Meet our Certified ADF Teachers
Pete Taylor
American DanceWheels Artistic Consultant
Academy of Social Dance (formerly Crystal DanSport Center)
New Castle, DE
Co-organizer of the American Style Ball, New Jersey Open, and Challenge of Champions competitions, Pete started dancing at the age of eight in movies and on Broadway. At the age of eighteen, he began working for Fred Astaire Studios and eventually became their National Dance Director. He has competed in both American and Theatrical styles and is a former champion in both. He has travelled and coached throughout the world and coached many champion couples. Pete currently lives in Delaware and is the coach for the University of Delaware Ballroom Dance Team as well as teacher for the Wheelchair Ballroom and Latin Dance courses offered at the University of Delaware.
Lisa Bentley
Lisa has been teaching for twenty six years, nineteen of which were spent as a competing professional. She began her training with a Fred Astaire studio but spent thirteen of her career years with Arthur Murray's. She holds numerous rising star and open titles in both the American Rhythm and Smooth styles and was ranked in the top twelve of the US in the American Smooth for three years. She was the choreographer and lead dancer for the opening ceremonies of the 1996 Olympic soccer games held in Orlando, FL. She is currently a part-time instructor at the Academy of Social Dance in New Castle, Delaware and a certified instructor with the American Dance Wheels Foundation. Lisa continues to travel the ballroom circuit with her business, GlamourPuss- a combination of hair design and make-up artistry - to over 23 competitions a year "glamorizing" some of the top female competitors in the US.
Sue Green
Dance Wheels DC
Silver Spring, MD
Sue Green is president of DanceWheels DC, and specialist in adaptive dancing. She taught Ballroom Dancing for 7 years at the Arthur Murray Dance Center in Silver Spring, MD and studied Wheelchair Ballroom Dance Instruction with the American DanceWheels Foundation, based in Bala Cynwyd, PA. She is often assisted by her dance partner, Gary Cooke, as well as DanceWheels DC volunteers.
Melanie A. Dale
A Step To Gold International
Raleigh, NC
Originally a Ballet Major at Virginia Intermont College, Melanie continued to study at East Carolina University and danced professionally with the Savannah Ballet Company under the direction of Ballerina, Karina Brock.
During the last 28 years, Melanie has studied with some of the best coaches in the world, competing in the American Style & International Style of Ballroom Dancing and earning a Licentiate Degree with the North American Dance Teachers Association as well as an Associate Degree with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. She has trained US Junior and Pre-teen Champions and continues to be a Certified Championship Adjudicator.
Melanie owns and operates “A Step to Gold International” ballroom in Raleigh, North Carolina where she is the master instructor for the North Carolina Ballroom Teachers College, the first vocational dance training of its kind.
Recently Melanie became certified in Wheelchair Ballroom Dancing through the American DanceWheels Foundation in Philadelphia, PA. and has begun a local program for the disabled called Triangle DanceWheels. She is looking forward to a long relationship with the American DanceWheels Foundation and working with Melinda Kremer in bringing this exciting opportunity to the southern United States.
Frank Spears
Frank Spears is a very busy man and runs three corporations and consults on another on a daily basis. In spite of his schedule, he has always managed to find time to give to others. He has been a Mason since 1972 and has worked diligently with the Masonic Home for Children and the Masonic and the Eastern Star Home for the elderly. Frank is also a Shriner and devotes many tireless hours to assist Crippled and Burned Children http://www.shrinershq.org/.
Frank was disabled during the Vietnam War and deals with constant pain as a result of his injury. Following his injury, it was told to him that the doctors wanted to remove his leg… Frank refused to give in and has fought to regain most use of it. Due to his disability, Frank found it difficult to accomplish some of the necessary moves in Ballroom Dancing. Although he is not wheelchair bound, he finds it very comfortable as the “seated partner” in teaching Wheel Chair Ballroom Dancing with his Partner Melanie Dale at A Step To Gold International in Raleigh,
NC. Together, they have formed Triangle DanceWheels as the first to teach Wheelchair Ballroom Dancing in the southern USA. Frank was previously on the Board of Directors for New Life Mobility Assist Dogs (www.nlmad.org ) and understands the trials and tribulations of disability and is using his skills to assist in training the seated partners.
Len Diana
Len Diana, from Hartford, CT, is active in outreach efforts to show the fun and benefits of ballroom dancing to the general public. Len, and his wife, Dawn have placed well in local, regional, and national competitions; dancing all four styles for 15 years. Len is an NDCA Certified Scrutineer and Registrar - scrutineer and competition set up/registrar for numerous Amateur, Collegiate, and Pro/Am competitions throughout the United States and a Certified Wheelchair Ballroom and Latin Dance Instructor. Memberships include USA Dance/USABDA, NDCA, and affiliated with American DanceWheels Foundation. He is a former Vice-President, Treasurer, and Newsletter Editor for the Connecticut Chapter of USABDA. Outside of dancing, Len is an Ophthalmic Assistant for a multi-specialty practice and an Independent Wine Consultant for The Traveling Vineyard.
Carina Talmey
Carina is from West Sussex, England, and her interest in Wheelchair Ballroom Dancing comes from many different angles. She is a qualified teacher of Ballroom and Latin American with the British Association of Teachers of Dancing (BATD), and has taught children and adults of all ages for nearly 8 years. She is also an Occupational Therapist, and recently took up her first OT post in the Neurology Department at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London. She is hoping that through her roles both as a dance teacher and as an OT, she can promote the work of ADF and help to develop similar dance opportunities for people using wheelchairs and their able-bodied partners across the Atlantic.
Carina very much enjoyed taking the ADF Instructor Course in February 2009, and spent two weeks with ADF attending some of their numerous classes and programs, including the University of Delaware course, and the program at the Widener School in Philadelphia. She also attended classes at the Atrium Dance Studio in New Jersey, Society Hill Dance Academy in Philadelphia, and the ‘home’ of ADF, Crystal Dancesport Center in Delaware.
Carina has huge respect and admiration for everyone involved with ADF working tirelessly to promote Wheelchair Dancing and create dance opportunities for everyone, and is honoured to be a part of such a creative and innovative organisation. She is very much looking forward to making a return trip to America to learn more very soon!
Patricia Grim
Linsey Heane
Melissa Mahady Wilton
Chairperson, Canada DanceSport
Kingston, Ontario
Please contact us for other dance studios in the process of becoming certified by American DanceWheels Foundation.
