Latin

Coach

Krystian Grabowski

Krystian Krystian is BBDT's Latin Coach and has a long list of achievements in his dancing career. Krystian was a United States Junior 10 Dance Champion, US Standard Youth Champion, Amateur US 10 Dance Finalist, Amateur US Latin Finalist, Professional Rising Star US Closed and Open to the World Finalist. He also placed 8th and 10th at the National Competition Ohio Star Ball in Professional Latin. Krystian was excited about the talent and enthusiasm he saw during one visit and workshop with BBDT and has decided to take on the position of BBDT's Latin Coach. He will be making multiple visits to Madison to coach BBDT this semester.

Krystian owns two dance studios near Chicago, IL. For more information please visit: Ballroom Dance Studio

Standard

Coaches

Alex Tecza and Katja Lindholm

Alex and Katja Alex Tecza and Katja Lindholm are BBDT's Standard Coaches. Before becoming partners, they acquired titles of their own; Alex is a former US National Standard and 10-Dance finalist and Katja is a four-time Swedish National Standard and 10-Dance Champion. Since they began dancing together in 2002, Alex and Katja have recently won US Rising Star Smooth at Ohio Star Ball. They are active competitors professionally in the American Smooth division and travel extensively throughout the US and abroad competing, performing, and teaching.

They own a dance studio near Chicago, IL. For more information please visit: Master Dance

Instructor - Beginner & Intermediate (Latin & Standard)

Ming Yang

Ming Ming is our weekly Beginner and Intermediate 1 Latin, and Intermediate 1 Standard Instructor. He started dancing in 2007, after taking a class in ballroom, and found the combination of structure and expressiveness in ballroom to be the perfect way convey what he wanted without feeling awkward. He currently trains with BBDT's coaches Alex Tecza and Katja Lindholm for Standard and Krystian Grabowski for Latin. His favorite dances are the Tango (Standard) and the Jive (Latin) because they are awesome. And when he's not dancing he is... thinking about dancing.

Instructor - Beginner & Intermediate (Standard)

Eugene Tsai

Eugene Eugene is our weekly Beginner & Intermediate 1 Standard Instructor and has been dancing with the Badger Ballroom Dance Team since the spring of 2006. While he originally joined just to learn new steps for social dancing, he quickly fell in love with competitive dancing and has been competing ever since in both International and American style ballroom dancing. When not dancing, Eugene is a math teacher in the Madison area.

Instructor - Beginner & Intermediate 1 (Latin)

Samantha Casper

Yiqun Samantha is our weekly Beginner Latin and Intermediate I Latin instructor. She has 15 years of ballet experience as well as jazz, tap, lyrical, and modern dance . She joined BBDT Spring 2010. Samantha trains with BBDT's coaches Krystian Grabowski for Latin and Alex Tecza and Katja Lindholm for Standard. She is in the School of Nursing with a Minor in Psychology.

Instructor - Beginner (Standard)

Holly Hung

Holly Holly is our weekly Beginner Standard Instructor and has been dancing with the Badger Ballroom Dance Team since the spring of 2006, after graduating from UW-Madison with a B.S. in Biochemistry. Her favorite dance is the International Foxtrot because she loves smoothly flowing across the floor to the glamorous music of Frank Sinatra and others of the big band era. Last year at the Collegiate Nationals (OSB), she and her partner Adam took first place in Bronze Viennese Waltz. When not dancing, Holly is a Graduate student here at UW-Madison in Cellular and Molecular Pathology.