Our Instructors
- Professional Rising Star Latin Champion – Florida Superstars – 2011
- Top 20 World Rising Star Amateur Latin – Blackpool, England – 2009
- U.S. Finalist Under 21 Amateur Latin – 2008
- Professional Rising Star Latin Champion – Florida Superstars – 2011
- U.S. Youth Ten-Dance finalist – 2008 & 2009
- Finalist – SouthEast Fred Astaire Championship
- Finalist – Fred Astaire Las Vegas National Championship
- Finalist – Fred Astaire New York Dance Championship
- Junior Latin Champion – Florida Superstars – 2011
- Junior Latin Scholarship Champion – North Carolina Classic – 2010
- 3rd Place Junior Latin World Challenge – Nassau, Bahamas – 2010
Felipe Gonzalez
Felipe comes to Charlotte from Colombia, South America. He began his dance training at age 6 and has trained under some of the most prestigious names in the world of Ballroom Dancing. Among Felipe’s trainers are such distinguished names as Shirley Ballas, Hanna Karttunen, Vibeke Toft and Goran Nordin. Felipe competes professionally in International Style Latin Dancing. He attended Utah Valley State University and studied in the Ballroom Dance Program. He has won several distinctions in his career including:
Felipe appears in DanceSport events both nationally and internationally. He is a well-respected mentor among younger ballroom dancers. Felipe trained the 2010 WDC Junior World Pro-am Latin Champion and also started his own younger brother in the world of competitive ballroom leading his brother and partner to the DanceSport circuit where they are now Amateur Finalists. Felipe is also the Founding Director of the Youth Dance Foundation, Queen City Ballroom’s non-profit organization that provides free ballroom dance instruction for local area youth.
Olivia Wesolowski
Olivia comes to Charlotte from her native Poland. She has over ten years of competitive ballroom dance experience. And has trained across the U.S. from New York to California. She has worked with DanceSport superstars like Shirley Ballas, Giampiero Giannico, Vibeke Toft, Hanna Karttunen and others. She is already a highly prized dancer. Her recent results include:
Olivia is working toward her BFA in Dance performance here in Charlotte. Her style and presence on the dance floor show the extent of her dance knowledge and the versaitlity of her talent.
Andrea Zaramella
Andrea is the 2012 United States National Amateur Vice-Champion of International Standard Dancing with his partner Kristie Simmonds. He began dancing in the youth division at the age of nine and became the World Youth Champion. Formerly from Brindisi, Italy, he has made Charlotte, NC his home. He is ranked among the top ten Standard Dancers worldwide.
Andrea is fluent in English and Spanish as well as his native Italian. He is an accomplished tennis player and an avid snowboarder.
Kristie Simmonds
Kristie Simmonds comes to Queen City Ballroom from Sydney, Australia. With her partner Andrea Zaramella, she is the 2012 United States National Amateur Vice-Champion of International Standard Dancing. Kristie began dancing as a child and started her international competitive career at the age of thirteen.
She began her current partnership with Andrea in New York City after a world-wide search. Together, she and Andrea achieved a ninth place finish in the UK Open placing her among the top ten Standard Dancers in the world.
While attending the United States Amateur Nationals in Provo, UT this year, she found a new love in snow skiing.
Jeremy Gonzalez
Jeremy is Spanish but hails from New York City where he was trained in all of the ballroom and latin dances. In his career, he has earned several top finishes which distinguish him as an accomplished dancer.
When competing professionally, Jeremy was called upon regularly to perform in New York, North Carolina and South Carolina. Some of those performances were done for local theatre groups which gave him experience both on the dance floor and on stage.
Christina Rodgers
Christina is from Detroit, Michigan. She has over 15 years of Ballet, Contemprary and Ballroom Dance experience. Her students have enjoyed considerable success at such events as the Harvest Moon Ball in Chicago and the Cleveland DanceSport Challenge. Christina studied ballroom under U.S. Champions Gregory Day and Tommye Gicchino, and was a featured performer at Detroit’s Dance with Stars of Michgan with celebrity hair artist Johnny Maalovf. She spends her free time exploring new things … whether hiking, traveling or enjoying exotic cuisine.
Charlton Alicea
Charlton Alicea was born in Charlotte after his parents moved from Puerto Rico. He began his dance career in 1995 shortly after graduation. Seventeen years later, his dancing has taken him all over the world from New York to California, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the Bahamas. He was the Fred Astaire National Professional Latin Dance Champion prior to moving to California. While living in SoCal, he danced with some of the greatest legends in Ballroom dance.
Back in Charlotte, Charlton has made a name for himself in a wide variety of interests. He is a highly sought after producer for local fashion shows and charity events, and he is a licensed hair and make-up consultant. Most recently, Charlton can be found on Charlotte’s musical stages. His recent starring roles in “Rent” and “Cabaret” have drawn glowing reviews from the local media. In addition to his expertise in Ballroom and Latin Dancing, Charlton is also a noted specialist in night club style West Coast Swing.
Emma Getz
Emma came to Charlotte from Virginia Beach, Virginia. She begain training at Queen City Ballroom in 2005. She attended school at Charlotte Latin until becoming a full time instructor at Queen City Ballroom. Emma has trained with such dance greats as Goran Nordin, Hanna Karttunen, Michael Chapman and Karina Smirnov of “Dancing With the Stars.” In her competitve career, Emma has several notable finishes.
Emma is proud to call herself “home grown” because she has done all of her training at Queen City Ballroom.
Jim Reynolds
Jim is a native of North Carolina. He moved to Charlotte from his home town of Raleigh. Jim has trained in ballrooms across the Carolinas. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Dance Performance at Elon University and he is an accomplished Ballet, Jazz and Contemporary dancer. Very active in Community Outreach projects, Jim was recently voted “Most Popular” dancer in the Dancing For Our Future Stars program in Gaston County. He is also one of the regular instructors with the Youth Dance Foundation which teaches Ballroom Dance to Charlotte area youth at no cost.
Jim can often be found performing downtown as a dancer for Caroline Calouche & Co. – a Contemporary and Aerial dance company. Jim is a certified Pilates Instructor and a well known health and fitness expert.