| Eddie Ares – Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Eddie moved with his family to New York when he was two years old. He grew up in the hard streets of Spanish Harlem in New York City. By the age of fourteen, the New York Yankees Organization drafted Eddie to play baseball. However, he turned them down to pursue a career playing hockey. At the age of 17, Eddie’s cat-like skills caught the interest of the New York Rangers. The Rangers organization drafted him to train as goaltender and he accepted the offer. After intense practices, Eddie spent many nights dancing in the nightclubs of NYC. Although he won’t admit it to his hockey teammates, Eddie’s quickly realized what his true love in life was….dancing. Now, with 4 Professional US Titles, 1 World Professional Title, and 38 US Pro-Am Titles, Eddie pursues his passion through training both professional and amateur dancers his outstanding choreography and flawless technique. He lives for the excitement of competition and the satisfaction of success. Today, Eddie is one of the most sought-after choreographers and coaches in the United States. |
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| Joe Locurto – Joe LoCurto has earned the titles “Teacher of the Year” and “Top Teacher” from many pro-am competitions, but these titles do not come close to describing the talents and expertise this man is known to have in the dance world. Joe began his dancing career in Pennsylvania with the Arthur Murray Dance Studios and soon discovered that there was an opportunity to bring his love of dancing to the Atlanta area. Joe specializes in teaching social and competitive ballroom style to individuals and couples. He also choreographs and teaches engaged couples to dazzle family with their first dance at their wedding reception. Joe’s love and his vision in dance have inspired many of his students to compete and win in competitions. Joe has put on numerous dance exhibitions for clubs, religious groups and private affairs. Today, he continues to strive and achieve excellence in all aspects of the dance community. |
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| Jorge Morales – Jorge began his professional dance career over 15 years ago, first dancing and teaching at Fred Astaire and several independent dance studios in the metro Atlanta area. As an instructor and competitor, Jorge has transformed students into high level Ballroom and Latin dance competitors by teaching them the skill, technique, artistry and precision to achieve national recognition in the various ballroom circuits. Jorge continues to be very active dancing Pro/Am with his students, as well as coaching amateur competitive couples. He also enjoys teaching social dance students and couples who are excited about learning ballroom dance. In order to stay up to date with the latest techniques and styles in the dance world, Jorge continues to train with such ballroom and Latin dance greats as Corky Ballas, Eddie Ares, Kathryn Schaeffer and most recently Toni Redpath and Liene Apale. |
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| Chasity Smith – Chasity Smith graduated from the University of Alabama in 2005 with a B.S. in Accounting and with minors in both Mathematics and Spanish. She immediately moved to Atlanta, GA where she began her career as an auditor and also seized the opportunity to pursue her passion for ballroom dancing. Chasity began training in January 2006 to become a Latin dance competitor. In less than one year, she rose to the top as a Finalist in the 2007 World Pro/Am Dance Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In November 2007, she again became a finalist at the prestigious Ohio Star Ball World Championships. Currently, Chasity continues her dance training with Eddie Ares, manages the Academy Ballroom Atlanta studio location, and also is a Partner of Academy Ballroom International. |
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Karen Angell – Academy Ballroom International Partner, Owner and principal instructor for PureFITtm, Karen shares her passion for dance and fitness with Pilates and personal training for clients from all walks of life. From social dancers to competitive athletes to those simply wanting to improve their overall personal health and physical well being, Karen’s 10 years of practical teaching experience benefits beginners to advanced levels.
With a successful Seattle-to-Atlanta partnership with Eddie Ares, Karen integrates her teaching into her own dance training while working with clients to achieve their fitness goals. Karen’s knowledge and experience of holistic training for maximum results benefits each client. Karen is a dedicated ballroom dance competitor winning 8 Pro-Am championship titles to date: 3-time U.S. Open Pro-Am 9-Dance Champion, World 9-Dance Pro-Am Champion at Ohio Star Ball, U.S. Open Rhythm Pro-Am Champion, U.S. Pro-Am Grand Champion, World Open Smooth and Open Rhythm Pro-Am Champion. |
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| Myron Abernathy – Myron Abernathy (also known as "Smoove Salsero") is one of Atlanta’s up and coming salsa instructors and performers. A proud “salsaholic” for over 7 years, he has been trained by some of the best instructors in Atlanta and the world. Always hungry to grow and evolve as a dancer, he has also taken countless workshops with many world-renowned salsa instructors. In July 2007, Myron and his partner Jacenta Cobb took 1st place in Flamingo Productions' Latin Elegance Salsa Competition. He has also performed with his dance company iSalsa Productions at venues such as Jimmy Rumba’s Salsa Jam in Atlanta, GA, “Spicy Salsa” in Athens, GA, and 1st Fridays at Tropicabana in Augusta, GA. He also plays a big role in promoting Atlanta’s ever-growing salsa scene, coordinating events for iSalsa Productions, as well as “Sheila’s Salsa,” and has recently began DJing at Sheila’s monthly salsa socials from time to time. Myron also teaches every Friday at The Sanctuary night club in Atlanta. |
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| Tanya Arnhold – Tanya's love for Ballroom and Latin Dance began in Las Vegas in 1994. Since moving to Atlanta eleven years ago, she has enjoyed being a motivating instructor committed to her students' goals. Students can rely on her expertise and patience in assisting them to achieve their aspirations. Tanya teaches both social and competitive dance and does choreography for shows, weddings and special events. She is a member of the National Dance Council of America and is certified with Dance Vision International Dance Association and Fred Astaire Dance Studios. Tanya believes that music is an expression of life, dance an expression of music, therefore to dance is to truly live. "I love sharing dance and the art of movement. It is very fulfilling to witness individuals transform themselves and be comfortable moving their body with another's to music." |
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| Madeleine Hackney - Madeleine Hackney has performed on national and international stages for 15 years, in places such as New York, Chicago, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Japan, and Korea. After receiving a BFA in Dance from New York University, she danced in productions including The Phantom of the Opera, Evita, Oklahoma, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and a US Department of Defense Overseas tour. While based in New York for 10+ years, she taught dance for Pierre Dulaine’s Dancing Classrooms, Stepping Out Studios and New York Sports Clubs. Ms. Hackney appeared in the films, Mona Lisa Smile and Mad Hot Ballroom, the Today Show, ABC morning news and danced for industrial performances for Toyota, Dairy Queen, the Italian Trade Commission, Emanuel Ungaro, and AFLAC. She moved to St. Louis in 2005 to study at Washington University for her Ph.D. in Movement science, which she received in May 2009. Her doctoral work evaluated tango and ballroom dance for people with Parkinson Disease, and garnered media attention from the New York Times, Scientific American and a citation in Oliver Sack’s Musicophilia. She recently relocated to Atlanta where she continues researching partner dance for older adults at the Atlanta Veterans Administration Medical Center. Well-versed in American Rhythm, Smooth, International Standard, Salsa, Argentine Tango, Hustle, and Country Western dance, she has competed in Country Western and American Rhythm in pro and pro-am divisions. She is very excited to teach at Academy Ballroom, and is available for group or private dance lessons and for performances. |
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| Joby Brava – Joby Vazquez was born in New York City and proudly first generation Dominican. Her family then moved her to California where she began her dance career at the age of 19 with Modern, Jazz, Ballet and Hip-Hop. During this time, she spent three years in an Orange County Theater Dance Company “On Common Ground”. She began her Salsa dancing in 1993. In 1994 she, Luis Vazquez and Janette Valenzuela founded the first Salsa dance company in California, Salsa Brava. Back then everyone thought Salsa was something you ate with chips. But with Joby’s determination to dance Salsa anywhere, she contributed to expose a style of Salsa no one had seen before all over the world. It started in Puerto Rico’s 1st Annual Congress in 97’ and quickly grew from her visits to 36 different countries. She has trained some of the best Salsa dancers in Los Angeles. Joby Vazquez has had wonderful opportunity to perform in videos, movies, television, film, and stage shows with artist such as Sinbad, Tito Puente, Thalia, Jennifer Lopez, Chayanne, Vanessa Williams, Tito Nieves, Quincy Jones, Donnie & Marie, Rosanne Bar, and The Four Tops. Joby has also choreographed for TV shows such as MAD TV (WB), City of Angles (CBS) and Sinbad’s VIBE TV (UPN). |
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| Lenn Ambanta – Born in Hawaii and trained through Arthur Murray Dance Studio, Lenn began his dancing career at age 17 and was a club back-up dancer. He owned a mobile dance troop and choreographed numbers performed for local shows. Lenn has been in the dancing profession for approximately 30 years and is a registered member of the National Dance Counsel of America (NDCA). Lenn enjoys competing with students at various competitions. |
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| Michael Castillo – Michael Castillo is nationally certified by the NDCA and Fred Astaire as an instructor for American Rhythm and Smooth as well as International Latin and Standard. As of August 2007, Michael has continued his passion for ballroom dancing for 32 years. Michael enjoys training and dancing with students of all levels, from the newest beginners taking their first steps, to enhancing the technique of the top-level advanced dancers. |
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| Carrie Couch – Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Carrie trained classically throughout her life and into college. Her skills in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Ballroom, Latin, and Modern enabled her to obtain a BS.ED in Dance Education from the University of Georgia. Upon graduation she realized her dream to become a professional dancer focusing on hip-hop and decided to move to Los Angeles. In her three years in Hollywood, Carrie trained intensively at Millennium Dance Complex, Edge Performing Arts Center, and Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio with instructors including Tricia Miranda, Shane Sparks, Marty Kudelka, Phlex, Eddie Garcia, Bobbi Newberry, and Alex da Silva, to name a few. Once she felt she had met her goals in LA, with performances including three Choreographer's Carnivals, Missy Elliot's "We Run This", and MTV Chi Rocks with the artist Adrienne Lau, Carrie then moved back to her roots to challenge the Atlanta dance scene. After completing the Bacardi Live tour with Mixmaster Mike and Dan the Automator, she Academy Ballroom Atlanta to help bring her own flavor to the Latin/Ballroom industry. |
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Danella Dutton – Danella Dutton is a professional dancer and independent dance instructor located in Atlanta, GA. Danella has enjoyed dancing for as long as she can remember. Within the past five years, Danella has taken her dancing to the next level by becoming a professional Smooth, Standard, Rhythm, Latin, and Salsa Instructor. Danella extensively enjoys spreading her passion for dance to all of her students, while continuing to work on her own abilities with training from Eddie Ares, Jorge Morales, Rosendo Fumero, and Corky Ballas. For salsa she has trained with Gaston Vidarte and Pamela Franco, Luis Vazquez and Melissa Fernandez, and many more. Recently, Danella joined the talented dance team at Academy Ballroom. She is enthusiastic being a part of the wonderful and accomplished dance staff. "It is good to walk into the studio everyday and see how much every instructor enjoys teaching!"
Titles: 2007 Hotlanta Dance Challenge Novice Pro Rhythm Champions. |
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| Ian Folker –
Ian Folker, originally from Germany, is a former World and British Exhibition finalist, as well as Eastern US Professional Latin and 10 Dance Champion.
After 17 years of teaching in New York City, Ian recently relocated to Atlanta, GA. His major passion is to create top competitive students in all four styles.
Besides teaching, he travels extensively throughout the US, Asia and Europe for coaching, choreography and judging.
His credentials include: member ISTD, NADTA, USA Dance, IDSF, DVIDA, Regional Examiner for DVIDA, and international adjudicator. |
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| Rex Jones – Rex Jones is a six time World Champion and is a UCWDC Master Dancer. He grew-up dancing tap and jazz in his mother's dance studio. Rex is currently competing with his wife, Rachel, in American Rhythm. He has been both an ATV racer and a professional tennis player. He has been one of the top male instructors in UCWDC for the last ten years. He is a member of the Royston Dance Company and has performed in the show Street Swing and danced in the Taylor Swift video "Love Story." |
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| Sheila Sampath - Sheila Sampath has been exposed to music her whole life beginning with classical Indian instruments, dance and most recently classical Indian voice. Her passion for music comes from a family of musicians. Her unique blend of east meets west shows in her style on the social dance floor and her past performance team body movement and interpretation of music. The pioneer of bring "Salsa Socials" to life in Atlanta, she has the longest running social for almost 8 years now which runs on the principle of bringing people together in dance and camaraderie. She also founded the 1st on2 dance school and student performance team which resulted soon in widespread awareness of New York Style on2 . She continues to pursue Salsa as a serious passion currently running her Socials at Academy Ballroom and teaching at local Salsa nightclubs or special events. Her focus is for the dancer at any level to remember that dancing is one's expression of the music vs. simply dancing moves…..her favorite quote is from Mario B (Salsa Fever on2-New Jersey)……."Do NOT move 2 the Music…Let the Music Move U" |
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Olga Kormanovskaya – Originally from Kazakstan, Olga has trained in the art of Ballroom and Latin dancing since her very early childhood. In 2003, she won the United States Latin Championship in Ohio with her partner, Louis van Amstel. She continues to train her students to compete at the highest level of Latin dancing. Her expertise enables her to travel the country to coach students of all levels of dance. When she is not teaching, Olga also makes ball gowns and Latin dresses for competitive and performing students.
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| Anton Sidorov - Anton began dancing at the age of five. In 1994, he broke onto the international dance scene and began to place as a finalist in competitions all over Europe. Between 1999 and 2002 he won the Open Italy, France, Germany, Denmark, and many competitions in his native country of Russia. When he moved to the United States in 2003 he won many regional competitions including the Chicago Harvest Moon Ball. He has competed in both international Latin and Standard. Some of his coaches include 14 time world champion Donnie Burns, Hans Galke and Bianca Shreiber. He just received his Ph.D in Electrical Engineering in May, 2009 and now works at Academy Ballroom as a Dance Instructor. |
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| Julian Mejia – Julián Mejía studied Casino-style Salsa in Miami, where Casino Salsa is king. He began teaching Casino-style Salsa when he moved to Atlanta in July of 1999; SALSAtlanta grew out of these classes. SALSAtlanta is a group dedicated to dancing a particular style of Salsa known as Rueda de Casino. This dance originated and evolved during the late 1940's and the 1950's in Havana Cuba, and later, Miami, when Cuban emigrants who brought their music and customs to the United States-- into breathtaking combinations of spins and footwork. One couple may dance the steps alone, but the dance is best viewed with several couples dancing in a circle. One person calls the name of a step, and all the couples execute the step at the same time, frequently changing partners around the circle. This is how the name "Rueda" [Roo ay dah] developed, which means 'wheel' in Spanish. The result is a fast paced, beautifully synchronized, exciting dance. SALSAtlanta, has been teaching to dance Salsa in Atlanta since 1999, in Athens since 2001, and in Buford since 2009 and over 4,000 students have taken our class. We teach 12 different levels of Rueda de Casino and no partner is needed. |
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| Jari Muller – Jari was born in what is now the Czech Republic, formerly Czechoslovakia. He studied Electrical Engineering, but his true desire and real talent is ballroom dancing. He has trained under Michael and Vicky Barr, Ann Gleave, Karen and Markus Hilton, John Wood, Gianni D'Orio, Andrew Sinkinson and other world-renowned coaches. Jari has over 20 years experience in ballroom dancing, as a amateur competitor, a professional competitor and a professional trainer. He has won numerous titles in USA, Europe and Canada with his former partner and was 1999 US National Professional Rising Star Top Couple of the Year for International Standard and 2000 US National Rising Star Champion. Jari has also four National Pro/Am Champion titles with his student partners. |
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| Sorin Obreja – Sorin Obreja - Sorin is a former professional dancer from Romania in character/folk Romanian and gypsy dance. He was hired by a professional dance ensemble and had the opportunity to perform in many places in Romania and Europe. His performances consisted of group and solo dance moments. In the USA Sorin is a DVIDA certified ballroom dance instructor currently teaching at Academy Ballroom. He also teaches group classes at Perimeter Ballroom Dance Community. Sorin believes that dance is the expression of the beauty from the soul, it makes people friendly and shapes character. He teaches ballroom dance, Argentine Tango, and Salsa. |
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| Ruben Haimov – Coming Soon |
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| Natalie Segal – Natalie took her first dance steps in ballet class at the age of 2 ½ and she hasn’t stopped dancing since! After high school, Natalie moved to Nashville, Tennessee where she attended Vanderbilt University and achieved a bachelor’s degree in Child Development and a bachelor’s degree in Human and Organizational Development with a focus in Community Development. Outside of college, she continued dancing and competing in Pro/Am competitions with her instructor, and upon graduation, chose to pursue her passion by becoming an instructor. While teaching in Nashville, she was trained by and served as the Personal Assistant to three-time US American Smooth Champion and Competition Organizer, David Hamilton. In addition to teaching adults, Natalie taught and coordinated Nashville Metro Parks’ Music City Ballroom Kids program, teaching ballroom dance to over 300 inner-city youth each summer. In 2009, Natalie relocated to Atlanta, Georgia in order to pursue a competitive ballroom career with her professional partner, Jared Pruitt. Natalie’s enthusiasm and excitement inspire her students to step out of their comfort zones, try new things, and truly experience the enjoyment and growth found in ballroom dancing. |
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Rachel Jones –
Rachel Jones was a gymnast and cheerleader through college. She began training and competing in dance 13 years ago and is currently competing with her husband in America Rhythm. Rachel finished as the 2nd place top female instructor in UCWDC for the last two years at the World Championships. She left her career as an Engineer to pursue her love of dancing. She is a member of the Royston Dance Company and has performed in the show Street Swing and appeared in the Taylor Swift video "Love Story."
Rachel and Rex are the 2008 Division 1 Open Showcase World Champions and the event directors of Christmas in Dixie. |
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| Kristin Burke – Kristin’s love for dance began in 1984 and after 16 years of Ballet, she had to take a temporary break when she attended the University of Texas in Austin where she studied Mathematics and Sociology. After working for Dell for several years and a move to Atlanta in 2007, she began ballroom dancing, focusing mostly on smooth. In college, Kristin was the women's captain of the sailing team and injured her spine so after a long recovery time she found that Ballroom was something she could do to express herself without causing more pain. Kristin has always loved dance because it is the easiest way to truly express your feelings. You can come in angry, upset or with just a lot on your mind and after dancing you will leave smiling and feeling happy, no matter what your earlier problems were. |
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| Anita Fong – Anita was trained in classical ballet at the most prestigious ballet school in Hong Kong, Jean M. Wong School of Ballet, for 10 years since she was 3. After she and her family moved to the US at the age of 13, due to various reasons Anita stopped dancing for 8 years. During her senior year at the University of Georgia, Anita finally joined a student performance dance group called Pamoja Dance Company and realized that she really loved dancing and performing! Anita has started her American Smooth training with Jorge Morales since May 2009. Partnering with Jorge, they won the championship of the Global Cup Rising Star Smooth Competition at the 2009 Hotlanta Dance Challenge. At the mean time, Anita is also receiving teacher training from Michael Castillo. Anita's goal is to become a professional 9 dance dancer and ballroom instructor in the near future. |
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| Bernard Jackson – Bernard J Jackson is an award winning dancer with an impressive resume of experience throughout the country. He has worked professionally in stage, film, concert, and event performances with such renowned companies as Dance Theatre of Harlem, Radio City Music Hall and Cirque Du Soleil. Each year as part of the youth outreach program, Mr. Jackson returns to his native Texas to lecture and educate students on dance and how to prepare for tour and auditions. Mr. Jackson has taught for the National College Dance Exchange, Jewish Community Center, National-Touring Circuits and the International Association of Black in Dance. His choreography has been seen in New York City, Los Angeles, Texas, and Las Vegas. He is a distinguished recipient the NFAA (The National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts) Talent Search, Music Fest Scholarship for Choreography Award Recipient, Nevada’s 2008 Outstanding Artist and Arts for Humanity named Mr. Jackson One of New York City “Up and Coming Choreographers 2004”. “I believe that movement is a language and if you’re going to speak say something.” |
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| Coming Soon – |
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| Coming Soon – |
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| Ashlenn Ambanta – Ashlenn began her dance career at age 12 winning many titles in the International Latin division. She then proceeded to broaden her skills by learning International Standard. Over the course of 2 years, she consistently ranked in the top six of this Division. At the young age of 16, she was not only the first but the youngest female to ever win the 10-dance World Pro/Am title at the 2002 Ohio Star Ball, PBS-TV, "Championship Ballroom Dancing." |
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