Hi,

I am looking for intermediate-level Latin dance instruction in Los Angeles or to the North (San Fernando area). International style, rumba/samba/cha cha. This will be a gift, so I would like the best quality I can possibly find (I'll find the money). Active/past champions teaching would be plus. Any tips will be much appreciated, especially any first-hand experiences/reviews.

So far, I've found Gail and Jamie Arias (www.dancedancedance.com) and www.ballroomblitz.org. Has anyone tried those?

Any tips will be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks,

HC

No, Ma'am, of course I am not THE Helio Castroneves, just needed to pick a screen name and couldn't think of a better one.

With Julianne by my side, I wouldn't need much in the way of dance instruction :)

Seriously, though, if anyone can suggest a studio that is good, I would greatly appreciate it.

Is this a joke?

If this is THE Helio Castroneves, then you were rubbing elbows with some of the best dance instructors and resources in the country right now for the past few months. I believe that Max, Alec and Tony, from DTWS, may all have some studios in that area.
If not, you should be able to make a connection/correspondence of some sort with Tony Meredith, who is a four-time Latin world champ and co-host of America's Ballroom Challenge on PBS. I think he's mostly stationed in New York, but he's from west coast originally and he seems to know every dancer and what studio they operate or train at, etc.
If all else fails, hire Len Goodman!

When exactly, was Tony the World champ ?

No, this is not - as I explained, my humorous screen name has nothing to do with the serious question of looking for latin dance instruction in LA area.

If anyone can provide tips/suggestions/recommendations/feedback, I would greatly appreciate it.

I'm not in that area, but you could try the Dance Directory on this site and also accessdance.com. My recommendation would be to try the introductory package at a couple of studios before you decide which one to take lessons at.

Felipe and Carolina Telona have recently relocated to L.A. I'm not sure if they're doing much teaching/coaching, but they are FANTASTIC. They compete in American rhythm - not Latin. It would be worth looking into, though.

Here are a few good ones for you:

Nadia Eftedal, Mark & Viola Weiss, Tom Hicks, Tomas & Isabela, Shirley Ballas, Aliona (sorry, don't remember her last name), Mike & Alice Cho.

All of the above mentioned instructors teach either at the Westmor studio in Koreatown, L.A. Dance Experience in Westwood, or Regency Ballroom in Torrance.

There are more, but I don't know everybody's name. Everybody I mentioned are fantastic instructors (most equal to or above the calibre of the Dancing w/ the Stars set). Shirley Ballas is absolutely world class.

If you want to shop around to make sure you make the right decision, take some time out to come down to these studios and watch the lessons, talk to people, and get a feel for what's available. Trust me, there's plenty of good talent here. You can find all the info you need about these studios in our directory.

Regards,
Jonathan Atkinson
www.ballroomdancers.com

Waltz_123/dance_dance,

Many thanks for the tips - I will try to track them down now.

Thanks so much

HC