Instructors

Only contact instructors for specific questions about other classes they teach at Austin studios or private lessons. For questions about Texas Ballroom and Texas Ballroom classes, please contact the Executive Board.

Melanie Weiler (Monday Nights)

Melanie began ballroom dancing three years ago when she joined Texas Ballroom. She later began to dance competitively in International Standard and Latin styles of dance. After competing in both, she decided that International Latin was her passion and started to focus her training in this style of dance. She and her previous partner, John VanOverloop, studied with their coach in Houston and danced in local ballroom competitions as well as national qualifying events at the Pre-Championship level. Melanie plans to continue her competitive dance career and hopes to learn, teach and dance with inspiration.

David Cantu (Tuesday Nights)

David Cantu has studied and instructed partner dancing for over fifteen years. During that time he has focused on a variety of dance styles. He began his teaching career in Ballroom and, a few years later, incorporated Country Western. After a business hiatus, he returned to dancing and put his attention on West Coast Swing and Salsa.

David has owned and operated three dance studios in the Austin area, two of which are still in operation. A founder of both Go Dance and Austin Uptown Dance, he subsequently sold his interest in each studio.

Kelvin Pho (Wednesday Nights)

Kelvin first began dancing in 2003 at the University of Texas at Austin. After teaching social dances for two years, he took an interest in competitive International Standard. He has since then specialized in International Standard Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, and Quickstep. He enjoys teaching private lessons, group classes, and competing mixed-proficiency with his students at the syllabus level.

He is ISTD certified in International Standard and has competed all over the country including Texas, Massachusetts, New York, California, and Louisiana in Pre-Championship and Championship categories. Kelvin currently trains with his coaches Craig Shaw and Evgeniya Sutyaginskaya from England.

Sherry Reynolds (Thursday Nights)

After studying and competing in International Ballroom for 9 years, Sherry began competing on the country circuit in 1999. In 2005 she qualified for and competed in the Masters division which is the highest division of United Country Western Dance Council and in 2010 she qualified as a UCWDC Masters level judge, one of less than 30 in the world.

Her professional certifications include TSDA certified swing judge, UCWDC and ACDA certified country judge, DIVDA certified; qualifying as Highly Commended, in International Ballroom

Sherry is currently competing with students in both swing and country, and is coaching couples in all styles of partner dancing. She is also co-owner of Austin Uptown Dance and is the event director of the LoneStar Invitational, an annual dance competition here in Austin every August.

Denis Generalov (Friday Nights)

Denis Generalov began dancing at an early age in Russia, where he was born and raised. His mother was a dance teacher, so when he was little he spent a lot of time at her dance school, watching group classes and listening to dance music.

Denis began taking Ballroom and Latin classes and entering dance competitions in Russia when he was 8 years old and by the time he was 10 he was winning local junior competitions. Denis moved to the United States at the age of 16 and before long he was back on the dance floor competing in the Open Amateur Standard Ballroom and Latin American divisions. Over the course of several years of competition Denis, with his partner and wife Jolie, have placed into the finals of many major Championships, including the Ohio Star Ball, the International Grand Ball, the San Francisco Open, and the California Open to name a few. They have earned first place titles in the Standard Ballroom division at the International Grand Ball, the San Francisco Open Championships, the Galaxy Dance Sport Championships, the San Francisco Holiday Ball, the Autumn Dance Classic, as well as the title of the United States Amateur National Ten-Dance Champions.

Denis began teaching Ballroom dancing professionally in 2002 in the San Francisco Bay Area, specializing in both social and competitive styles of Ballroom and Latin. In January 2008 Denis and Jolie decided to make Austin their new home, and even though they’ve stopped dancing competitively, they still enjoy dancing together as a favorite past time.