About our Staff

We are unique in offering three levels of teachers, matched to our students. dancing experience and goals - and priced accordingly.

Master Teachers

When your goals and dance experience mean you're ready to learn from a champion, coach or judge, our Master Teachers can help you take your skills to the next level. If, on the other hand, the very idea of dancing seems like a special challenge to you, trust our Master Teachers to help you step out with confidence.

Paul Botes

Paul has been a professional ballroom dancer since 1988, following his first career as a Major in the South African Air Force. With his patner Donna he studied with World-Class coaches and competed in Europe and North America. Paul's students have received numerous United States, Ohio Star Ball, and World titles. Paul enjoys teaching both amateurs and professionals who really want to learn the theory and mechanics of dance and are interested in improving the quality of their dancing. His strength is working with dancers who can excel in the competition arena.

Donna Edelstein

Donna started studying ballet as a five-year-old - and with her first lesson knew that she loved to dance. She discovered ballroom dancing in 1987 and left a successful career as a film and video producer to become a professional ballroom competitor and teacher. Donna loves to work with three types of students: female pro-am competitors wanting to enhance their technique and the emotional content of their work, male dancers needing more clarity and comfort in their leading skills, and couples looking to develop their technique and relationship. As a Championship Adjudicator she judges across North America and is very current on the competition scene. She is also a foreign correspondent for DanceBeat World.

Jay Larson

After getting his Bachelors degree in Geography and Environmental Studies, Jay decided to take a year off to work before continuing in a Masters program. He discovered ballroom dance by answering a newspaper ad in 1986. In his first training class, he found an affinity for dancing - its physicality resonated with the sports he'd played as a child. Jay is a former United States 9-Dance Champion and brings knowledge gleaned from his competitive achievements to Classic Ballroom. As a teacher, Jay enjoys giving students the feeling of freedom and enjoyment of movement that he has found through dance.