Get to Know Sergey in 22 Questions!

Sergey Korshunov is a professional International Latin American dancer.  He has traveled all over the world competing in the most prestigious competitions with his partner, Michelle Hafle.  Together they are ranked three-time U.S. Professional Rising Star Latin Finalists and ranked three-time British Open Rising Star finalists.  In 2012 he appeared on Dancing with the Stars performing a special project with Cheryl Burke, and has worked extensively with Emmitt Smith, Mark Cuban, and Michael Irvin during their appearances on the show.  In 2007 Nike hired Sergey to choreograph and perform at one of their exclusive events with Carrie Ann Inaba.  In 2008 and 2009 he was invited to dance on Baile Deportivo, aired on Fox Latino Sport, and is frequently invited by WFAA's Good Morning Texas to be the official commentator for the Dancing with the Stars show and local dance related events.  Sergey began dancing at the age of nine as an Amateur and eventually in 1998 he gained the title of St. Petersburg Standard Champion in his division and the following year he received an award as the top Latin couple.  Résumé

Get to Know Michelle in 22 Questions!

Michelle Hafle is a professional International Latin American dancer.  She has traveled all over the world competing in the most prestigious competitions with her partner, Sergey Korshunov.  Together they are ranked three-time U.S. Professional Rising Star Latin Finalists and ranked three-time British Open Rising Star Quarterfinalists.  In 2012 she appeared on Dancing with the Stars performing a special project with Cheryl Burke.  She has worked extensively with Emmitt Smith, Mark Cuban, and Michael Irvin during to their appearances on the show as well as World Superbike Champion, Ben Spies.  In 2008 & 2009 she was invited to dance on Baile Deportivo, aired on Fox Latino Sport.  She is frequently invited by WFAA's Good Morning Texas to be the official commentator for the Dancing with the Stars show and local dance related events. Prior to partnering with Sergey, she was involved in several commercials and music videos.  In 2004 she was hired by ABC Family to be a contestant on a dance reality series, Dance Fever.  There she was able to work with Carrie Ann Inaba, Carman Electra and MC Hammer.  She also performed at such events as the Los Angeles Salsa Congress and was hired as a permanent dancer for Wayne Foster's National Entertainment Company.  Résumé

Get to Know Aimee in 22 Questions!

Aimée Mendez has been a full-time partner dance teacher, competitor, and performer for over 20 years. She started her competitive career in the Professional American Rhythm category, competing in Texas, and throughout the United States.

Her subsequent focus on Pro-Am competition has been met with much success: She was the teacher of DanceSport's 2002 Top Male Bronze Student of the Year and the 2005 Top Male Newcomer at the prestigious Ohio Star Ball, televised as America's Ballroom Challenge, among other accolades.

In 2009, Aimée coached Jake Pavelka of ABC’s The Bachelor prior to filming the show. His interest in dancing was recognized, and he was invited to compete the highly coveted Dancing with the Stars show, one of the most popular dance shows in recent history. Aimée enjoyed a front row seat at the show during Season 10 when Jake invited her as his special guest.

Aimée teaches beginning to advanced students of any age, and takes a particular interest in sharing her love of dance with couples that want to add a spark to their marriage by including the hobby of partnership dancing, either socially or competitively. In December 2011 Aimée helped a couple realize a bucket list dream of traveling to Vienna, Austria and attending The Imperial Ball; she has a great passion for helping a couple connect through dancing and making dance dreams come true!

As an Instructor at Studio 22, Aimée specializes in working with wedding couples, helping them to feel comfortable and prepared for their first dances. She also teaches private lesson students and group classes in a variety of styles, including American Rhythm & Smooth, Country Western, Club Latin, and many more!

Get to Know Cody in 22 Questions!
Get to Know Maya in 22 Questions!

Cody Knight was born and raised in Dallas, and attended school at the KD Actor's Conservatory of the Southwest.  After graduating in 2002, he began his dance training in the American Smooth and Rhythm styles, becoming a professional teacher shortly afterward.

Born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Maya Apodaca started dancing at a young age, but discovered a passion for ballroom dancing in high school. Maya began her teaching career in Albuquerque, New Mexico before relocating to the Dallas area.  Maya has a love for children, and teaches the students of the Youth DanceSport Program, in addition to her work as the Director of Teaching for Drama Kids, a youth drama program.

Cody Knight and Maya Apodaca are current professional competitotrs in the American Smooth and American Rhythm divisions.  Together, they have competed professionally at numerous national competitions, as well as in the Pro/Am category their students, and have attained multiple Top Teacher awards throughout the years.  Cody & Maya have trained under many notable coaches and dance champions, including Mazen Hamza, Izabella Jundzill, David Hamilton, Olga Foraponova, Susie Thompson, & Gary McIntyre.  Cody & Maya head the American Rhythm & Smooth department at Studio 22.

Get to Know George in 22 Questions!

Get to Know Jairelbhi in 22 Questions!

Having been born to an Argentinean and musical family,George began his music education and exposure to Tango early on in life. George started formal music training at the age of 10 and continued though high school and college. During these years his teachers noticed his exceptional musical ability, and with their encouragement he expanded his knowledge by learning several instruments. In 1992 George discovered Shaolin Kung Fu and through constant diligence and patience he became Senior Instructor and performed demonstrations in several cities in the U.S. A native of Caracas, Venezuela. 

Jairelbhi Furlong began her dance training at the age of 9. She joined Las Voces Blancas, one of the top dance schools for kids. Jairelbhi was exposed to several different dances but clearly her passion was tap dancing, and was asked to be an assistant instructor. Because of her graceful movements and perseverance she became part of a dance troupe in Las Voces Blancas traveling to many places and included television performances. 

Together with her partner, George, they have performed and taught in cities throughout Texas, where they reside, and have expanded to other cities including New York City, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Maui, San Diego, Phoenix, Atlanta, Savanah, Mexico and Buenos Aires, Argentina. They have performed with the Fort Worth symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Opus Cuatro and with Bandeonistas Lisandro Adrover, Horocio Romo, and Daniel Binelli. George and Jairelbhi toured several cities in the U.S. as part of the cast of "Tango Buenos Aires", and several cities in Mexico as part of the cast of "Emporio Tango". In 2005 they created "Evolutiontango", a dance group based in Dallas, Texas, and have produced, directed, and choreographed two tango productions: "Tango: Now and Then", and "Evolutiontango". 

Today they are part of "Tango and Fire" Dance company.They are privilege to work with artistic director Hugo Patyn and musical director Lisandro Adrover best known for his arrangements for the Broadway hit "Forever Tango"

Coming soon... Edgar was born in Queretaro, Mexico before coming to the United States in 1992.  he taught music for several years in Florida and Georgia before moving to Pittsburgh, PA where he began his dance training in American Smooth and Rhythm styles. 

Get to Know Jean in 22 Questions!

Get to Know Irene in 22 Questions!

Born and raised in the Netherlands, Jean Dorff is a successful international Martial Artist and Ballroom Dancer. Because of his background in both dance and martial arts, Jean developed an interest in movement at an early age, exploring the concept of “conscious movement,” a term he developed to describe a connection of rhythm and movement with mind, body and soul.

As a business professional, Jean has provided business coaching and consultancy in the corporate fields of Marketing, Product Management, Business Strategy, and Business Development, primarily for Fortune 100 companies.

Through his work in both the business and dance industries, he began to realize the similarities in thought required for performance coaching to produce top competitors, regardless of the arena. By merging and blending his knowledge of both business and movement, he further developed the idea of ‘conscious movement’ into unique ‘performance coaching principles.’ Using these principles and his personal experience, Jean has coached several national champions and internationally successful dancers, as well as amateur dancers and business professionals.

Jean recently found his company ‘dancing mind conscious body’: a performance coaching and consultancy company, and though he continues to teach, coach and lecture internationally, he is happy to call Dallas and Studio 22 his home base.

Coming soon... Edgar was born in Queretaro, Mexico before coming to the United States in 1992.  he taught music for several years in Florida and Georgia before moving to Pittsburgh, PA where he began his dance training in American Smooth and Rhythm styles. 

Get to Know Jim in 22 Questions!

Jim Weber began dancing about 20 years ago and, shortly thereafter, began assisting with classes at Cowboys Arlington.  In addition to being the Dance Instructor at Cowboys Red River in Dallas from 1997 – 2000, he also began teaching private and group lessons at local dance studios.

In 2002, Jim began working with Don Chesshir, a noted C&W dance instructor in the DFW metro area who is known for teaching large group classes and large group seminars.  Together, the two sponsor a monthly dance seminar at Gilley’s -- Dallas.

Over the last 10 years, Mr. Weber has not only taught many large group classes and performed/taught at wedding receptions, but also taught Country Western dance lessons at many area nightclubs, including Denim & Diamonds in Dallas, Toby Keith’s “I Love This Bar and Grill” in Dallas, Electric Cowboy in Lewisville, and, most recently, Midnight Rodeo in Dallas.

In addition, Jim teaches private lessons and Pro/Am students, with whom he travels to national competitions several times a year.

Jim teaches the following dances:

- Two Step
- Progressive Double Two
- Triple Two Step
- Three Step/Texas Two Step
- Night Club Two-Step
- Country Waltz
- West Coast Swing
- East Coast Swing
- Polka
- Cha Cha
- Salsa

Get to Know Wes in 22 Questions!

Wes Neese began dancing West Coast Swing in 1996, joining a competitive team the same year, which won 2 national competitions. Wes has won numerous State and Regional 1st place titles, and is a current competitor, most recently placing 2nd in the Masters Jack & Jill Division at Dallas DANCE, a World Swing Dance Council national-level event. Highlights:

-- 6-time 1st Place Team Division, Dallas DANCE (1996 - 2008)
-- Southwest Regional Dance Association, 1st Place, Advanced Strictly Swing (2001)
-- Dallas DANCE, 2nd Place, Masters Jack & Jill (2014)
-- Swingapalooza Swing Dance Championships, 3rd Place, Intermediate Jack & Jill (2014)
-- Pro-Am Jam, 3rd Place, Intermediate Jack & Jill (2014)
-- Dallas DANCE, 1st Place, Pro/Am (2000)

Teaching became his passion in 2000, when he started the non-accredited swing dance program at Richland College in Dallas, and continues today as he teaches in both the studio and nightclub settings, bringing his engaging, entertaining style to his classes. Throughout his career, Wes has created, directed & coached 3 swing teams, as well as competing as part of 5 different national-level 1st place teams.

Wes's teaching philosophy includes a focus on the fundamentals, technique, and musicality to create a fun experience for social and competitive West Coast Swing dancers.

Not content with teaching alone, Wes also created and produced the Swing Dance Marathon benefitting The Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. Over 10 marathon teams (and 80 dancers) danced for 2 hours to raise thousands of dollars for the hospital.