Professional Teacher Camp Las Vegas

Instructors

Michael Mead & Toni Redpath - Victor Veyrasset & Heather Smith - Donald Johnson & Kasia Kozak - Jean-Marc Genereux & France Mousseau - Alain Doucet & Anik Jolicoeur - Felipe & Carolina Telona - George Garcia & Christy Coté - Jami Josephson - Michelle Kinkaid

The World championship consists of event in ten dances. There are two different categories. The Standard dances are the following: waltz, tango, fox trot, viennese waltz and quickstep. The Latin dances are the following: cha-cha, rumba, samba, paso doble and jive.

Alain and Anik had a lot of success as Canadian representatives at the world 10 dance, placing among the best three couples since 1995. Their devotion in dance- sport brought them to achieve their goals and become world champions. For the first time in the Canadian history, a Canadian couple is crown World Champion.

Professional Titles

Amateur Titles

Donald Johnson & Katarzyna Kozak

Donald, born in the United States, became interested in dance at an early age since his mother ran a ballroom dance studio. He started teaching dance at the age of seventeen and shortly afterwards became interested in dance competition. He began to compete in the Latin American style and also competed in American smooth and International Standard. He moved to Torrance, California to continue his professional competitive career and enjoyed considerable success with a series of partners, reaching the national semi-finals in both American Smooth and International Standard styles.

Katarzyna Kozak was born in Warsaw, Poland. She first became interested in dance after responding to a local newspaper advertisement announcing social dance classes. She quickly became attracted to the competitive side of dancing, found an amateur partner, and became a serious 10-dance competitor. After deciding to concentrate on Latin American Dance, she rose to become the Polish national amateur junior Latin dance champion.

Following the relocation of her family, Katarzyna immigrated to the United States and continued to dance in amateur competitions.

Donald had terminated his existing professional partnership at the Emerald Ball in California. At that competition a mutual friend introduced him to Kartazyna. His Latin coach later suggested that he consider dancing with her and after a short period, they decided to begin a new partnership together.

After dancing together for a relatively short period of time, Donald and Katarzyna became a dynamic and highly successful dance team and have appeared twice as Professional Latin Finalists on the popular and nationally televised PBS series “Championship Ballroom Dancing”.

Some of their major competitive accomplishments include:

In October of 2000, Donald and Katarzyna retired as a competitive dance team. Today, Katarzyna continues dancing with a new partner.

Felipe Telona, Jr. & Carolina Orlovsky-Telona

Felipe and Carolina formed a partnership in both marriage and dance in 2002. They have won World Mambo and Salsa Championship titles, and were Finalists at the US and World Rhythm Championships. They have been featured performers on the QE2 with Broadway diva, Ann Hampton Callaway. They also were Latin Formation Champions at Blackpool, UK, the world renowned ballroom festival.

Victor Veyrasset & Heather Smith
Victor Veyrasset and Heather Smith each enjoyed very successful amateur and professional careers before teaming up in 1993.

Since then Victor and Heather have been 5 time, undefeated, U.S. Pro Ballroom Champions, 3 time Ohio Star Ball Champions, 3 time North American Champions, Asian Pacific Pro Ballroom Champions and 5 time U.S. representatives to the World Championships.

Victor and Heather are both members of the Terpsichore in Ballroom, Latin, Smooth, and Rhythm and Heather is a member of the IDTA in England in Ballroom and Latin.

Michael Mead & Toni Redpath

Michael and Toni's credits include: 4 time, undefeated U.S. Ballroom Champions, 1999, 2000, 2001, & 2002, Finalists in the Classic Showdance World Championships, Three time qualifiers as United States Representatives to the Classic Showdance World Championships, Top American Smooth Couple of the Year 1999 and 2000, PBS Championship Ballroom Dancing Winners 1999 and 2000, United States Rising Star Champions, 1st Runners up in the 2001 United States Classic Showdance Championships and Michael and Toni were featured dancers in the film “Dance with Me”.

In the year 2002 alone, Michael and Toni were winners of the following: Emerald Ball, California Open Dancesport Championships, Heritage Dance Classic, Texas Challenge Championships, the Nevada Star Ball, Capital Championships, and the Embassy Ball.

They are proficient in teaching all styles of Ballroom Dance.

Jean-Marc & France began dancing together when they were both 14 years old. By 24, they were married – and winning every title in sight. During their 21-year competitive career, Jean-Marc and France established themselves as one of the best ballroom and Latin dance couples in the world – and one of the most entertaining. Fans of the PBS show Championship Ballroom Dancing looked forward to seeing this French-Canadian couple with their innovative choreography. Along the way, they won such titles as 10 times undefeated Canadian Latin Champions, 4-times undefeated North American Champions, and 2-time Asian-Pacific Champions, as well as finishing in third place in the World 10-dance Champions.

Christy Coté

Dancing, choreographing and teaching professionally for more than 25 years, Christy Coté is the Creator and Director of the Academia de Tango Argentino at San Francisco's famed Metronome Ballroom.

Christy developed the Dance Vision Argentine Tango Syllabus and is a DVIDA National Examiner in Argentine Tango.

George Garcia

Trained by some of the best Argentine Tango performers/teachers in the world, George Garcia has been a dance instructor, performer & choreographer for over 25 years and has given Argentine Tango its foundation in Hawaii.

George is also a DVIDA National Examiner in Argentine Tango.

Jami Josephson is a professional dancer, performer, choreographer and a certified dance instructor in Ballroom and Latin dancing with over 100 titles in competition dancing including US Mambo Champion in 1997. Jami also runs the Instructors Forum for salsa instructors from around the world for Salsaweb.com and has made over 21 instructional dance videos throughout her career.

Jami's titles include:

Michelle is known for her smooth, interactive dance style. She is a three-time U.S. Open Classic Division Winner as well as winner of the U.S. Open Jack & Jill and many other titles including two-time winner of the Phoenix Champion of Champions. In addition to running her own studio, organizing & directing the Mountain Magic Swing Dance Convention (Lake Tahoe, NV), hosting the Sea Magic Dance Cruises and Train Magic Adventures, producing a line of instructional video tapes (in west coast swing, hustle & night club two step), and directing several local events, Michelle travels the USA, Canada, Europe and Japan teaching, competing, judging and promoting dance. Michelle is a Feather Award recipient for Best Classic Swing Dancer, was voted "Queen of Swing" at the 1994 National New Year's Dance Championships in Dallas, and was inducted into both the World Swing Dance Council National Hall of Fame and the California Swing Dance Hall of Fame.

Billy has over 30 years of dance performance experience. As a young man, he was the founder and lead performer of the Dance Dimensions, the internationally acclaimed dance company who appeared on NBC's Don Kirshner's Rock Concert for four seasons. He has appeared at Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall, Radio City and numerous top venues around the world. He has worked and choreographed for numerous headliners, including Gloria Gaynor, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Bob Hope...the list goes on... Film credits include "Carlito's Way", "Cross Over Dreams" and "Summer of Sam". Look for Billy on the UPN Series "South Beach" dancing with the lovely Vanessa Williams.