I have been dancing since I was 3 (although my mother is convinced I was dancing before birth!). My first love was tap dancing, but I also took jazz and ballet. I trained locally with Debonnaire, Carol Joy, David DeMarie, and Matthew Clark, winning personal and group competitions at the local, state, national and international levels. As a professional dance instructor, I ran my first complete dance recital and performed at Artpark when I was 17.
I studied music, theater, and dance at the Buffalo Academy of Visual & Performing Arts and Fredonia State College. For my last year of college, I chose to study at Middlesex University in London, England, where I fell in love with ballroom dancing. Aside from the intensive curriculum at school, I met dancers and performers from all over the world, learning folk dances and other techniques to expand my choreography. I later traveled to Greece and Italy to study their styles of dance.
When I came home from Europe, I was invited to work as a dance instructor at a major dance franchise in Amherst. I eventually became the manager of the studio. My students won top honors at various regional competitions during my years with the franchise and I had the opportunity to take private instruction from such ballroom stars as:
- Mark Brock, a 13 times Pro-Am Teacher Award recipient and top instructor at the Ohio Star Ball
- Angel and Debbie Figueroa. Angel's choreography and dancing have been seen on film, video, television (most recently All My Children), in print (Bridal Guide Magazine) and on stage.
- Christian Perry, swing dancer in Gap commercials and instructor on the Ballroom Bootcamp TV show.
- Frankie Manning, swing dance legend.
I would like to make ballroom dance affordable to everyone. For fun, for healthy exercise, and for the joy of moving to the music in someone's arms!
Home-Town Appearances:
Manna From Heaven, Movie Trailer
I am currently the Guest Artist at the Buffalo Academy for Visual & Performing Arts, working with some of my Alumni and teaching the Dance Majors the art of Ballroom & Latin Dancing. Contact me for tickets & more info about teaching in your school.
With my students, I appeared on Channel 2's Daybreak program, teaching Mary Friona to Salsa and Swing in 2 hours. It was fun appearing to dance "long-distance" with accomplished dancer, Chesley McNeil, thru the magic of television.
I was chosen to choreograph the Presidents' Opening Dance for the doctors at the 2006 UPMASA Ball.
I am an invited instructor at the WNY Chapter of the United States Amateur Ballroom Dancers Association.
Look for an article about me in the May, issue of Buffalo Nightlife Magazine, coming out at the end of April.
