Throughout high school and college I moved up though the ranks competing up and down the west coast in both latin and standard.  Unlike some of my other competitors, I did not have the luxury of keeping with the same partner throughout my entire career due to school, work, and other circumstances. This allowed me to work greatly on my partnering skills and learn how to adjust my technique to accommodate different heights and strengths.  After lots of training with our coaches, in 2012 with Jessica Chang, we made a clean sweep of all local competitions.

One of the largest complaints in the Vancouver area was the lack of competitions, and with that I partnered up with Clara Shih and Michel Guimond to host what has now become one of Vancouver’s biggest ballroom dance competitions of the year, the Vancouver Challenge Cup.  This venture was my first taste of turning what was essentially a very expensive hobby into an an actual professional career.  Soon after, I stopped competing as an amateur to pursue my teaching career.

Click here to view more about the Vancouver Challenge Cup

Teaching someone a new skill, helping them master it and flourish with it is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have.  Being a long time dancer of the Broadway Ballroom, the owner Michelle brought me in as one of the official staff teachers.  It has been an honour to bring dance into so many people’s lives at this space.  From couples learning their first dance for their wedding, to seasoned dancers refining their skills for the competition floor.  One of the highlights from my teaching career has been as a professional for Dancing with the Richmond Stars where my student went on to sweep all the awards of the competition.