Owners Victor Luna & Dawn Westberry have each been in the ballroom dance business for over 15 years. Both were Fred Astaire born & bred, Victor beginning in Fort Walton Beach, Florida and Dawn in Raleigh, North Carolina.
In October of 2000, Dawn made the move to Fort Walton Beach where her and Victor began their professional partnership together. Since then they have consistently trained under US Rhythm Champions, 4 time World Cabaret Champions and 13 time US Cabaret Champions, Bruno Collins and Luann Pulliam. They have also been trained by professionals such as Maksim Chmerkovsky, Tony Dovolani and Fabian Sanchez along with many other top coaches in the ballroom industry.
Not only has this dynamic duo recently became the owners of their own studio, but they are also still actively competing at the highest level all over the U.S., thus bringing this knowledge and excellence to the Pensacola area.
Eric Luna came to ballroom dancing after spending most of his life training for a career in sports. He transferred the dedication and teamwork developed in athletics to his dance career.
Georgia has been dancing since the age of five. She is a graduate of The North Carolina school of Arts and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from The Boston Conservatory.
Eric and Georgia are ten-time National Fred Astaire Theatrical Champion. They have also won the US National Cabaret Championship and the World Cabaret Championship. They are Ohio Star Ball Champions, Heritage Classic Champions and are three time United States representatives at the Blackpool Invitational. Eric and Georgia have been featured on numerous television programs such as the smash hit Dancing with the Stars and Superstars of Dance.
Most recognizable from his appearance on the hit show Dancing with the Stars, Jonathan began his dance career at the age of 20. Before he discovered the world of dance, his high school background was athletics - particularly basketball. But Jonathan (along with his family and friends) was shocked when he discovered his passion for ballroom dancing after after viewing the famous tango scene in the Al Pacino movie, "Scent of a Woman." He took advantage of the free ballroom lessons offered on his movie ticket stub, and the rest as they say, "is history."
With his partner, Jonathan won the 1997 USA Rising Star American Ballroom before deciding to focus on his Latin style.
He also competed in the Pro-Am (Professional/Amateur circuit) where he trained and competed with student Pamela Butler. As a pair, they are two-time undefeated Pro-Am Latin champions and two-time USA Pro-Am American Ballroom Champions.
Ranked among America’s top coaches, Marylynn Benitez has seen and done it all in the dance world. From competing in the world renowned Blackpool competition in England to coaching some of the country’s greatest performers, she is a rare talent. As a competitor, she has represented the United States on some of the biggest stages in the world. She now specializes in coaching and choreography in all styles, and travels the country as a national adjudicator judging some of our countries best.
Most people associate Tony Dovolani with the hit ABC TV show Dancing with the Stars, where he has been paired with celebrity dance partners Stacey Keibler, Sara Evans, Leeza Gibbons and now Susan Lucci.
Born in Prishtina Kosova, Tony began folk dancing at age three. When he was 15 his entire family moved to the United States and Tony got the opportunity to attend a Fred Astaire Dance Academy. From that moment on, he knew he had found his passion.
Russian-born dancer Alec Mazo is a professional ballroom dancer best known for his stint on the ABC reality show Dancing with the Stars. He, along with partner Kelly Monaco, won its debut season. Mazo started dancing at the tender age of five. His family moved to the United States when he was twelve years old, and this was where his mother set up a dance studio. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Cognitive Science, and has become responsible for maintaining the biggest youth ballroom dance school in California. Mazo appeared in the movie, Dance with Me, with singer and actress Vanessa Williams , and has earned several dance titles with his dance partner Edyta Sliwinska .
Chuck has been dancing for 25 years and has been traveling all over the world to coach Professional, Amateur, and Pro-Am couples in International-Style Latin and American-Style Rhythm & Smooth dances. He is a former Italian National Latin Champion and finalist at the prestigious Blackpool Dance Festival. He has also won numerous titles in other competitions throughout the world. After retiring from competitive 
dancing, Chuck became a world-class adjudicator and received DVIDA, IDTA, and ISTD certifications, and is also a certified examiner for DVIDA. Recently he was invited and starred in the Italian production of “Dancing with the Stars”. His other performing arts credits include training professional dancers in the film “Mad Hot Ballroom” as well as the popular U.S. TV shows “So You Think You Can Dance?” and “Dancing with the Stars”. He was one of the originators of “Burn the Floor” and played a leading role in the film adaptation of the legendary musical “Evita”. Chuck has owned and managed several studios throughout Europe, and currently directs three studios in the Tri-State Area: Philadelphia and Exton, PA, and New Castle, DE. He coaches all of The Academy instructors on a regular basis and provides mandatory training sessions multiple times a week to ensure the most up-to-date detailed DVIDA syllabus requirements are met. In his spare time he trains in Jujitsu and MMA and was a Golden Glove boxer. Chuck's competitive experience and effortless dancing style combined with his coaching ability and innovative vision enable him to provide our instructors with top-flight leadership and guidance, which ultimately benefits our students
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