“Ask the Judges: Donna Edelstein”
What I Love…
Is helping both new and
experienced ballroom and Latin
dancers achieve more than they
ever thought possible.
From wedding couples to social dancers, to competitive teams — amateur, pro/am and professional my passion is to help you reach your individual goals and feel supported along the way.
Having a highly experienced coach/instructor will help you learn quickly and develop a broad range of technical skills and artistry.
My main ‘hot button’ is that dancing should look good and feel comfortable. Just like top athletes ‘make it look easy’, top dancers do too.
Experience
My dance background began in ballet as a five-year-old. Ballet immediately made sense to me and from the moment of my first class I knew that dance would always be a part of my life.
In my early twenties, I discovered the world of competitive ballroom dance first as a Pro/Am dancer winning United States Championship titles in the Open American Smooth, Open International Ballroom, and Open International Latin divisions.
What started out as a hobby turned into a profession with a career as a professional competitor in the Smooth and Ballroom divisions winning numerous titles across North America.
After retiring from my competitive career, I became an NDCA (National Dance Council of America) Championship Adjudicator (judge), NDCA Competition Organizer (The Snow Ball DanceSport Competition), NDCA Invigilator, Dance Vision Examiner giving both professional and student dance exams, and a commentator for DanceBeat Magazine.
My performing arts experience includes 3 years as a principal dancer with the Beyond Ballroom Dance Company (BBDC) and later as a choreographer for the company, a performer in the Super Bowl half-time show, the Metropolitan Ballet, and Strauss Symphony of America.
What my experience means to you is that I look at dance and choreography from a wide range of perspectives and bring my experience as a dancer, coach, judge, and choreographer to your lessons. My students have won United States Pro/Am Championship titles in all four styles, USA Dance National titles, and in the Professional ranks include Professional United States Rhythm and Smooth finalists, and Blackpool Rhythm finalists.