Our Past BADC Officials

Dan Calloway 

With over 47 years teaching, competing professionally, and performing Dan Calloway has been Chair of Judges at over 200 competitions (WDO, WDSF, USA Dance) and appeared at 20 television and film appearances as performer and expert commentator, including Comcast’s North American Championships and United States DanceSport Championships. 

Wendi Davies

1991 Ranked second at the United States Professional Championships, and winner of “Championship Ballroom Dancing”, UK Rising Star Champion, Blackpool Rising Star Runner-up, US Representative to the World Championships and Blackpool Team Match, a finalist at the French Open and the US Open Championships and was ranked 13th in the world. She was co-owner and operator of Ballroom On Fifth in NYC for 12 years and is the organizer of the NJ DanceSport Classic competitions. Currently she coaches competitors of all ages and judges numerous events each year.

Michael Choi

Michael began his professional career in New York. Michael has competed as a professional nationally and internationally in Latin, Ballroom, and Smooth. He’s been a finalist in Rising Star Ballroom and Classic Showdance, and won many Open Professional Smooth competitions. From 2012-2015 he served, first as Secretary of the National Committee of the USISTD, and then as President. In 2017 he was appointed as a Ballroom Examiner for the USISTD and later with Dancevision. Michael continues to perform and compete, and to train dancers of all levels in New York at Big Apple Ballroom. 

Zachary Bordonaro

Zachary found his love of ballroom while on the team at Tufts University. An ISTD certified instructor, he has been teaching both social and competitive dancers for over ten years. Since the pandemic, Zachary has shifted his focus to fostering social ballroom dancing in the NYC area; beyond teaching private lessons and group classes, he hosts semi-monthly socials in midtown Manhattan.

Oscar Pedrinelli

Oscar moved to the USA in 2014 where his path intertwined with Lenka Kovalicikova’s. In the USA, Lenka and Oscar formed a dynamic partnership, achieving significant success in their professional ballroom dance career. They emerged as winners and finalists in all major American competitions, showcasing their unique style on the dance floor. Some of their notable domestic and international accomplishments include: US National Professional Finalists, Open Professional Ohio Star Ball Medalists and Winners, Blackpool, UK, International Professional Rising Stars Finalists, Blackpool, International Open Professional Quarterfinalists, and participation in John Legend’s music video.

Lenka Kovalcikova

In 2014, Lenka moved to the USA, where fate led her to meet Oscar Pedrinelli, her future dance partner and husband. In the USA, Lenka and Oscar formed a dynamic partnership, achieving significant success in their professional ballroom dance career. They emerged as winners and finalists in all major American competitions, showcasing their unique style on the dance floor. Some of their notable domestic and international accomplishments include: US National Professional Finalists, Open Professional Ohio Star Ball Medalists and Winners, Blackpool, UK, International Professional Rising Stars Finalists, Blackpool, International Open Professional Quarterfinalists, and participation in John Legend’s music video.

Christine Zona

Christine Zona has been teaching and competing in ballroom dance since 1980. She has competed professionally and was a finalist at many events in the International Standard and Latin and the American Ballroom divisions. During her Pro/Am competing days, Christine and her student won the title of United States Pro/Am Male American Smooth Champion. She has also published, through Human Kinetics, a how to dance book, “Gotta Ballroom,” which includes the American style ballroom dances. Currently, she divides her time coaching and teaching between Pittsburgh and NYC. She is a certified instructor of Maja Serve’s Body School System and an adjudicator with North American Dance Teachers Association and USA Dance. Christine is the International Ballroom dance coach at Carnegie Mellon University. As a member of the Collegiate Network Executive Committee in USA Dance, she has helped to create programs for college students and plan USA Dance Collegiate Nationals.

Dasha Sushko 

In 2005, Dasha came to USA where she continued both dancing and teaching. She started competing on a Professional level with Vladimir Popov. Together, they achieved many top placements in major dance competitions around the U.S. in the Professional Ballroom Division. In 2011, Dasha finally established her dream and became the founder and owner of Ballroom Dream Dance Studio. Dasha specializes in Competitive as well as in Social Dancing, coaching many top dancers. Currently, Dasha is concentrating on her studio, teaching all 4 Styles of Dancing (Ballroom, Latin, Smooth & Rhythm), competing with her adult students in the Pro-Am division, as well as judging dance competitions.

Benito Garcia

Benito Garcia is a man with unquestionable style and charisma with an attention to detail like no other. It comes as no surprise that he developed his program, Dance Tune-Up, to help athletes, artists, and dancers refine and master the details of their performances. During his professional dance career, Benito was: US National Open Professional American Rhythm finalist; Runner up at the US and IDSF World Mambo Championships; Performed at the Kremlin up in Moscow, Russia, and the WDC World Pro-Am Championships and Pro Latin Exhibition in Buenos Aires and the Bahamas; and Benito was also a featured performer on the PBS show, Championship Ballroom Dancing.

Pamela Licht

Pamela’s competitive training has been in both the International and American Styles. Her titles include: 2001 World Mambo Finalist, 4th in the 2004 US Professional American 9-Dance division, 2008 US Professional Rising Star American Rhythm Finalists, silver medalists in the 2008 World Professional Salsa Championship, and several Rising Star American Smooth Event titles in 2010. Along with her competitive accomplishments, Pamela is part of a prestigious list of USTA Examiners and a licensed Adjudicator and Invigilator with the NDCA with which she co-authored the currently accepted step list for American Rhythm Style. Most recently she was part of the collaborative team writing, ‘The Rhythm Technique Book.’

Vanda Polakova

Vanda began her dance journey at 9 in Slovakia where she became a 2-time Amateur Latin Champion. Later in Czech Republic, she became Professional Latin Champion. In 2007,  she continued in the US as a Latin dancer,  and, later, American Rythm, becoming a 3-time US National finalist, 2- time World Championship finalist, multiple Ohio Star Ball Championship finalist, and a World Salsa Vice-Champion. Beyond the competition floor, Vanda consulted on the production of the Radio City ROCKETTES’ Summer Spectacular; in 2011, was a dancer in the motion picture Musical Chairs; in 2022, won a Mirror Ball Trophy on Slovakia's ‘LET’S DANCE'; in 2024, starred as a principal dancer in the Off-Broadway production of a musical GRAND HOTEL and, in 2025, the Off- Broadway show ‘FALSE STEPS ’ a Ballroom Dance comedy. Vanda is a certified dance teacher with the USISTD/ AIDA and competes with her Pro-am students.

Tatiana Keegan

Tatiana Keegan is a three-time American amateur champion in International Latin (age 45+) and recently placed fourth in the world at the 2023 WDSF world championship in The Netherlands. Born in Russia, Tatiana was a rhythmic gymnast and Amateur National Champion in Ten Dances. She came to United States in 1995 and won dozens of professional competitions. Among her biggest achievements was becoming national Rising Star champion in 2000 with Tony Dovolani. After a seven-year break to get married and start a family, she returned to competing. Since 2019, she has been dancing successfully with partner Anatoliy Shvarts.

Bill Davies

Bill Davies started his professional dancing career in 1958 with the Arthur Murray Dance Studios in Hartford, Connecticut.  In 1963, he left Hartford for New York City to begin his independent teaching and competitive career in what is now called DanceSport. During his career spanning more than forty years, Bill has studied with three generations of top world class coaches, competed with five different professional partners, and was a member of the first, as well as several other United States teams which represented our country at the British Ballroom Championships held in Blackpool England.

Lukas Chockuba

At 21 years old Lukas was trained at Ballroom On 5th in New York City. Vast training from top world class coaches including Richard and Anne Gleave, Michael and Vicky Barr, Augusto Schiavo, Katusha Demidova among others and his hard work allowed him to turn pro in 2005 and then lead to him becoming the US 2006 Rising Star Champion and 2008 Blackpool Dance Festival Professional Rising Star Finalist. Lukas participated in more than 400 competitions in the US and around the world. He has become a well known dancer and a teacher in the world ballroom community. 

Sarika Hudson

After placing in the top 24 in the Blackpool RS and runner-up in RS at the United States National Dance Championships, she made the jump to Professional American Smooth.  She danced her favorite style for the next 5 years and became both a United States and World finalist in Professional Smooth.  Sarika is now based out of Maryland, but coaches and judges regularly throughout the northeast. 

Tatiana Banko

At the age of 10, she saw a dance competition on TV and immediately fell in love with ballrom and latin dance. By the age of 13, Tatiana became a top finalist in multiple competitions in Russia, including the Russian National Championship. When she turned 16, she continued dancing in Europe representing Italy, becoming a national finalist and finalist of many dance competitions in Europe. In 2006, Tatiana received an invitation to continue her dance career in the United States, where she became one of the highest-ranking International Latin dance competitors. Her achievements include US Open Professional Latin Super Series top 6, UK Open Rising Star top 5, Blackpool Rising Star top 7, and winning Yankee Classic World Masters, Eastern Dancesport, and Windy City Championships. Tatiana loves to teach, perform, and compete with her students, and she is one of the top Pro/Am instructors in the country.

Asta Sigvaldadottir

Asta Sigvaldadottir has lived in NY and represented the USA with her partner Andrei Kazlouski since 2012. They have become one of the countries leading professional latin couples, making semi final in the open professional category at UK Open, Blackpool, International and World Championships. Later, they become Ohio Star Ball Champions and USA National Professional Latin Champions in 2017. Asta has spent years traveling around the world competing, demonstrating, teaching as well as educating herself with some of the most successful instructors of Latin American dancing like Shirley Ballas, Richard Porter, Barbara McColl, Sammy Stopford, Tone Nyhagen, Ruud Vermeij, Lorraine, Alan & Hazel Fletcher and Allan Tornsberg.

Andrew Phillips

Andrew has just recently exited the world of professional ballroom competition. Andrew placed 4th at U.S. Open Professional Latin in 2002. He was also a U.K. Open Rising Star Finalist and Blackpool Rising Star Finalist, and has consistently placed among the top 12 professional Latin couples at major world competitions. He currently is a resident  coach at Manhattan Ballroom Dance and frequently judges collegiate  competitions. He also travels abroad for demonstrations and workshops. As our Latin instructor of many years, Andrew Phillips, is also generously sponsoring a $300 scholarship for the winners of the Championship Latin event at BADC 2026!