Coaches Bios

(LATIN) Barbara Nagode Ambroz is a renowned specialist in Latin American dancing. With over 40 years of experience through instruction and adjudication, she has trained and raised various champions of the DanceSport industry including WDSF World Amateur & Professional Latin Champions, Zoran Plohl and Tatsiana Lahvinovich Galchun.

Aside from being a National Adjudicator for the DanceSport Federation of Slovenia, Barbara Nagode Ambroz is also an adjudicator for the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF). She holds an “A” License as well as a “PD” License. Barbara is also licensed with the World Dance Council (WDC) and WDO Licensed Adjudicator and Member of WDO Education Committee.

Barbara was nominated to adjudicate European and World Championships in International Style Standard and Latin in the Amateur and Professional divisions as well as GrandSlams and many other major competitions.

She has also judged the Blackpool Professional “Team Match” three times as well as the  International Championship in London and UK Open Championships in Bournemouth many times. Her adjudicating experience extends to the German Open, Italian Open, Austrian Open, Spanish Open, Russian Open, USA Open in Miami and Los Angeles, and many National Championships all over the world.

Barbara  is the author of Back to the Roots: The Authentic Cuban Footprint in Competitive Latin American Dancing, which supplements her documentary of the same name that was filmed detailing her music and movement research experiences in Havana, Cuba.

Her latest contribution to Latin competitive dancing is “Authentic Latin Percussion”. This course provides a unique insight into the rhythmical structure of Cha Cha Cha, Rumba, Bolero and Samba. Its aim is to help dancers and coaches understand why dance steps and figures have specific rhythms and where exactly they come from, while encouraging them to discover and create their own rhythmic interpretations.

(LATIN) Roman Kutskyy is a dancer and choreographer, originally from Ukraine. He is a 5-time USA Vice-Champion of Latin-American dance, winner of all prestigious competitions in the USA, and semi-finalist of the World Championship. He became a trainer of top professional, amateur, and pro/am athletes who have gone on to win USA and World Championships. Roman is a WDO and USA Dance World Class Adjudicator.

He is the creator and producer of “Show Your Best Dance”, a groundbreaking, innovative, all-inclusive, new type of dance competition where he is creating unique, powerful, creative, artistic experiences for both dancers and the audience. 

(LATIN) Vladimir Karpov has an impressive resume as a competitive dancer. His accomplishments include the following: WDSF World Latin American Freestyle Champion, two times WDSF World Cup Amateur Latin Champion, the European Cup Amateur Latin Champion, the World Games Latin American Freestyle Champion, Finalist in the European Amateur Latin Championships, the Russian National Champion in Latin American Freestyle, winner of the Russian National Championship multiple times, Russian National Champion in the Professional Latin Division, and runner up to the World Championship Professional Latin Division. Vladimir is sought-after as a coach and as a judge in many competitions. He holds an “A” license as a WDSF adjudicator. He is the former Vice President of the Professional DanceSport Council of USA Dance.

(STANDARD) James Prouton is one of the UK’s finest dancers. His crowning achievement came in 1998, clinching the prestigious British National Youth Championship at just 20 years old. In his amateur years, James ascended to claim the title of UK Ten Dance Champion, proudly representing England on the global stage. A 9th-place finish at the World Championships further solidified his legacy. In 2004, James decided to turn professional and took 3 years away from competitive dancing to concentrate on teaching – and to find the right person with which to start a new chapter in his dancing career. Over the years, his dancing has become his number one passion and now he is a WDO World Class adjudicator and an organizer of Britannia Open Titles. 

(STANDARD) Alessandro Maggioni  showed his love for dance at the age of ten. He became passionate about Standard and Latin American dances, encouraged, and supported by his parents, who in 1960 organized one of the first dance schools in Italy in Milan. Alessandro studied with legendary teachers such as Bill and Bobbie Irvine MBE, Richard and Janet Gleave, Anthony Hurley, Len Armstrong, Robin Short, Anne Gleave, Nina Hunt, Alan Fletcher, Peter Maxwell, and Donnie Burns who have left a significant and fundamental impact on his amateur and professional career.

In his amateur career Alessandro won several regional championships and became Italian National Champion in the 10 Dances. He represented Italy at the European Championships in both Standard and Latin American dances; participated in the Blackpool Junior Dance Festival as the first Italian Competitor and became finalist in both Standard and Latin American dances.

In 1992 Alessandro turned professional and his professional career took off.  He has always been a finalist in the Italian Standard Dance Championship. He was also a finalist in the Italian Latin American Dance Championships and the 10-Dances. He was two-time Italian Champion and two-time finalist in the Classic Show Dance World Championships. After retiring from competitions Alessandro became a World Class adjudicator and as such, he adjudicated National and International events in Italy, France, Belgium, Finland, Ukraine, Russia, and Moldova.

(STANDARD/SMOOTH) Denis Kutepov is a former professional ballroom dancer specializing in International Ballroom and American Smooth Style. He is a finalist of many major competitions in the United States as well as around the world including the European Championships and European Cup. Denis was a US Open Professional Finalist and a Blackpool Professional Ballroom semifinalist.

Denis is a WDO and USA Dance World Class Adjudicator, an owner of Lead And Follow dance studio and a co-organizer of LA DanceSport Challenge.

(STANDARD/SMOOTH) Lesya Sinitsa enjoyed a very successful dance career in Smooth and in Standard.  Lesya became a US Amateur American Smooth Champion dancing with Max Sinitsa. She became a US National Professional Rising Star International Ballroom Champion, US Open Professional Rising Star International Ballroom Champion, US Open Professional International Ballroom Finalist and Blackpool Professional International Ballroom Semi-Finalist with Denis Kutepov.  She is now a WDO and a USA Dance World Class adjudicator.

(Rhythm/Latin) Viktoriya Drubetskaya was a 1999 UK Open Professional Rising Star Finalist, 1999 USA Professional Rising Star Champion. 2001-2002 US and World Mambo Champion. 2002 US Professional Rhythm Finalist. As an amateur, she was a 1996 USA Amateur Latin Finalist as well as a Junior 10-Dance Finalist in Moldova.

Since 2002, she has been learning about human body movement in depth in Laban Institute of Movement Studies, has studied Dance Notation via Language of Dance and Kestenberg Movement Profile. She has also been certified as Eric Franklin Level 3 movement educator. She has used her knowledge successfully, creating BESSI (Body, Effort, Shape, Space, and Imagery) to train top level junior, youth and adult competitors who were US representatives to many world championships. Viktoria is WDO and USA Dance World Class Adjudicator.