Christian Buettner
he/him
Maryland Kunst des Fechtens, Columbia, MD
Christian Buettner was a dancer before he became a sword person. He has been dancing for 18 years, and has taught ballroom dance, Latin dance, swing, and salsa.
He has been practicing historical European swordplay for five years. His primary focus is on longsword and montante, though he’ll happily try any sword you hand him. Christian’s first love is the montante. It is his meditative happy place and a fantastic teacher of movement.
He teaches beginner longsword, military saber, and montante at Maryland Kunst des Fechtens. As someone who has never been a “standard” size, he’s very familiar with how a lot of conventional fencing wisdom doesn’t actually apply to many people.
Christian wants his teaching to be flexible, accessible, and rooted in good body mechanics. He tries to meet students where they are and uses adaptive teaching methods.
Christian is exploring how to integrate his dance experience into his swordfighting and teaching. He recently taught a workshop on waltzing and longsword footwork at AutumnFecht 2021. He is one half of the team that brought Dance Fight to life, and is super excited to have a whole event dedicated to his favorite movement arts.
Christian’s Class
Ballroom Dancing for Power and Control
Saturday, September 24th
Get an introduction to the core movements of waltz and Latin dances, and use them to make every hit count. Christian will show you how to use your whole body to move a longsword with power and finesse, from footwork to hip motion and cross-body connection. You’ll come away with a new appreciation of just how effective twisting and twirling are, both on the dance floor and in the sparring ring.