Sabrina Barker-Truscott
Sabrina's performance experiences started in Virginia with dance, theme park, and musical theater productions. She studied Performance Arts at The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York, where she worked on Broadway, in commercials, on soap operas and in films. She was invited to move to Los Angeles by ABC, where she began to focus on television, guest-starring in numerous TV sitcoms, dramatic series, and TV movies under the name "Debbie Barker."
When she moved to Austin, Sabrina brought her experience in film, television and stage to her current passion -- Ballroom. In Austin, Sabrina teaches, competes and performs full-time while furthering her extensive ballroom education with World Champions in both the Standard and Latin styles of dance. She is certified *highly commended* through ISTD in both Standard and Latin.
Sabrina teaches private lessons (competitive and social), group classes (both youth and adult), and performance groups. She also acts as an agent for many dancers to secure performance opportunities and to produce local shows and fund raisers. Recently, she choreographed the CBS TV pilot, "Swingtown".
Since 2007, Sabrina has served as Dance Director of Dancing With the Austin Stars, a huge fund-raising event sponsored by Lexus for the Center for Child Protection in which 12 Austin celebrities perform with a professional dancer.
You can contact Sabrina by email directly at: info@allwaysdance.com
Stephen Cullip
Stephen, a two-time US Ballroom Champion and current NDCA judge, has relocated out of the Austin area; however, if you happen to be looking for lessons in the San Francisco area, you can still contact him through the email below.
Professional Certifications:
- WD & DSC and NDCA Certified Championship Adjudicator
- Full Member US Terpsichore Association, all branches
Coach and Teacher:
- US Champion USC Formation Dance Team
- US Champion Youth Standard and Ten Dance Couples
- US Open Amateur Ten Dance Champions
- US Novice and Pre-Championship Winners
Professional Competitor:
- Twice U.S. Professional International Standard Champion
- Three Times Ohio Star Ball Professional Standard Champion
- Twice World Professional Standard Semi-Finalist
- 7 Times U.S. Representative to World’s Professional Championships
- Three times member of U.S. Professional Team in Blackpool, England and Miami, Florida
- Winner of almost every major Professional Championship in the US
Amateur and Junior Competitor:
- 6 times U.S. Amateur International Standard Champion
- 6 times U.S. Representative to the World's Amateur Championships
- Twice World Amateur Standard Semi-Finalist
- Winner of almost every major Amateur Championship in the US California Junior Champion for 3 years
Stephen participated in Dancing With the Austin Stars in 2007.
You can email Stephen directly at stephencullip@gmail.com
Curtis Prevost
Curtis Prevost has been dancing most of his adult life. He is known for his great wit and fun loving approach to dance.
Dancing and competing in Austin since 1999, he has studied with Ballroom Champions including John Wood, Stephen Hilliar, Stephen Cullip, Igor and Irina Suvorov, Glenn Weiss, and many others.
Curtis and his amateur partner, Olga Curd, are the 2008 US Amateur Smooth Champions!
Curtis participated in Dancing With the Austin Stars in 2007-2008.
You can contact Curtis directly at: curtprevost@yahoo.com
Danny Davila
Danny began dancing at the age five. From that early age he knew that dancing would be his life long profession. After many years of dedicated training Danny has become a dance coach, choreographer, judge, and an independent dance instructor.
Danny has chosen to specialize in the Latin styles of dance and is known for his passionate and spicy disposition on the dance floor. Dancing with Danny is always a blast!
He has taught at Austin's Arthur Murray dance school and the Fred Astaire dance school in San Antonio and Dallas. Additionally he taught Ballroom dance at Preston in Highland Park for ten years. Danny is now located in Austin, TX. Danny and his partner, Ronda Grey were the 2008 champions of Dancing with the Stars - Austin.
Danny teaches children, couples, single men and women. He teaches group lessons, performance teams and performs at local charity functions. Danny's passion and love for dance has allowed him to compete all around the world.
You can contact Danny directly at: dannyd2023@gmail.com
Mike Topel
Mike began country line dancing in 1992, and he quickly turned to Swing, Latin, Country, and American social dance when he found dance partners who liked to be tossed in the air. He started teaching regular dance classes in 1994 and eventually quit an office job in 1998 to teach dance and perform full-time.
Mike's teaching style was developed from his martial arts background (where, as a second-degree black belt, he taught for five years) and his taste for improvisational theater.
Mike prefers to compete in dance events that test his leading, following, and improvisational skills. He learned that the balance and physical control that he developed in martial arts could be applied to social dancing and found that his was his greatest strength.
Mike continues to practice, perform, compete, judge, MC and teach. He has:
- Performed for the last decade at the US Open Swing Dance Championships, UCWDC Country Worlds, and everywhere in the country in the NASDE and WSDC swing circuits. He judges at just about every event, and is the Chief Judge for several Midwestern events.
- MC'd Summer Hummer, Michigan Classic, Tampa Bay Classic, Twin Cities Masquerade Ball, Wisconsin Dance Challenge, Chicagoland, and Nashville Classic.
- Served as the Event Director of MadMAC, a swing dance event in Madison, Wisconsin. (Soon he'll bring a similar one to Austin.)
With students all over the country, Mike gives special attention to his social dancing, which keeps him up until 4 AM on the weekends he's on the road. During the week he teaches regular classes around town, and DJs a weekly (Wednesday) swing dance.
Mike participated in Dancing With the Austin Stars in 2008.
You can contact Mike directly at miketopel@yahoo.com
Katherine (Kat) Parr
Kat began dancing ballet at the age of five and studied with schools in Nacogdoches, Plano, and San Antonio, Texas. She later received a scholarship and spent two years with the Joffrey Ballet / New School University BFA program in New York City. She was then offered a position with the Minnesota Ballet where she danced professionally for four years. While with the company she toured and danced principal and soloist roles in classical ballet, modern, and jazz performances. Due to an injury, Kat left the company and began learning and teaching ballroom dance while also creating choreography for musicals and competitions.
Kat teaches American style ballroom and Latin dance, as well as social dancing (salsa, country western, etc.) Kat and her partner, attorney Bill Jones were the 2007 champions of the very first Dancing with the Austin Stars. She teaches classes and private lessons in both ballet, ballroom, and fitness.
Kat participated in Dancing With the Austin Stars in 2007-2008.
You can reach Kat directly at dansekat@gmail.com
Lindsay LeBlanc
Lindsay trained with Joee Schapiro School of Dance in Houston starting at the age of five. She competed and performed in Ballet, Tap and Jazz. Lindsay taught ages 2-18 at JSSD for over five years. She choreographed performance and competition pieces for the school. When Lindsay moved to Austin, she taught at Dance Associates and started training in International Ballroom. She has been competing with her partner for over three years and has won first place at the Harvard Invitational Competition. While at Dance Associates, Lindsay worked on an outreach program where she taught Creative Movement, Ballet, Tap, Jazz and Gymnastics.
Lindsay participated in Dancing With the Austin Stars in 2008.
You can reach Lindsay directly at dancing712@gmail.com
Denis and Jolie Generalov
Denis was born in Russia, where his mother still teaches dance today. He began his Ballroom dance training at the age of 8, and by the time he was 10 he was actively competing in the Junior ranks, earning the titles of Junior Ballroom Champion and later Youth Ballroom Champion of Southern Russia. At the age of 16, Denis moved to the U.S., where he continued his training and competitive career.
Denis and his wife and partner, Jolie (pictured at right), have won a number of titles, including the U.S. National 10-Dance Championships (best in ballroom and latin.) Denis has been teaching professionally since 2002 and Jolie now spends the bulk of her time as an Independent Sr. Sales Director with Mary Kay Cosmetics.. In January 2008, Denis and Jolie moved from the San Francisco Bay area and have made Austin their new home.
Denis and Jolie participated in Dancing With the Austin Stars in 2008.
You can email Dennis directly at denis_generalov@hotmail.com
You can email Jolie directly at jolie_unstoppable@yahoo.com.
