Dance Camp Las Vegas

Instructors

Michael Mead & Toni Redpath - Victor Veyrasset & Heather Smith - Jim & Jenell Maranto - Ron & Karla Montez - Donald Johnson & Katarzyna Kozak - Jean-Marc Genereux & France Mousseau - Alain Doucet & Anik Jolicoeur - Felipe & Carolina Telona

Ron Montez started dancing and teaching in 1964 at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio in Tucson. He was there for seven years and became a dance director before moving on to Brigham Young University. For two years he was under the direction of the famous Roy Mavor who was then the director of the dance program. During his career, Ron won numerous ballroom and latin titles and especially made a major impact at the British Open. Then in 1979 he met Liz Curtis and became the 7 time undefeated United States Latin American Champion, World Finalist and British Finalist. Ron Montez is one of the most respected personalities in the dance business, as a dancer, coach and judge not only in the United States but internationally. He is a World Renowned coach & choreographer in both American & International Styles including Swing, and is Co-Host of PBS Ballroom Dance Championships.

Karla Montez has a dance background of Ballet and Jazz. She traveled with a Dance Company for 13 years, capturing the U.S. Open Cabaret Championship. Karla is now teaching kids classes in Jazz, Ballet, Hip Hop, and Gymnastics Cheerleading Skills. Karla brings this rich background of Dance to this exciting partnership.

Ron and Karla enjoy dancing together, teaching classes and workshops together, and performing in shows.

The World championship consists of event in ten dances. There are two different categories. The Standard dances are the following: waltz, tango, fox trot, viennese waltz and quickstep. The Latin dances are the following: cha-cha, rumba, samba, paso doble and jive.

Alain and Anik had a lot of success as Canadian representatives at the world 10 dance, placing among the best three couples since 1995. Their devotion in dance- sport brought them to achieve their goals and become world champions. For the first time in the Canadian history, a Canadian couple is crown World Champion.

Professional Titles

Amateur Titles

Donald Johnson & Katarzyna Kozak

Donald, born in the United States, became interested in dance at an early age since his mother ran a ballroom dance studio. He started teaching dance at the age of seventeen and shortly afterwards became interested in dance competition. He began to compete in the Latin American style and also competed in American smooth and International Standard. He moved to Torrance, California to continue his professional competitive career and enjoyed considerable success with a series of partners, reaching the national semi-finals in both American Smooth and International Standard styles.

Katarzyna Kozak was born in Warsaw, Poland. She first became interested in dance after responding to a local newspaper advertisement announcing social dance classes. She quickly became attracted to the competitive side of dancing, found an amateur partner, and became a serious 10-dance competitor. After deciding to concentrate on Latin American Dance, she rose to become the Polish national amateur junior Latin dance champion.

Following the relocation of her family, Katarzyna immigrated to the United States and continued to dance in amateur competitions.

Donald had terminated his existing professional partnership at the Emerald Ball in California. At that competition a mutual friend introduced him to Kartazyna. His Latin coach later suggested that he consider dancing with her and after a short period, they decided to begin a new partnership together.

After dancing together for a relatively short period of time, Donald and Katarzyna became a dynamic and highly successful dance team and have appeared twice as Professional Latin Finalists on the popular and nationally televised PBS series “Championship Ballroom Dancing”.

Some of their major competitive accomplishments include:

In October of 2000, Donald and Katarzyna retired as a competitive dance team. Today, Katarzyna continues dancing with a new partner.

Felipe Telona, Jr. & Carolina Orlovsky-Telona

Felipe and Carolina formed a partnership in both marriage and dance in 2002. They have won World Mambo and Salsa Championship titles, and were Finalists at the US and World Rhythm Championships. They have been featured performers on the QE2 with Broadway diva, Ann Hampton Callaway. They also were Latin Formation Champions at Blackpool, UK, the world renowned ballroom festival.

Jim & Jenell Maranto
Jim and Jenell met in Phoenix, AZ in 1983. Jim moved from Chicago, IL, and Jenell from Reno, NV.

Jenell, already an accomplished professional, taught Jim, a stockbroker at the time, social dancing on and off for about a year. Jenell's enthusiasm for dance and competition soon rubbed off and they began to compete in Nov. 1984. Jenell's background in Tap, Jazz, and Ballet combined with Jim's training discipline from high school and college athletics made a winning combination.

They married in September 1986, after the U.S. Championships of course, and opened their school, the Academy of Ballroom Dance in 1987.

With the training of some of the top coaches in the country, and a bit of luck, they won the U.S. Professional Rising Stars American Smooth title and every major International Rising Stars Standard title in the U.S.

The highlight of their career was winning two U.S. Open Professional American Smooth Championships in 1993 and 1994.

They have represented the United States in two World Showdance Events and were Semi-finalists in both.

They are licentiates of the Imperial Society Ballroom Branch, and have trained a number of U.S. Pro-Am and Amateur Champions, including the choreography of the U.S. Youth Formation Team Champions in 1996 and 1997.

Jim and Jenell are retired from American Smooth Competition and are busy teaching, demonstrating, lecturing, and pursuing their competition goals in the International Standard.

Victor Veyrasset & Heather Smith
Victor Veyrasset and Heather Smith each enjoyed very successful amateur and professional careers before teaming up in 1993.

Since then Victor and Heather have been 5 time, undefeated, U.S. Pro Ballroom Champions, 3 time Ohio Star Ball Champions, 3 time North American Champions, Asian Pacific Pro Ballroom Champions and 5 time U.S. representatives to the World Championships.

Victor and Heather are both members of the Terpsichore in Ballroom, Latin, Smooth, and Rhythm and Heather is a member of the IDTA in England in Ballroom and Latin.

Michael Mead & Toni Redpath

Michael and Toni's credits include: 4 time, undefeated U.S. Ballroom Champions, 1999, 2000, 2001, & 2002, Finalists in the Classic Showdance World Championships, Three time qualifiers as United States Representatives to the Classic Showdance World Championships, Top American Smooth Couple of the Year 1999 and 2000, PBS Championship Ballroom Dancing Winners 1999 and 2000, United States Rising Star Champions, 1st Runners up in the 2001 United States Classic Showdance Championships and Michael and Toni were featured dancers in the film “Dance with Me”.

In the year 2002 alone, Michael and Toni were winners of the following: Emerald Ball, California Open Dancesport Championships, Heritage Dance Classic, Texas Challenge Championships, the Nevada Star Ball, Capital Championships, and the Embassy Ball.

They are proficient in teaching all styles of Ballroom Dance.

Jean-Marc & France began dancing together when they were both 14 years old. By 24, they were married – and winning every title in sight. During their 21-year competitive career, Jean-Marc and France established themselves as one of the best ballroom and Latin dance couples in the world – and one of the most entertaining. Fans of the PBS show Championship Ballroom Dancing looked forward to seeing this French-Canadian couple with their innovative choreography. Along the way, they won such titles as 10 times undefeated Canadian Latin Champions, 4-times undefeated North American Champions, and 2-time Asian-Pacific Champions, as well as finishing in third place in the World 10-dance Champions.