Alphabetical Index
Renata Shvarts is a former Professional Ballroom dancer as well as a certified WDSF World Class Adjudicator. Not only is Renata the Chair of Judges with USA Dance and the World DanceSport Federation, but she is also the owner of her own dance studio, Basic Ballroom (2 locations), as well as the co-organizer of Islanders DanceSport Challenge and the Liberty Ball.
Riccardo Cocchi - is a former professional ballroom dancer, specialize in International Style Latin. Riccardo together with his partner and wife Yulia Zagoruychenko are 10 times World Professional Latin Champions, Blackpool Dance Festival Champions, gold medalists at The International Championship, UK Open and winners of all major WDC competitions. Also, Riccardo and Yulia are organizers of The Eastern United States DanceSport Championships is hosted annually in Boston and creators of "KOROS App".
Rickey Geiger is one of the most influential women in the Ballroom Dancing industry. A former organizer of the Virginia State DanceSport Championships, Rickey is one of the original founders of the North American DanceSport Teachers Association (NADTA).
Rita Gekhman-Algarra is a Professional Ballroom dancer, coach, and world-class adjudicator. Currently instructing at Paragon Ballroom in Roselle Park, New Jersey, Rita is also one of the organizers of the Kings Ball DanceSport Competition. She is also the proud new organizer of the International Grand Ball together with husband Maurice Algarra, to be hosted in San Francisco on July 27-29, 2018.
Roberto Albanese is a former Professional Ballroom Dancer, specializing in the International Style Latin division. He is the head coach of the Grün-Gold-Club Bremen Latin "A" Formation Team, whom he has lead to become 4-time World Champions, 3-time European Champions, and 10-time German National Champions. Roberto is a former head coach of the Deutscher Tanzsportverband e.V. (DTV) as well as of the Youth Latin League, and was named the "2017 Bremen Coach of the Year" in March of 2018. Currently, he is a German National Adjudicator for the Deutscher Tanzsportverband e.V., as well as an adjudicator for the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF). He is the organizer of one of the largest annual DanceSport training camps, the Dancing Superstars Festival in Bremen, Germany, which coincides with a competition of the same name.
Ron Montez is a 7-time undefeated United States National Professional Latin Champion who now co-organizes the Aloha Ball DanceSport competition in Honolulu, Hawaii with Yanna Samkova and Tony Meredith.
Rosendo Fumero is a former undefeated 3-time United States American Smooth Champion, a United States 9-Dance American Style Champion, as well as an undefeated Ohio Star Ball Champion. He is a world class adjudicator, instructor and organizer of the Virginia State DanceSport Championships.
Ross Pearce is a former Professional Ballroom dancer specializing in American Rhythm and Smooth, as well as in Country Dance and Cabaret. A Professional and Amateur American 9-Dance Finalist, Ross is also a Licensed Master Massage Practitioner, Certified Yoga Trainer, and a Reiki Master Teacher.
Rozana Sweeney is a former German Amateur Ballroom Champion and a Professional World Cup Finalist, now the organizer of the Three Diamond DanceSport Competition and the owner of the Art & Style Dance Studio located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Rufus Dustin is one of the most famous, titled, and highly regarded dancers, coaches, choreographers, and certified adjudicators in the world, known for the passion instilled in him by the power of partner dancing.
Ruslan Wilder is a current Professional Ballroom Dancer who specializes in 10 Dance, International Standard, and International Latin and has represented the United States multiple times in the World Championships.
Ruud Vermeij is a renowned specialist in Latin American dancing. With over 40 years of experience through instruction and adjudication, he has trained and raised various champions of the DanceSport industry including legends - Michael Malitowski and Joanna Leunis.
In 1996 he published “Thinking sensing and Doing” book. Ruud has a Post Graduate, Master and Doctorate Degree in Movement and Dance Studies. He also holds a professorship in this area. Ruud is also the co-founder of the Dutch Dance Lab, a "place where dancers, choreographers, and teachers can acquire tailor-made, high-end dance knowledge and skills. "He furthermore has a Post Graduate and Master Degree in Psychotherapy and Counseling.
Salsa is a popular form of social dance that originated in Cuba and Puerto Rico in the late 1890s. A distillation of many Latin and Afro-Caribbean dances whose movements have roots in the Cuban Son, Cha Cha Cha, Mambo and other dance forms, the evolution of Salsa was in large part due to this intricate mix of styles.
Salvatore Todaro is a former Ballroom dancer specializing in International Style Standard. He is a 11-time Bulgarian National Amateur Standard Champion, a WDSF World Standard Championship Finalist, a 2-time IWGA World Games Finalist, and a WDSF Amateur Standard World Cup Champion. Currently, Salvatore is a dance Instructor, choreographer, as well as a Licensed Adjudicator for the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) and a National Adjudicator for the Bulgarian Dance Sport Federation.
Sam Sodano, former North American Latin Champion, is the organizer of the Ohio Star Ball Championships, the largest and one of the most prestigious dance competitions in the United States.
The Samba refers to a style of ballroom dancing included in DanceSport categories of competition. It is a rhythmical dance with elements taken from the Brazilian Samba, its originator. The history of the dance began in Brazil at the beginning of the 20th century.
Sami Yli-Piipari is a former Professional Ballroom dancer specializing in 10 Dance. He is a former World & European Professional 10 Dance Grand Finalist, a UK Open Professional Rising Star Finalist, and a Blackpool Professional Rising Star Semi-Finalist. Sami is a professor at the University of Georgia and is a licensed WDSF and USA Dance Adjudicator and Chairman.
Sammy Stopford is a former professional ballroom dancer specialize in International Style Latin. Sammy is a European Professional Latin Champion, winner of the International Championships, UK Open Championships and Blackpool Dance Festival Champion. Today known to be one of the best teachers and choreographers in the world.
