Champion Ballroom Academy
Encyclopedia
The Champion Ballroom Academy (founded April 1990) is a dance studio
in San Diego, California
. The studio's main specialties are social partner-dancing
, competitive ballroom dance
(aka. Dancesport
) and the Latin-dance-based aerobic program called Core Rhythms©.
The studio is also known for hosting weekly social dances open to the public, along with other monthly events hosted by local dance and social organizations.
Since founder Mary Murphy
's casting as a judge of the Fox TV series So You Think You Can Dance, the studio has expanded its repertoire to include guest instructors of other dance styles, including Hip Hop
, Flamenco
, and contemporary dance
.
The studio also hosts at least two showcase parties per year, which include judged dance contests, professional exhibitions, and special guest performances of ballroom and other dance styles.
Special guests and showcase highlights have included:
Dance studio
A dance studio is a space in which dancers learn or rehearse. The term is typically used to describe a space that has either been built or equipped for the purpose....
in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. The studio's main specialties are social partner-dancing
Partner dance
Partner dances are dances whose basic choreography involves coordinated dancing of two partners, as opposed to individuals dancing alone or individually in a non-coordinated manner, and as opposed to groups of people dancing simultaneously in a coordinated manner.In the year 1023 the German poet...
, competitive ballroom dance
Ballroom dance
Ballroom dance refers to a set of partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world. Because of its performance and entertainment aspects, ballroom dance is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television....
(aka. Dancesport
DanceSport
Dancesport denotes competitive ballroom dancing, as contrasted to social or exhibition dancing. It is wheelchair dancesport where at least one of the dancers is in a wheelchair....
) and the Latin-dance-based aerobic program called Core Rhythms©.
The studio is also known for hosting weekly social dances open to the public, along with other monthly events hosted by local dance and social organizations.
Since founder Mary Murphy
Mary Murphy (choreographer)
Mary Ann Murphy is a ballroom dance champion, accredited dance judge, and a judge and choreographer on the Fox dance competition-reality show So You Think You Can Dance.-Biography:...
's casting as a judge of the Fox TV series So You Think You Can Dance, the studio has expanded its repertoire to include guest instructors of other dance styles, including Hip Hop
Hip hop dance
Hip-hop dance refers to dance styles primarily performed to hip-hop music or that have evolved as part of hip-hop culture. It includes a wide range of styles notably breaking, locking, and popping which were created in the 1970s by African Americans and made popular by breaking, locking, and...
, Flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
, and contemporary dance
Contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement...
.
The studio also hosts at least two showcase parties per year, which include judged dance contests, professional exhibitions, and special guest performances of ballroom and other dance styles.
Special guests and showcase highlights have included:
- Benji SchwimmerBenji SchwimmerBenjamin "Benji" Daniel Schwimmer is an American professional dancer, choreographer, actor, and soon-to-be lead singer of the band "The Weekend Forecast". On August 16, 2006 he was crowned "America's Favorite Dancer", as the winner of the second season of So You Think You Can Dance and has...
- winner of So You Think You Can DanceSo You Think You Can Dance (Season 2)The second season of So You Think You Can Dance premiered May 25, 2006, with new host Cat Deeley.On August 16, Benji Schwimmer was announced as the winner of season 2 and received the grand prize of $100,000, a new hybrid SUV, and a one year contract with Celine Dion's Las Vegas show, A New... - Anna TrebunskayaAnna TrebunskayaAnna Trebunskaya is a Russian professional ballroom and Latin dancer, known for her appearances on Dancing with the Stars . She now lives in Los Angeles, California and dances in the International Latin style.-Biography:Anna Trebunskaya was born December 28, 1980 in Chelyabinsk, Russia...
, Louis van AmstelLouis van AmstelLouis Van Amstel is a Dutch-born ballroom dance champion, professional dancer, choreographer, and a dancesport coach who appears on the U.S. reality television series Dancing with the Stars.-Early life:...
- professionals on Dancing with the StarsDancing with the Stars (US TV series)Dancing with the Stars is a reality show airing on ABC in the United States, and CTV in Canada in 2011. The show is the American version of the British BBC television series Strictly Come Dancing... - Dmitry ChaplinDmitry ChaplinDmitry Chaplin is an Russian dancer and an Emmy Nominated choreographer, best known for being a Top 10 finalist on the TV show So You Think You Can Dance . He was famous for constantly performing shirtless, with one solo routine having him rip off his shirt.-Biography:Chaplin was born in...
, Artem ChigvintsevArtem ChigvintsevArtem Chigvintsev is a Russian professional dancer, born at Izhevsk, Udmurt Republic, RSFSR, Soviet Union, specialising in Latin dancing.He moved to the United States in 2003, and began dancing with champion ballroom dancer Giselle Peacock, who became his wife...
, Ryan Conferido, Ashlé Dawson - finalists of SYTYCD - Ron Montez, Tony MeredithTony Meredith-Biography:Tony Meredith, born in Hawaii, discovered ballroom dancing after replying to a newspaper ad seeking dance teachers.-Dance career:Tony met Melanie LaPatin in 1981 and the two subsequently formed a professional partnership, traveling the world representing the United States 12 times in the...
, Melanie LaPatin, Rick Valenzuela - Latin dance championsU.S. National Dancesport Champions (Professional Latin)The United States national professional ballroom dance champions are crowned at the United States Dance Championships , as recognized by the National Dance Council of America and the World Dance & DanceSport Council .... - Michael MeadMichael MeadMichael Mead is a professional ballroom dance champion and choreographer.-Biography:Michael Mead, born in Croydon, England, spent his early years traveling with his family and attending schools overseas. At 18, done with school and unsure of what he wished to do professionally, Michael decided to...
, Toni RedpathToni RedpathToni Redpath is a professional ballroom dance champion and choreographer.-Biography:Toni Redpath was born in Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia, and started ballroom dancing at the age of 9, after accompanying a friend to a local dance competition and deciding that it looked like too much fun...
, Hunter & Maria JohnsonHunter Johnson (choreographer)-Biography:Johnson met his partner and wife while teaching ballroom dance at Londance in Southern California. They compete in the professional American-style division, and have opened an Arthur Murray dance studio and settled down in Cypress, Texas...
- Smooth ballroom championsU.S. National Dancesport Champions (Professional Smooth)The United States national professional ballroom dance champions are crowned at the United States Dance Championships , as recognized by the National Dance Council of America and the World Dance & DanceSport Council .The American Smooth division consists of American-style... - Jaana KunitzJaana KunitzJaana Kunitz is an award-winning ballroom dancer and fitness program creator.-Biography:Jaana Kunitz, born in Taivalkoski, Finland in 1972, is a professional dance instructor based in San Diego, California...
, Julia GorchakovaJulia PowersJulia Powers is a ballroom dance champion and fitness program creator.-Biography:Julia Powers is a Russian-American ballroom dancer, and was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. She received dance instruction from her mother as a child, and danced in Japan and in East Russia as a young woman...
- dance champions and creators of Core Rhythms©