Tybaldt Ulrich

Teaches at Stepping Out Studios

Tybaldt Ulrich, a West Coast Swing and Hustle Champion, travels the country competing and teaching 30 to 40 weekends a year. With an emphasis on partnering essentials, his objective is to inspire joy and confidence in your dancing, imbuing it with groove and flow throughout. Whether the patterns are basic or advanced, complex, or elegant, Tybaldt helps you to understand the fundamentals and add a creative edge to your Swing and Hustle dancing. Tybaldt & his partner/wife, Hazel, are the newly crowned 2008 World Hustle Championship! Other recent past achievements include winning the 2005 World Hustle Championship, and a NASDE Champions' Jack-and-Jill, and fathering his son, Tristan. Tybaldt specializes in the Swing family of dances, (many of which are danced to modern Pop and R&B) and teaches a variety of regional styles, including West Coast Swing, Carolina Shag, Houston Whip, Lindy Hop, Charleston, Balboa, East Coast Swing, Smooth Lindy, Collegiate Shag, and North Texas Push. Tybaldt got his training with the early masters of these dances which date back to the '30s. He also has a strong musical background, having earned a degree in Ethnomusicology from the University of North Texas. There he studied and performed traditional music from Ghana, Indonesia, Southern India, Brazil, Trinidad, and Cuba, including 6 years performing with various Steel Drum bands, and living with a Master Drummer in Ghana for 6 weeks. Tybaldt has performed in 31 states with his partner and wife, Hazel Mede-Ulrich; the touring company of Swing Dance America; and his competitive Swing dance teams, now in their 6th year.