect for the essence of the style, combining tradition, musicality, and enjoyment in every class.

Sayil Johansson (Valencia)

Sayil Johansson, organizer of Valencia Fusion Exchange, dancer, dance teacher, and Gestalt psychologist with training in somatics. Her work is born from the integration of different disciplines that awaken inner connection, listening, and authentic expression, transforming the body into a living language of presence and bonding. With over twenty years of experience in Oriental dance, and training in Persian dances and dervish whirling, her journey also extends to partner dances such as tango, forró, and other social dances, which enrich her perspective on encounter and communication in movement. In her classes, she offers safe, sensitive, and creative spaces where depth of connection, bonding, and play become fundamental tools for exploring, enjoying, and sharing dance.

Marcin Wosinek (Poland/Valencia)

Marcin Wosinek is the organizer of Valencia Fusion Exchange and passionate about movement in all its forms. In addition to fusion dance, he explores disciplines such as acroyoga and Thai massage, practices that have profoundly influenced his understanding of the body, listening, and care within shared movement. For him, dance is above all a space of trust, connection, and collaboration, where one creates together with others from presence and sensitivity. As a fusion dancer, acroyoga and massage practitioner, he seeks to create relaxed, safe, and enjoyable experiences, fostering well-being and enjoyment both on and off the dance floor.

DJ’S

DJ Andrea Liarco (Rome/Valencia)

Andrea Liarco grew up surrounded by music and movement. Born in Rome, he began studying violin and piano at the age of four, and since then his path has been marked by a constant dialogue between sound and body. While training at the Conservatorio Santa Cecilia, dance appeared as a natural extension of music, leading him to explore urban and social styles until he fell definitively in love with blues, where he found his artistic home.

Musician, dancer, DJ, and educator, Andrea combines the sensitivity of jazz and electronic music with a deep awareness of the dance floor, creating vivid and organic experiences. He has participated in tours, festivals, and stage projects throughout Europe, and from Valencia he continues to develop his work as a teacher and creator, integrating musical training, improvisation, and dance. In his classes and sessions, he offers spaces where rhythm, connection, and expression meet with freedom and play.

DJ Juanma (Valencia)

DJ Juanma has been part of the Fusion community in Valencia from its beginnings, where he has helped shape its musical identity by creating immersive and carefully crafted atmospheres. His sessions invite listeners to explore and push the boundaries of the fusion genre, blending Mediterranean and oceanic influences with a diverse, sensitive, and nuanced selection. He alternates bright and expansive daytime sets with more intimate and deep nighttime offerings, creating spaces where the audience can recognize themselves, be surprised, and connect through movement. Everything is built with care and dedication: music slow-cooked to perfection, with balance, warmth, and just the right touch of spice.

DJ Mike (Russia/Barcelona)

Mike Vinezki is a fusion DJ who lives music with intensity and sensitivity, something that can be felt in each of his sessions. With over ten years of experience within the scene, his musical identity is born from the intersection of styles such as West Coast Swing, Brazilian Zouk, and ballroom dances, influences that he brings to the booth with naturalness and coherence. His sound is characterized by a curated and emotional selection, smooth and sensual, full of vibrant nuances, accents, and contrasts that invite connection and experimentation on the dance floor. His sets have traveled to numerous fusion and blues festivals across Europe, creating deep, organic, and memorable atmospheres that accompany and embrace the dance.

DJ María José (Valencia)

DJ Maria José is a prominent blues dancer and teacher with a background in various dance forms including contemporary dance and contact improvisation. Known in her role as a DJ for creating rhythmic and immersive sets that blend electronic and organic sounds drawn from different cultures and corners of the world. Her musical approach resists labels and focuses on building coherent sonic journeys, where energy, depth and connection with the dance floor guide each session. With a carefully curated and nuanced selection, she alternates expansive moments with more intimate passages, inviting dancers to explore new textures and emotions through movement. Her sets create spaces for encounter — to let go, listen, and share movement freely and collectively.

DJ Joanna (Poland)

Joanna Tokarz is a DJ and co-organizer of Krakow Fusion Dance, a weekly gathering that has become one of the driving forces of the fusion community in the city, in addition to collaborating in the creation of various festivals and events in Krakow. Her dance training includes styles such as Blues, West Coast Swing, and Zouk, experiences that directly influence her understanding of the dance floor and how she builds each session. A regular at local fusion parties, she has also played at numerous events throughout Poland and Europe such as Kraków Dark Fusion, Warsaw Solstice Fusion, and Manchester Micro Fusion. Curious and always exploring new sounds, she enjoys surprising the audience with her latest musical obsession, taking each set down unexpected paths full of personality.

Purple Point, Care and Support Space

At Valencia Fusion Exchange, we believe that dance is about encounter, trust, and community. That is why we created the Purple Point: a space of care, listening, and support so that everyone can enjoy the festival in a safe, respectful environment based on consent and good treatment.

From a feminist and intersectional perspective, we accompany and address situations that cause discomfort, discrimination, or disrespect, placing the well-being, autonomy, and dignity of each person at the center. We want every body, identity, and way of inhabiting the dance floor to have a place, without pressure or judgment.

Our team is available throughout the festival with active listening, emotional first aid, and confidential support. You can approach us to talk, ask for guidance, share something that concerns you, or simply find a moment of calm.

If something doesn’t feel right, we are here.
We dance, we care for each other, and we build community together.

Taking care of each other is also part of Valencia Fusion Exchange.

Care Team Maria José (Valencia)

Care Team Lúa (Valencia)

Care Team Juanma Gil

Care Team Alícia Jiménez Márquez

Moment Capturers

Julia Happymiaow (Barcelona/Valencia)

She subsequently founded her own design and illustration studio in Valencia, WePlaySweet. Throughout her career she has worked in advertising with brands such as Coca-Cola, Telefónica, Nocilla, Nescafé, Dior, and Affinity, and with publishers such as Edelvives, SM, and Santillana. She has also contributed to art direction, character design, and animation for music videos by artists such as Vetusta Morla and Dark Moor.

Specializing in graphic recording and urban sketching, Julia captures what happens at events in a fast, expressive, and lively way. She currently lives in Valencia, where she combines her work as an illustrator with her passion for dance, also being known in our community as a blues dancer and teacher. Throughout the festival she will be transforming moments into unique illustrations that will preserve the living memory of what happens on the dance floor.

Logistics

Ruzafa is the creative heart of Valencia: a neighborhood full of life, colorful little streets, vibrant terraces, and a unique blend of cultures that make it the perfect setting for a dance festival. Its artistic atmosphere, charming cafés, alternative spaces, and ever-moving energy make every stroll through Ruzafa feel like an invitation to dance. Here the city pulses with more intensity… and fusing with it is pure magic.

We recommend that you look for accommodation in the neighborhood or nearby so you can rest well and be at your best for all the activities.

Accommodation

The event will be in the centre of Valencia—a major tourist destination in Spain. There is a wide range of accommodations available nearby—check your usual sources—there should be something for any budget.

We can recommend one hostel nearby:
https://www.cantaguahostel.com/
You can book directly on their page, and get a discount for breakfast.