Ballroom Chat

Martina Kornett sit's down to talk about her background, going from ballet to ballroom to now doing counseling, advising and training through the International Dancing Minds. Martina explains her approach to a more …

Jon Osborn sit's down to talk about mindset going into performance and competitions and the difference between positive and negative self-talk. Jon …

Sid Pocius sit's down to talk about his background in amateur dancesport and his take on the word dancesport itself. Sid and Samantha take an inside look on all of his competitions and discuss the behind the scenes …

Samantha shares a quick update on the state of the podcast, future plans for guests and conversations, and answers some questions from the Ballroom Chat Instagram.

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Deborah Holmes and Stefan Badea sit down to discuss their non-profit foundation, the HeartSoles Foundation and its mission. The pair also explore how …

Koichiro ("Chewy") Suzuki and Yulia Zhukoffsit down and talk about their love of music, the history of Tango and why the connection and embrace of …

Christian Alva discusses his early career, life lessons that he's learned along the way and his particular approach to teaching and friendship. …

Viktorija discusses her early career, finding her own expression, and defining how she and her partner Nick want themselves to be seen on the dance floor. She and Samantha also talk about navigating the different …

Igor Litvinov discusses his amateur career and his journey becoming a dancer. Samantha and Igor also breakdown his professional show dances for Ohio Star Ball and why choosing music and something that suits your …

Oxana Kashkina discusses her journey, from amateur dancer to English Educator to professional ballroom instructor. Oxana and Samantha delve deep into …

Yuriy Kravets discusses his journey from amateur to professional, from Ukraine to the United States and everything in between. Yuriy and Samantha analyze the structure of ballroom dance education in the US and in …

Chris Johnston discusses his early dance career and how music and organizing parties became his passion in the industry. Chris and Samantha discuss the ups and downs of building a career in ballroom dance, the …

Megan Rund discusses her start in gymnastics, what happens when your plans suddenly change and your life has put on a completely different path, and …

Jessica Mancini chats about growing up in the figure skating world, making the transition to ballroom dancing. Jessica and Samantha also discuss how …

Christine Bar Noël discusses taking up the challenge of finding her own path to success in the ballroom dance industry. Christine and Samantha chat about dance entrepreneurship, and finding life-work balance. The two …

Sophia D'Angelo discusses finding herself in ballroom dance and the intersectionality between navigating relationships in ballroom dance and in the real world. Sophia and Samantha discuss her book, Dance and the …

Boyko Ivanov is a former youth 10-dancer, who started creating hair and make-up looks for ballroom dancers after moving to the United States. 15 years later, the name Boyko & Co. is synonomous with some of the top …

Tristen Sosa discusses growing up in a dancing family in Utah, and his dance journey in both competitive ballroom and the performance industry. Tristen and Samantha debate the longevity of virtual dance instruction, and …

Natalie Crandall discusses the importance of positive reinforcement and grounding techniques for dancers at all levels, but especially in the competitive arena. Natalie and Samantha chat about the transition from Pro-Am …

Luca Baricchi discusses the mission of The Baricchi Institute of Movement and Art and what he means by instinctive perception. He and Samantha …

Ikaika Dowsett chats with Samantha about his dance journey and his experiences hosting a dance podcast. The pair compare the struggles of finding a dance partner, having tough conversations in the ballroom dance …

Izabella Lewandowski sits down with Samantha to discuss why intention and mindset are so crucial to success in business and dancesport. She reflects on overcoming self-doubt, her love of the Latin dance style, and the …

In the first episode of Season 2 of Ballroom Chat, Samantha sits down with Dance Vision founder, Wayne Eng to discuss the growth and future of his company. Wayne talks about his personal dance journey from student, to …

Amanda Wolf returns to commiserate and reflect on the unexpected challenges the dance industry faced in 2020. She and Samantha discuss the potential …

Jesse Goodnight and Samantha catch-up and reflect on how their college ballroom career set them on the path to becoming Professional Ballroom …

Anna Shahbazyan discusses how psychology and dance are intertwined and her philosophy for following joy. Anna and Samantha chat about working with …

Sam Sodano discusses the origins of the Ohio Star Ball and the adjustments being made to keep it a safe event during the pandemic. Sam and Samantha delve into his own dance journey beginning at Arthur Murray, striving …

Jago Ayllon is the man behind Utah Salsa and has been a member of the Salt Lake Salsa and Bachata community for over 15 years. Jago and Samantha discuss the intricacies of the Salsa style of dancing, how it differs in …

Marisa Hamamoto shares her journey and the struggles she overcame, from being an Asian American ballet dancer, sexual assault and rape in her teens …

Ksenia Stavrica is a current Professional Rhythm Finalist. She discusses her journey from dancing as a 10-dance Amateur in Russia to a Professional Rhythm competitor in the States. Ksenia and Samantha discuss the …

Donna Edelstein discusses her journey from ballet to ballroom, and how she found success as an adult in the sport. Donna and Samantha also discuss …

Katie Flashner discusses her experiences as a Pro-Am Smooth competitor and her blog, "The Girl with the Tree Tattoo". Katie and Samantha discuss the …

Maria Hansen and Samantha discuss the importance of understanding movement and alignment for ballroom dancers and dance instructors. Maria explains how her training through the CHEK Institute and the Baricchi Institute …

Ilia Kolosov is the major distributor for the Aida Dancewear Brand in the United States. He discusses how he became "the shoe guy", what sets Aida …

Nick discusses his dance experience from Cotillion to SYTYCD. Nick breaks down the behind the scenes differences between the production of the different commercial dance TV shows he has been a part of, his experience …

Ryan Kenner discusses his process for capturing the perfect dance moment, tips for ballroom dancers to increase their chance of getting the ideal photo, and how his competitive experience makes him a better photographer.

Casey and Kayci discuss meeting and competing as part of the BYU Latin and Ballroom Tour Team, why they are passionate about 10-Dance, their plans for remaining Amateurs or making the move to Professional, and their …

Aaron Pierce and Samantha discuss the culture shock of moving from the East Coast to Utah, the challenges Aaron faced when becoming a member of the …

Brent Mills talks about music, dance, musicality, theatre, choreography, artistry, performance and so much more! Brent shares his thoughts on how music and dance are intertwined, how he approaches choreography …

Ron Montez is a former 7-time undefeated US Professional Latin Champion, the recipient of numerous awards and honors, judge, adjudicator, and co-organizer of both the Aloha Ball and Las Vegas Lights Dance Challenge. We …

We talk with Jason and Sveta Daly. Jason and Sveta are former National and World Professional Rhythm Finalists, owners of Dance Daly Ballroom, and co-organizers of the San Antonio Classic. Jason and Sveta discuss their …

In episode #16 of Love.Live.Dance's podcast, Ballroom Chat, we talk with Max Sinitsa. Max is a former 3-time US Amateur Smooth Champion, US Professional American Smooth Vice-Champion, World Professional American Smooth …

In episode #15 of Love.Live.Dance's podcast, Ballroom Chat, we talk with Marzena Stachura and Slawek Sochacki. Marzena and Slawek are 4-time undefeated US and World American Smooth Champions, Owners of Dance United …

In episode #14 of Love.Live.Dance's podcast, Ballroom Chat, we talk with American 9-Dance competitor and instructor Tony Nunez about his dancesport experiences.

Samantha and Tony discuss his experiences as a …

In episode #13 of Love.Live.Dance's podcast, Ballroom Chat, we talk with competitor and instructor Anthony Chen about his preferred dance style: Lindy Hop.

We discuss the history of Lindy Hop, how the competitive …

In episode #12 of the Ballroom Chat podcast, we talk with Cesar Rojas about Casino Rueda. We discuss the history of the Casino Rueda dance style, how this social dance is opening doors for people to learn more about …

In episode #11 of the Ballroom Chat podcast, we talk with Hope Jackson about her start in the dancesport industry, becoming a Brand Ambassador for Aida Dancewear, balancing modeling, dancing, and hair and make-up, …

Michael Johnson is a US Professional Ten Dance Finalist, coach and Dancesport adjudicator, owner of Dance Majic Dance Studio, published author, and host of the Majic for Life Podcast.

We talk about his start in the …

Ian Gillett is a US Pro-Am National Champion in Smooth and Standard, a World Masters Pro-Am Champion in Smooth and Standard, World Pro-Am Champion in …

A conversation between Samantha from Love.Live.Dance and guest Kimberley Mitchell, 2 Time US Professional Latin Champion, coach, judge and adjudicator. We talk about the importance of getting kids to dance, using your …

A conversation between Samantha from Love.Live.Dance and guest Molly King, West Coast competitor, instructor, published writer, podcaster, tiny home …

A conversation between Samantha from Love.Live.Dance and guest Rozana Sweeney from Art & Style Dance Studio. We talk about how the current situation is affecting dance studios and competitions, potential ways this …

A conversation between Samantha from Love.Live.Dance and guest Martin Skupinski from BallroomUtah. We talk about Martin's start internationally, coming to Canada and the US, getting a start in teaching at Fred Astaire …

A conversation between Samantha from Love.Live.Dance and guest Krista Treu Derington. We talk about growing up in a ballroom dancing family, balancing family and competing, the benefits of SeneGence, and all about …

In this episode, Samantha from Love.Live.Dance sits down to talk to guest Marcos Martinez, owner of MMD. We talk about the custom dancewear industry, Marcos' process for creating unique garments for his clients, and …

In this episode, Samantha from Love.Live.Dance sits down to talk to West Coast Swing dancer, instructor, and competitor James Cook. We talk about the differences between Ballroom Dance and West Coast Swing, navigating …

In this episode, Samantha from Love.Live.Dance sits down to talk to friend and mentor Amanda Wolf. Amanda is the owner of Studio 101 and Pittsburgh …