Katya Virshilas - Canadian Latin Champion, World Latin Championships Semi-Finalist and dance star of the movie "Take The Lead"

Katya, a true champion and well established dancer/instructor is on a mission to bridge the gap between the two worlds of Latin Ballroom and Salsa dancing. Haven proven herself in the Latin Ballroom arena, Katya has decided to cross over to the world of Salsa with a strong desire to contribute to Salseros of all ages who will benefit from her vast experience. Never before in Vancouver have a Salsa Instructor and a Latin Ballroom Instructor joined forces and worked together in an effort to share their passions of dance with their students. We are extremely honored that Katya has decided to join the EasySalsa team of professionals.. Katya was born in Lithuania in 1983. Age six marked two very important events in her life: her family moved to Israel and Katya started to dance. For the first few years she trained in jazz, ballet and modern dance, but at age 13 on the eve of another move, this time to Vancouver Canada, Katya discovered ballroom dancing. It was love at first sight.. Almost immediately Katya competed in and won numerous championships, including being the youngest ever BC Latin Dance Champion at the age of 16. In 2003 Katya won the Canadian Latin Championship, earning herself a place at the World Championships representing Canada in St. Petersburg, Russia. It was also in Russia that Katya first pursued her love of teaching, instructing children and teens while training in Moscow. In 2003 Katya also pursued acting and established herself in that profession with a role in the dance drama, "Shall We Dance". Behind the scenes Katya continued making an impression with her dance talents, becoming trainer for the two stars of the movie, Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez. Her next role, starring in the acclaimed drama "Take the Lead" based on the documentary "Mad Hot Ballroom" began her foray into choreography as well as rekindled her passion for teaching and sharing her love of dance with children and adults alike. She co-choreographed, trained and danced in the unforgettable tango dance sequence with Antonio Banderas, from which the signature image of the movie was taken. Most recently Katya was scouted by top Bollywood choreographer Shiamak Davar to conduct latin dance workshops across India. These workshops included instruction in salsa, cha-cha, jive and more. In addition to teaching in such cities as Bombay, Delhi and Chennai, Katya performed in Shiamak Davar's acclaimed stage production, "I Believe", which drew more than 60,000 spectators. All of the experience has instilled in Katya an immense love of dance and an unquenchable desire to share its joys with people young and old, both the interested novice and the ambitious professional. Aside from teaching Ladies Styling for EasySalsa Dance, Katya also holds her very own classes in Latin Ballroom to students of all ages. To see a full schedule of Katya's classes, please visit her website at www.dancewithkatya.com Click the video thumbnails below to see Katya in action Scene from the movie "Take The Lead"   Katya in action