Gary Stephans

Gary Stephans, has operated successful million dollar studios in Atlanta, Minneapolis and Cincinnati. He has well over 30 years experience in the dance business. His formal dance qualifications include being a member of the NADTA (Ballroom and Latin Style) and a licentiate of the US Theater Arts Branch of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. He is registered with the National Dance Council of America (A+,B+,C+,D+,E+). Gary also has special academic training in formal dance and theater arts.

Helenmarie A. Corcoran

Helenmarie lives to create a world where people know themselves, love themselves and share themselves. With her partner Gary Stephans she created Alliance Dance Institute in February 2005 as an environment where people can express themselves and connect with others through partner dancing.

Susan Cox

Susan Cox, after having studied ballet for most of her life, is currently a professor of ballroom dance at Northern Virginia Community College, a member of the American Dance Montage performing dance company under the direction of Mr. Frank Regan, and has many years experience in teaching group and private ballroom dance lessons. Susan is certified with the United States Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance and has competitive ballroom dance and made for TV dance experience.

Reynaldo Perez-Linares

Reynaldo Perez-Linares has over 18 years of experience in various forms of dance, including jazz, modern, hip-hop, and ballet. As a free spirit, Reynaldo has also traveled extensively teaching, choreographing, and performing from Mexico to New York. He is passionate about teaching newcomers and experienced dancers at both competitive and social levels. Reynaldo’s kinesthetic and personalized approach to dance makes him an excellent teacher to work with in the four ballroom styles (Standard, Latin, Smooth, and Rhythm).

Frank Regan

Frank Regan, is a former United States, Canadian and North American Professional Dancesport Champion who has distinguished himself in many areas of the world of dance and theater as a choreographer, director, producer, writer, lyricist, and dance historian. He is a much sought after coach in the Dancesport genre with our students, a national and world championship adjudicator, and stylistic choreographer for the world famous Miami City Ballet.

Tanya Fiske

Tanya Fiske's passion for music and dance took her to a professional Hip Hop dance company in New York City at 18. After dancing at a professional level for a year Tanya decided to study Psychology and Criminal Justice and graduated from Rutgers University. Tanya moved to Maryland in 2000 where she performed and taught with Psyon Mauricio for 3 years ultimately becoming the Co-Director of Mezzlocutis Dance company in February 2006. In April of 2007 Tanya left Mezzlocutis Dance Company to focus on YemaShun and other teaching.

Tanya has a love of teaching fundamentals. She is known for breaking down movements to their simplest forms, and steers students towards what they need to know to execute basic movements and turn them into complex patterns. Most recently Tanya has begun an afterschool program in Montgomery County. She is teaching Mambo and preparing the students for a performance in April 2008. In addition to being the Latin Program Director at ADI, Tanya continues to perform and teach around the region.

Katya Merezhinsky

Katya Merezhinsky is an expressive dancer and a performer of a distinct style with
a show dance background, influenced by different dance genres
such as Middle Eastern, Cuban and Argentine Tango. Being trained in
music, dance and fine art she integrates her body awareness knowledge
and her unique vision of composition principles into her dance
expression.

Lee Smith

Lee Edward Smith Jr. has always been an entertainer at heart. At the age of 10, he began singing with the famed Singing Boys of Pennsylvania Choir and toured the East Coast for two years.
Smith graduated from George Mason University in 2003 with a degree in International Politics, a minor in Legal Studies and numerous awards. But the day that changed his life was when he walked into his first formal dance class, "World Dance 120.” Lee completed formal training through George Mason’s intensive Salsa program. Lee has performed in over 47 states and six countries for hundreds of thousands of people in the last 13 years.

Recently, he has shot episodes for Ambush Makeover, Fox Television, NBC, ABC, America's Got Talent and Univision. He is a winner of the 2003 Natura Park Dance Competition in the Dominican Republic and a finalist in the DC Ortanique Salsa Competition. He was also nominated by the APCA in 2007 as Novelty Act of the Year for his College Latin Dance Party. As a Salsa teacher Lee remains in high demand; in the last two years alone, Lee has taught over 70,000 people how to Latin dance.

Preston Robinson

Preston Robinson has been dancing Salsa for over ten years, specializing in Salsa on 2. He trained under Psyonmauricio Scott and Johnny Matos of Abakua Dancers. Preston is currently the Artistic Director of Mezzlocutis and has performed with Mezzlocutis and Tumbando salsa performance groups. The classes which he is currently offering at ADI are not available at any other venue locally and will take your dancing to a new level.

Sharon Savoy

Sharon Savoy is a former three-time World and Blackpool Exhibition Dance Champion. She won Star Search and holds numerous international and national dance titles. Sharon has appeared on Miss America, Entertainment Tonight, PBS, and at the Kennedy Center. She has been the guest artist for numerous television performances in Europe and Asia and has been featured in several Hollywood movies.

Nathaniel Bond

Nathaniel Bond is currently pursuing his BFA at George Mason University inDance Performance. He is classicly trained in ballet and moderndance. Recently he has taken an interest in Ballroom dance techniquesand hopes to bring his knowledge and experience to the students here atAlliance Dance Institute.

Robert Bettmann

Robert Bettmann began his dance training at Oberlin College where he received a BA in Environmental Studies with a minor in Dance. Robert was on scholarship at the Alvin Ailey school in New York City in '97-'98, and danced with Sudden Enlightenment Theater in '98-'99. He received a fellowship to pursue his MA in Dance at American University, graduating in '04. While in school Robert founded The Blackbird Dance Ensemble, performing evening-length shows of his choreography in North Carolina, Washington D.C., New York City, and Boston. These shows were supported by two Young Emerging Artists grants from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. In 2005 he founded the arts magazine Bourgeon, which can be seen online at www.dayeight.org. In addition to making his own choreography, Robert has danced recently with Maida Withers, Jane Franklin, and the Alexandria Ballet.

Zobeide

Zoibeide (zah-beed) is a competition belly-dancer whose motto says it all: "Egyptian Technique, American Precision, Modern Performance." She is known for dynamic, fluid performances with meticulously executed technique. Zobeide's performnace credits have included appearances at Fairuz Cafe, showcases in Washington, D.C. and Chicago, DC's Palaace of Wonder, and Raqs America (a Bellydance Superstars sponsored event.)