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Rebecca Sweet Rebecca Sweet enjoyed an extensive and distinguished dance career as a principal dancer in the Eddie Torres Latin Dance Company from 1999 to 2002 where she performed in many prestigious venues and shows such as Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall with Wynton Marsalis, The Apollo Theatre for the Vagina Monologues and at Salsa congresses around the world including the Congresso Bacardi de la Salsa in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In the world of Dancesport, Rebecca was a professional competitor in the International Latin division from 1996-2010. She placed in Rising Star and Open International Latin Finals in the United States, Canada and Europe during her career. Notable accomplishment include placing in the top quarter at World International Latin Open Competition at U.S.D.S.C; Miami, FL, placing 3rd at the Italian Open Ballroom and Latin Dance Championships Rising Star; Rimini, Italy, placing 2nd Greek DanceSport Open; Athens, Greece, and ranking 4th in Canada in 2008. Sweet attended Smith College obtaining a BA degree with a major in Dance and a minor in Gender Studies. She was a distinguished alumna for the 5 College Dance Department in 1996. She also holds an MBA from Case Western Reserve’s Weatherhead School of Management, taught a leadership workshop to the Neighborhood Leadership and Development Program in Cleveland, Ohio and is a favorite instructor and organizer to many of Cleveland’s top non-profit organizations including the Playhouse Square Foundation and the Cleveland Museum of Art. As an instructor and business owner, Rebecca co-directs Viva Dance Studio, one of Northeast Ohio’s premiere dance schools since its inception in 2004 that teaches all forms of social and competitive partner dance to more than 125 students each week. She also trains two amateur Latin partner dance teams that travel and compete throughout the United States and Canada. https://www.vivadancestudio.com/team/parker daily 0.75 2023-09-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/317adedb-c6e0-438d-a3e1-0abbe849be9f/DSC_0977.JPG Parker - Parker Amsel Parker Amsel is a co-owner of Viva Dance Studio in Cleveland, Ohio. He trained in gymnastics and martial arts for 15 years before starting ballet, modern, and ballroom in college. He has been teaching most styles of competitive ballroom and social partner dance, including theater arts, since 2007. He started one of Cleveland‘s most successful salsa clubs in 2010 and operated it for seven years. He has competed nationally and trained with many former and current champions. He introduced Zouk to Ohio and is a community leader in Cleveland. Besides Dance, Parker is a published writer, musician, and DJ. https://www.vivadancestudio.com/team/heriberto daily 0.75 2023-03-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/1eac90fe-ed5c-4c83-ad11-2df1149093ec/DSC_4848.JPG Heriberto - Heriberto Perez Heriberto Perez (Heri for short) is one of the principal instructors and Co-Owner of Viva Dance Studio. He specializes in competitive and social dancing with a focus on lead, follow & technique teaching dances like Argentine Tango, Salsa, Mambo On2, Cha-Cha Boogaloo, Latin Body Movement, Blues & more. Heriberto was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico before moving to Philadelphia. In 2004, Heriberto began working at Viva! Dance Studio. In 2011 Heriberto decided to open a studio of his own and became the owner of Latin Soul Ballroom. Three years later he again joined forces with Rebecca Sweet and Parker Amsel to create the new Viva Dance Studio in 2014. Heriberto loves to travel. His unique style makes him a favorite lead and guest instructor wherever he goes. Since taking up dance as his full-time career in 2001, Heriberto has performed and taught with different professionals in the United States, Canada and Europe. Eager to be a part of the growing dance community, he strives to share his love for many different styles of dance with his students and peers. Heriberto believes it is important as an instructor to continue his dance education as well. He is constantly fine-tuning his technique and discovering new ways to help his students learn. https://www.vivadancestudio.com/private-lessons daily 0.75 2026-02-07 https://www.vivadancestudio.com/team/nika daily 0.75 2023-09-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/20492946-5d19-44ba-9d43-f6302c5707f6/DSC_1313.JPG Nika - Nika Obrosova Nika Obrosova was born in Moscow, Russia. After immigrating to the United States as a teenager, she became aware of the vibrant dance scene that Cleveland offers and eventually started to train in Ballroom and Latin dance. Always the serious student, she took coaching lessons with dance masters that came to Cleveland including Donald Johnson, Rosendo Fumero, and Alexandra Perzhu. After joining forces with Parker Amsel in 2010, she not only competed on the Pro/Am circuit gaining titles such as Top Female Student at the Virginia Dancesport Challenge, she also became one of the lead Salsa instructors at Salsa and Ceviche, which was and still is one of the longest running Friday night Latin social dance venues in Cleveland. She is extensively trained in social dances including Bachata, Kizomba, Salsa, and Argentine Tango. Ballroom dances, however, remain her first love. When she is not training for upcoming events and competitions with students, Nika and her partner, Heriberto Perez, travel and teach different styles of dance outside of Cleveland, most recently at the Hi-Fi Fusion 2019 in Seattle and at Motley Hue 2020 over Zoom. Nika has been a part of Viva Dance Studio since they opened their doors in 2015. When she is not teaching, you can see her at the front desk where she is both the manager and works with the marketing director. Lessons with Nika can be in English or Russian! https://www.vivadancestudio.com/team/kaitie daily 0.75 2023-08-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/fb30a147-f57c-4ef9-bae8-7efcf929a3aa/DSC08126.JPG Kaitie - Kaitie Fox Kaitie currently teaches dance at Viva Dance Studio and has been instructing partner dance since 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. Since she started, she has developed the Bachata Fusion team, Burning River Dance Company, which both travels across the country to perform and performs locally in Northeast Ohio. Kaitie has traveled to festivals to both teach and perform, most recently at the Dallas Fusion Festival in 2020. During the pandemic, she taught at Iron Kingdom Online Festival in the fall of 2020 and again for Iron Kingdom 2 and 3 in 2021. From a young age, Kaitie danced ballet, modern, jazz, and hip hop. In college she was a part of a group of dancers that taught dance for free to fellow students, collaborated with the choir and theatre to choreograph pieces, and developed a dance showcase for the school. Now, she leverages her movement background to color and add texture to her partner dancing. Outside of dance, Kaitie works for a start-up in Cleveland as a computer programmer. In her free time, Kaitie enjoys doing rock climbing with her husband, modern dance, ballet, and heels, and playing Dungeons and Dragons with her friends. https://www.vivadancestudio.com/weddings daily 0.75 2023-04-25 https://www.vivadancestudio.com/dance-teams daily 0.75 2025-11-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/1c2ded61-b806-4b52-a324-0fe6e953d206/_d_366j73_e_4jeUd018svc1bgd4k1hw2b8q_1ba9dn.jpg Dance Teams https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/616f46b6-9769-4a44-a6ff-3f7fcdc93ca2/DSC_0011.JPG Dance Teams https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/a5aa026b-ab56-4d71-accf-d4e900997b88/3edfa316-be97-4779-8a36-d0868f117b7e.JPG Dance Teams https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/451cc458-a465-4e66-ac65-29d26f46f66a/_d_387j2e_5_bjbUd018svcqkotvjxv5sbr_ur8bpc.jpg Dance Teams https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/7c2f661c-882c-4d61-99c8-af9431ca1bdc/IMG_2815.JPEG Dance Teams https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/641070dd-7053-4301-99a7-31234c060821/Untitled+design.png Dance Teams https://www.vivadancestudio.com/team/burningriver daily 0.75 2021-03-28 https://www.vivadancestudio.com/team/chris daily 0.75 2021-02-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/1613515722187-UW9MCSKZVFRW9BUPLFYS/BJS_5262.jpg Chris - Christopher Stotridge Christopher, a native Ohioan, has been an award-winning certified member of the Arthur Murray Ballroom franchise for 15 years. He honed his art under the tutelage of world-renowned coaches and trainers. An Open Smooth Finalist, Christopher also placed third in a worldwide teacher competition in 2017. He has also received numerous top instructor and supervisor awards. He loves to share the joy of personal growth and self-discovery through dance while celebrating the daily successes and long-term milestones of the journey. Patient and dependable, Christopher will be your biggest cheerleader. He will always help you push through any challenges that dance presents to those willing to take the journey. As always, he’ll make sure you come out smiling. https://www.vivadancestudio.com/rentals daily 0.75 2025-11-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/d7d6eac0-a8e4-4c3e-b2d6-4a5525cb3d3b/SRB_1431.jpg Rentals https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/9c0518e5-84a1-4605-a60c-61750794931b/RBJ_4826.jpg Rentals https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/f464c43c-6bb4-4157-b664-408a43c4ba0d/BJS_5423.JPEG Rentals https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/12e209af-646e-47e2-92d4-a422ed9570dd/BJS_5420.JPEG Rentals https://www.vivadancestudio.com/team/ychan daily 0.75 2025-12-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/01358180-fadc-4fc9-8d65-f760f5541b49/Y6.JPG Y Chan - Y Chan Y Chan is MAC-certified and has been teaching at Viva since 2018 specializing in Zouk, West Coast Swing, and Taichi. He has co-led Cleveland’s annual International WCS Rally Team; co-led Cleveland’s annual International Zouk Day Flash Mob Team; competed and performed at C.A.S.H. Bash and Swingin’ Dance Party; performed with Azucar at the Salsa Bachata Congress in Toronto; performed with The Ohio Zouk Project and The Cult of Zouk at Future Zouk in Chicago, SaBaKizou in Columbus, and Zouk Heat in D.C.. Y Chan has studied movement through the lens of martial arts since early childhood. After co- founding the DPWT at OSU in 2001, he continued his studies living in NYC. He was fortunate to have captured numerous medals as a competitor, performed at Madison Square Garden, lectured at universities, published articles, sat as a head judge, opened 2 schools in NJ, performed internationally, received national and international certifications, and coached athletes representing the U.S at the World Wushu Championships. His teaching methods were presented at Yunnan Agricultural University in China. Y Chan has taken private lessons and/or teacher training from Alex de Carvalho and Patrycja Jakimczyk, Leandro Nascimento & Nayara Celestini, Ariel Peck and Jesse Lopez, Henry Valendia and Jessica Lamdon, Saulo Dias and Yasmim Rodrigues, Iago Hassuike and Vanessa Meirelles, Bruno Miranda and Fae Hermann, Adayl and Deblin McKnight, Elias Travers and Laura Dalava, Erica Smith, William Wegert and Camilla Magalhaes; and many others. Y Chan teaches in both English and Mandarin Chinese. If you don’t see him dancing, taking workshops and private lessons, or teaching, he's probably outdoors, teaching Taichi at Judson Manor, volunteering at Asian Evergreen Apartments, DJing, or studying dance videos. https://www.vivadancestudio.com/team/michael daily 0.75 2021-02-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/1614030347059-5XVUKFPGLHFFYLP0HNJU/BJS_6051.jpg Michael - Michael Coles Cleveland Native, Michael has been dancing since the young age of 12 under the apprenticeship of Rebecca Sweet and Heriberto Perez. After witnessing New York Mambo at a neighborhood event, he was hooked on dance. Michael immediately began his training at Viva Dance Studio in Strongsville Ohio and aspired to teach others his passion for Mambo. Michael immediately began his training at Viva Dance Studio in Strongsville Ohio and aspired to teach others his passion for Mambo. Including his training with local instructors, he has taken numerous workshops with: Eddie Torres, Eddie Torres Jr., Melissa Rosado, and Adolpho Indacochea of New York City. His specialties are: Latin Styling, Partnering, Following, Pachanga and Mambo Shines. Although Salsa is his number one passion, he stems a love for International Latin, and American Smooth. Michael encourages his students to be their best and to not lose their individual style that makes them unique. He also believes that dance is a continuous journey that is never ending. His motto is “We keep learning, we keep growing”. You can find Michael on the dance floor with an affectionate smile that inspires others to move. Be sure to ask him for a dance at the next dance social, it will definitely be a dance to remember. https://www.vivadancestudio.com/team/irina daily 0.75 2023-03-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/72481d8e-8009-446b-a0c7-f35a8d705205/DSC_5920.JPG Irina - Irina Khrychikova Irina is the co-director of Viva’s Mambo Team – Saoco de Mambo. She started dancing in one of the top ballroom dance studies in Russia at the age of six and eventually participated in Rueda team competitions in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Throughout a 10-year pursuit, she competed as an International Latin and Standard dancer across Russia, the Ukraine and Europe. In 2000, she entered the social dancing world, where she focused on Salsa, Bachata, Cha-cha and others dancing styles. When Irina moved to Cleveland, she continued Latin social dancing. She has attended numerous Salsa congresses in the USA, Canada and Europe. Irina has completed workshops and classes from Eddie Torres, Juan Matos, Super Mario, Tito Ortos, Jorjet Alcocer, Troy Anthony, Anya Katzevman, Luis Vazquez and Mellisa Fernandes, Griselle Ponce, Vera Rowe, Magna Gopal and many great professional dancers and performers. Irina placed third in the Advanced Salsa Division of this year’s Canada Salsa Bachata Congress (the biggest Canadian Salsa event) and is currently getting ready for another competition. https://www.vivadancestudio.com/social-dance-parties daily 0.75 2026-03-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/cc632b6f-0a6c-44b0-8ce6-1cfb6d8e9417/June6.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/266515fa-4d2e-4b80-868d-90db7a20ed91/art+ceawl+milonga.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/dbc7c11c-8595-4986-a4c1-a86530e6782d/DSC_9381.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/3736fec1-efd8-4170-93d5-4d8c3c34aed7/319980043448513307.png https://www.vivadancestudio.com/group-class-schedule daily 0.75 2021-03-26 https://www.vivadancestudio.com/team/saoco daily 0.75 2021-03-27 https://www.vivadancestudio.com/team/nancy daily 0.75 2023-03-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/25c3bdbf-0cb8-4c3a-a1b0-e2c19b600e92/Nancy+2.jpg Nancy - Nancy Xu Nancy Xu first fell in love with music and dance at a very young age. She studied classical piano from the age of six and clarinet from the age of eight. Throughout high school she participated in many ensembles including Jazz Band I, Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, and Pit Orchestra. Additionally, Nancy danced Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and Lyrical throughout all of grade school, with Tap being her favorite. When Nancy enrolled at Case Western Reserve University in 2018, she expanded her love for dance with Salsa and Bachata through Case Salsa Club, and has been hooked ever since. Consequently, Nancy served as both Secretary (2019-20) and President (2020-22) of the Club, and currently spends her Tuesdays teaching lessons at the Village Dance Studio. She is also the co-director and choreographer of the CWRU performance teams, including the beginner and intermediate Salsa partnering teams, the Salsa Shines team, and the Bachata team. Nancy is also currently a member of Viva’s On 2 Performance Team, Saoco de Mambo. Prior to joining the team in 2019, Nancy attended the Canada Salsa & Bachata Congress in Toronto, where she had the opportunity to take workshops from many world-renowned dancers, including Eddie Torres, Harold & Regan, and Antonio & Jasmina Berardi. Now that she is training with Saoco, Nancy looks forward to more opportunities to travel with her team to attend more congresses and dance festivals in the future. Nancy also regularly trains under Heriberto Perez, Nika Obrosova, Irina Khrychikova, and Ben Sperl. When Nancy isn’t dancing, she is an amateur sushi chef (she makes a mean California roll), Nintendo fan, and sticker connoisseur, and she loves volunteering as a pianist at her local children’s hospital. Nancy is fluent in English, Spanish, and Chinese. https://www.vivadancestudio.com/team/michel daily 0.75 2024-09-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600c9781387b98582a5ed1fb/5e61a173-4bd6-480e-a5fd-0c5d10e80ee0/index.jpg Michel - Michel Yuzik Michel is an instructor in the Salsa and Bachata Departments at Viva Dance Studio and is a co-instructor for CWRU’s Salsa Club. He is also co-director and choreographer for both the beginner and intermediate partnerwork Salsa teams at Case Western, regularly performing for many on-campus and community events. When he teaches, Michel strives to highlight the importance of connection and consent, to encourage learning both aspects of the leader-follower dyad, and to emphasize musicality. He believes the best way to improve is to dance continuously throughout the day which provides one with much happiness and joy! Lessons with Michel can be in English or Português. Michel was born in São Paulo, Brasil. After immigrating to the United States, Michel trained in competitive Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and Acro for nine years, earning titles such as Master Columbus and Platinum 1st Place at youth dance competitions, while additionally performing with the Akron Civic Theatre’s production of The Nutcracker. Also known for his musical talents, Michel trained under multiple internationally celebrated classical pianists for over a decade before diversifying into Blues, Jazz, and Pop with a focus on ear training and music theory. When Michel started pursuing his B.S. in Biochemistry at Case Western Reserve University, he longed for an outlet for his artistic passion and drive. He was soon introduced to the world of Latin dance in 2016 where he was a dedicated member of CWRU’s Salsa Club, eventually becoming the club’s president. Michel represented his collegiate Mambo team, Afinque, in 2017 where they performed in a variety of locations around NE Ohio. During his collegiate years, Michel trained under Balázs Zombory, Brittany Carbaugh, Joe Fornadel, and Heriberto Perez & Nika Obrosova. Michel currently performs with Viva Dance Studio’s Mambo Performance Team, Saoco de Mambo, under the direction of Irina Krychikova and Rebecca Sweet. He has been a company member since 2018 and has performed and competed at various congresses both nationally and internationally, including The World Salsa Summit in Miami FL, and the Canada Salsa & Bachata Congress in Toronto. These events gave him the opportunity to take workshops from many world-renowned dancers and world champions including Eddie Torres, Frankie Martinez, Darlin Garcia, Adrian Tenorio, Harold & Regan, Antonio & Jasmina, and Rodrigo & Wendy. Fun Fact: Michel was a decorated competitive gymnast for more than 15 years earning two State Championship titles and podium finishes at the USA Regional Championships before a career-ending injury in 2014. 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