'Dancing with the Stars' celebrity coming to St. Charles Friday
Legendary ballroom dancer Corky Ballas has delighted fans for decades with championship performances on national TV, including two stints as a professional on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars." This May, the U.S. and world champion dancer will bring his talents to St. Charles, to celebrate the grand opening of the city's newest ballroom dance studio.
Ballas will join the owners and staff of the new Fred Astaire Dance Studio of St. Charles, 2400 E. Main St., #107, for the grand opening of the new studio at 7 p.m. Friday, May 20.
The public is invited for an evening of food, drink, dance and fun, including a showcase performance by Ballas and free ballroom dancing instruction by the studio's professionals.
Ballas began dancing as a flamenco dancer when he was 6 years old, finding success with American-style Latin dancing now known as "Rhythm." He is a three-time United States Pro/Am Champion, eight-time U.S. Professional Champion and winner of the prestigious Open World British Championship in Blackpool, the pinnacle of competitive ballroom dancing.
He retired from competitive dancing in 1996 to train couples and to make them champions by mastering the same goals and principles he learned. Ballas has trained many of the professionals of "Dancing with the Stars," including Karina Smirnoff, Julianne Hough, Derek Hough, Tony Dovolani, Edyta Sliwinska, Alec Mazo, Brian Fortuna, Jonathan Roberts, Anna Trebunskaya, Jessie DeSoto as well as his own son, Mark Ballas.
Doors open with a meet-and-greet with Corky Ballas at 7 p.m., followed by studio instructions at 7:30 p.m.
There will be an amateur and professional show featuring Ballas at 7:45 p.m. with a group ballroom class at 8 p.m.
Enjoy music and social party dancing with music from the Flat Cats at 8:30 p.m. A raffle and closing remarks will be at 9:45 p.m.
About Fred Astaire Dance Studios®
Co-founded in 1947 by the legendary Fred Astaire, the studios set the standard of excellence in dance instruction. Fred Astaire Dance Studios has ballroom and Latin style dance lessons for all ages and abilities in a fun, friendly atmosphere. Our unique method of instruction will allow you to learn dances from the fox trot to salsa faster and more easily than you could anywhere else. Our mission is to enrich the lives of anyone and everyone who is associated with our company and to become your community dance studio.