Ying & Tom Apel

My wife and I have been teaching ballroom dance for more than a decade.  We moved to Austin two years ago when I retired.  We taught weekly classes in Portland, Oregon, and hosted regular dance parties at several studios.  Since we’ve been in Austin, we have taught several classes at the Austin Ballroom Dance Club parties.

Denis Generalov

Denis began ballroom dancing in Russia at the age of 7.  He began competing by the time he was 9 years old.  After immigrating to the United States in 1993, at the age of 16, he continued to train and compete as a amateur in both the Standard Ballroom and Latin American divisions.  In 1999, Denis and his wife and partner became the new United States National Amateur 10-Dance Champions at the USABDA National Championships in San Jose, California.  He began teaching ballroom dance professionally in 2002, and in 2008 he and his wife moved to Austin where he continues to teach at local ballroom dance studios.

Dominic Giesualdo

Dominic owns and instructs at the Austin Arthur Murray Dance Studio.  The Studio teaches Ballroom, Country & Western, Latin and Swing.  He is a certified Zumba and Core Rhythms instructor.  Dancing allows him to combine his love for music and his passion for teaching  His students have performed at numerous Arthur Murray local national and international competitions.  His teaching skills can make even the most “two-left footed” dancer feel comfortable on the dance floor.  The secret of dancing, he says is, “Keep it fun!”  A “naturalized” Texan, Dominic has been in the Austin area long enough to remember when there was an Armadillo World Headquarters and the Airport Boulevard was actually near the airport.

Lanette & Dave Lapham

Lanette began ballroom dancing in the early 1980’s.  She took private lessons from Stella Morrison, founder of Austin Ballroom Dances, and became a member of that organization about 1982.  Since then she has taken classes in all ballroom (and some non-ballroom) dances, primarily at Austin Ballroom Dancers (ABD), but occasionally at other local entities teaching dance, such as Go Dance, Footworks, and Dance International.  When one of the instructors at ABD has been unable to teach a class, he has called on Lanette to substitute teach for him.  She has also taught beginner lessons before the club dances.  Lanette served as treasurer of ABD for 5 years from 2000-2005.  Dave began dance instruction in 1998.  He joined Austin Ballroom Dancers at that time and has taken classes in all ballroom dances at ABD, along with workshops at Dance International and Footworks.  He served as President of ABD for two years spanning 2000-2002.  Lanette and Dave have been dancing together regularly since 2002.  They have been teaching at the Austin Senior Activity Center since January 2007. We strongly believe that ballroom dancing is a superb way to improve all aspects of fitness—flexibility, coordination, endurance, strength, and is a fun way to enjoy exercise, music, and friends.

Lillian Nash

Lillian grew up in California with a love and passion for dance, finding an opportunity for dancing in the early 1990’s after moving to the mid-west and has pursued dancing constantly.  She became a certified instructor and served as Vice President of USA Dance Waco Chapter and was a member of various ballroom dance clubs.  After Lillian moved to Temple, Texas, apart from teaching private lessons, she has taught ballroom, Latin and swing at several elementary schools, the Summit Fitness & Recreation Center, Sammons Community Center and on cruise ships.  She has found unlimited rewarding benefits of dancing in physical, mental, social, self-esteem, discipline and the joy of dance that cannot be put into words.  Wherever she and her husband/partner “Michael Lewis” travel, she searches for ‘dance’ as a priority in her options of things to do.’ Those wishing exceptional dance instruction can contact Lillian’s Dance Lesson (254)931-7190 or by e-mail: ballroom.dance@hotmail.com

 Sherry Reynolds

Sherry Reynolds began dancing in 1990, studying and competing in both Ballroom and Latin dance in the early 90’s.  As an amateur, she won many top student awards including Top Silver Showcase two years in a row at the Texas Challenge.  Her amateur status ended after winning the Gold International Latin division at three major ballroom competitions in 1995.  She has served as instructor and coach for the University of Texas Ballroom dance Club since 1996. She is currently competing with Pro-Am students in both swing and country, and is coaching couples in all styles of partner dancing.  She has many students who have placed at the top of their divisions of competition. She began professionally competing on the country circuit in 1999 and successfully qualified for and competed in the Masters division in 2005.  Professional certifications include TSDA certified swing judge, ACDA certified country judge, DIVDA certified, qualifying as Highly Commended in International Ballroom.  She has the honor of being certified as a UCWDC Masters Level Judge in 2010.  This a high honor as there are currently fewer than 39 Masters level judges in the world.

Bertha Lopez & John Shaw

Bertha Lopez began dancing in 1997, and studied at Go Dance, Dance International, Arthur Murray, and Uptown Studios.  John began studying dancing in 1999 at an Arthur Murray Studio.  A fun activity that was expected to require about a month continues to this day—14 years later!  In 2005, John decided that dancing would be more productive with a partner, so he cleverly persuaded Bertha to pursue dancing with him.  The couple has studied at several local studios, as they moved into silver and gold ballroom levels.  They enjoy the exercise, mental stimulation, and discipline that dance routines require.  They like to share the fun and satisfaction of learning new dance steps with other students

Bill Purbaugh

Bill began teaching ballroom dancing at the age of 23 for the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in the Chicago area.  After 4 years, he quit teaching and began a better paying career with the railroad.  Upon retiring to Sun City in 2002, he began teaching again for the Sun City Ballroom Dance Club.  Bill reminds us that we were all beginners at first, and all good dancers have received extensive teaching or training.  According to Bill, dancing has always been fun and a great way to get your exercise and meet new friends.