Dance Weekend Faculty

Fran Chesleigh — is the Dance Director and Emcee for Stardust Dance Productions. An accomplished dancer and musician, Fran has been teaching social dance for more than 50 years. He currently teaches at Dance Manhattan, at the Argentine Consulate in New York City, and at the Firehouse in Maywood, New Jersey. Fran co-produced the well-received AMC documentary “Gotta Dance.”

Donna DeSimone — co-owner, director and choreographer of Dance Odyssey and Entertainment Director for Stardust, Donna holds numerous Ballroom and Latin Titles. She has performed throughout the US and China as a solo and ensemble dancer.

Norton Hyman — toured the US as a dance professional for over 20 years as a member of the acclaimed dance team Norton and Patricia. Now retired from stage and screen he teaches ballroom dance with his wife AGI in Monticello, NY.

Teddy Kern — Co-owner and artistic director of Dance Manhattan in NYC as well as director of the American Swing Dance Championship and Boogie Dance Productions, Inc. Teddy is also resident choreographer of the Viennese Opera Ball.

Leon Harris — has been dancing tango since 1992 and has studied with some of the most renown Argentine Tango Instructors. Not only does he dance and organize Argentine Tango events, but also all sorts of Latin dances parties (Salsa, merengue, ChaCha, Afro-Cuban dances). Leon teaches small and large groups of students in his studio and other locations throughout the Washington DC metro area.

Frank Elia — was a night club performer before joining Dance Educators of America in the 1970’s. At present he teaches dance for a number of colleges and Fortune 500 companies in addition to working as a professional DJ. He is associated with various dance studios in Westchester, NY specializing in choreography for wedding couples.

Wingo Hom — Throughout his 40 plus years of dance experience, Wingo achieved more than 450 first place titles; 31 Jack & Jill first place titles, and with his partner, received the International Hustle Dance Association Points Awards as the 2006 Amateur Hustle Dancers of the year. He earned the Top Teacher Award at the World Hustle Dance Championships. At Disco America 2009, he was the Top Male Hustle Teacher.

MARK JAMES — A member of the Hustle Hall of Fame and 1999’s Around the Floor Teacher of the Year Mark holds over 30 championship titles. He is an independent teacher, coach and choreographer with extensive training in American and International Rhythm and Smooth. He lives, performs and teaches on Long Island where he hosts the popular Dance Zone.

KAREN LUPO — is a much sought after coach, teacher and choreographer known for her elegant and sensual style. She is a former American Rhythm champion who is a regular performer in and around NYC as well as on international cruise ships. She and her partner Mark James integrate their exciting performances with lifts and drops for added punch

David Paris — teaches and performs a unique blend of aerial acrobatics. He first studied salsa for 7 years under Eddie Torres and Razzmtazz system and has since produced two instructional video series, “Salsa For Gringos” and “Salsa Lifts and Aerials.” Dave trains in ballet, pilates, Latin hustle, dance lifts, extreme dancing, circus partner doubles, and handstands. By night, Dave teaches Dance Acrobatics at dozens of International Events around the world, including Holland, Spain, Italy, Germany, England, China, Korea, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Canada.

Zoë Klein — is a dancer, light designer and acrobat from Brooklyn. Her interest in Latin Music, Dance & Culture led her to study Afro-Cuban folkloric dance and drumming at Nacional Escuela Del Arte in Havana. In 2005 Dave Paris and Zoë formed Paradizo Dance, an acrobatic dance company specializing in high level stunts combined with dance. Together they perform at International Events worldwide. Recently they toured Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand.

TYBALDT & HAZEL ULRICH — teach and compete on the Swing and Hustle circuits, recently placing first at Disco America, second at World Hustle and fourth at Liberty Swing. They reside in NYC, direct the NYC Carolina Shag team and, while both teach independently, are affiliated with stepping Out Studios in Manhattan. Frequent popular performers on the Star-dust stage their latest, greatest production has been baby Ulrich!

Eli Torres & Yen Dorado — Yen Dorado and Eli Torres are pioneers in the salsa community for being the first same gender dance couple to compete at a professional level. Eli & Yen have made history for being the only same gender couple and the first out of state/international couple to win the 2009 Mayan World Salsa Championships in Los Angeles. Eli is known for his single foot skater spinsî he has made spinning into an art form. Currently he is a freelance choreographer and international performer/competitor, and is also the proud owner of EliT Dance Academy. Yen Dorado was born and raised in Santa Cruz, Bolivia of both Bolivian and Chinese decent. He began his salsa career under the direction of Eli Torres as part of Aru Níegwe Dance Company in 2004. Yen is also known for his leading skills and for providing a great frame for all his dance partners.#

Orlando Reyes & Adriana Salgado — Orlando & Adriana teach and perform at Paul Pellicoro’s Dance Sport in Manhattan. They have been professional dancers and teachers in the art of Argentine Tango for over a decade. With a background in classical ballet, Orlando & Adriana went on to specialize and study Tango in Buenos Aires under the auspices of such world renowned Tango masters as Gustavo Naveira, among many others. In 2005 they became semi-finalists at the third Tango World Championship, held in Argentina. In their native Colombia they are acclaimed in newspapers, magazines, festivals and events, as one the country’s most representative couples.

Esther Odescalchi — began ballroom dancing at the age of twelve in her native Hungary. Currently, she teaches, performs, choreographs and lectures on ballroom dancing. She is a certified Dance Master and member of the NY Society of Teachers of Dancing. She is author of numerous dance-related articles, lectures at colleges and universities.

GALINA NIKITINA — started to dance at 3 and was offered her first job as dance teacher’s assistant at 17 for Rostov-on-Don State University’s dance team. In the US she taught at Fred Astaire and Kaiser Dance Academy in Queens and coached advanced students and teachers at Arthur Murray in Long Island, NY. As a competitor in American Rhythm Professional division Galina danced in finals and won Arthur Murray Championship in 1999. Presently Galina is a guest teacher at BIS dance studio in Moscow, Russia and as a coach at Arthur Murray Studio in Green Brook, N.J.

Norma Granofsky — has been teaching ballroom dancing for all of her adult life. She has taught master classes for Dance Educators of America, performed at Madison Square Garden and recently choreographed a show at Westbury Music Fair. She currently teaches independently on Long Island, NY.

NINO DiGIULIO — Owner and Executive Director of May I Have This Dance, one of the most popular social dance studios in the nation, Nino has created a unique curriculum and trained thousands of dance students and professionals. An expert in all ballroom and latin dances, he has won numerous top teacher awards and competitions in West Coast Swing and Hustle. He has been a featured instructor, coach, judge, and competitor at national events like Swing Dance America, World Hustle Championships, International Hustle & Salsa Championships, Swing City Chicago, Carolina Groove, NY Hustle Congress, and the Chicago Salsa Congress.

AMANDA DOERR — A Master Instructor with the prestigious Chicago-based dance studio, May I Have This Dance, Amanda received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre/Dance at the University of Wisconsin. She is an award-winning choreographer and talented social dancer. Student’s love Amanda’s ability to put everyone at ease and make learning even complicated steps easy and fun.