TEACHERS

Edgar Franco

Artistic Director

Edgar Franco founded Franco Dance as a means to liberate the dancer inside each and every new student who is hungry to move.Edgar's unique teaching style, which focuses equally on fun and achievement, is the culmination of his worldwide studies.

From Ecuador he brings the exuberance of street dancing;
from Argentina, the passion of tango;
from Australia, the value of hard work;
from South East Asia, simplicity and patience as both teacher and student;
and from Europe, technique and discipline.

At Franco Dance these elements are brought together to challenge students while still giving them room to grow at their own pace.

Edgar has represented Canada at international competitions in the USA and Switzerland. In 2002, he placed in the finals at the USA Open in Orlando, and also placed in the final at the World Salsa Competition in Olten, Switzerland, in 2004.

Qualifications

Edgar is a member of some of the world's most prestigious dance associations:

Canadian Dance Teacher Association (CDTA), Canada
Dance Vision International Dance Association (DVIDA), USA
National Dance Council of America (NDCA), USA
International Dance Organization (IDO), Italy
Dream Time Dancers, Australia
Ontario Dance and DanceSport Organization (ODDSO)

Faculty Team FDS 2008

Melinda Franco

President

Melinda Franco brings her extensive background in theatre, film and television to Franco Dance. Combining her love of dance with these other media is a passion of hers, and currently she is working on the development of plays using flamenco music and dance in the storytelling. As a ballroom dance teacher she is focused strongly on expression , confidence and personality; she is as passionate in the studio as she is on stage . She encourages her students to imagine themselves performing , because in that private dream is all the boldness, strength and desire that anyone needs to become a dancer.

Sofia Lascano

Sofia Lascano was born in Ecuador. She started to dance at a very early age, and gained a solid background in aboriginal dances. Throughout her school years, she performed at different events and embassies. Like all South America youth, Sophia started to dance salsa, meringue, cumbia as a teenager. In 1987, she traveled to Colombia and learned to dance Colombian salsa. In 2001, she decided to study salsa professionally, including the Puerto Rican and Cuban styles. From there, she began dancing Casino Rueda. Sofia's former partners went on to become the Australian champions of Casino Rueda.

Yulia Kostroma

Event Coordinator

Since Yulia was a little girl she has loved dancing and dressing up. As soon as she learned how to use a needle and thread, she started making costumes for herself and creating dance routines to perform in front of her family members. Yulia’s first serious dance classes were in modern dance and ballet. She enjoyed these styles first but realized there was something missing in her life when she saw a ballroom dance competition and discovered her passion for partner dancing. Yulia has given international dance workshops for the studio, and she also is working on her qualifications as a judge and professional dancing coach. Yulia’s philosophy: “If I really feel bad about something, the only thing that helps me feel better is getting my salsa fix.”

Holly Warhus

Having grown up in a household filled with musicians and music from dawn until dusk, Holly enjoyed choreographing dances for her family in their living room. Born and raised in Nova Scotia, which is rich in Scottish and Irish influence, she studied Scottish Highland dance and Scottish Step dance from the age of four. In her teens she began ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop and studied some Latin dancing during her years at Dalhousie University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music. Besides dancing, Holly also grew up singing and playing the piano, bagpipes, and saxophone. She loves performing in concerts, and playing gigs. She is really excited to be joining the Franco Dance Studio. Holly hopes to make a career as a ballroom dance teacher and performer.

Alicia Coelho

Alicia is an actress with experience in improv, theatre and television. She’s also a singer, dancer, and an all around multi-talented Scorpio.
Growing up, her involvement in theatre introduced her to such dances as: Lyrical, Swing, Hip-Hop and Salsa. Being an adventurous one, she even dabbled in Traditional German Dance for 2 years!
While studying acting at Humber College, she was introduced to Ballroom dancing and fell in love with all the dances, particularly Tango.
Alicia aspires to bring passion, spontaneity, and creativity to both her teaching and performances. As well as dancing, she is the PR rep for the studio and hosts the showcases (when she’s not performing in them of course!).

Charles Kean Pradichit

Charles became interested in dance through his study of classical, Spanish and blues guitar. He began dancing the Argentine Tango and the Lindy Hop and has since expanded his repertoire to include all the ballroom dances. Thanks to his love of music, he also wants to pursue tap/jazz, hip hop and African dance. Charles' focus as a ballroom dancer is ultimately on performance, since he believes dance is the foremost mode of self expression.

Natalia Torres

Natalia Torres began dancing at the age of 5 when she took her first ballet lesson in Ecuador. Once in Canada, Natalia continued studying ballet and helped instructing the smaller kids at the school where she was dancing. She took her first salsa class in 2001 and since that time, has invested her time, energy and effort towards this passion. Natalia has performed with many institutions, groups, dance companies, and has taught and performed in the most prestigious dance stages and clubs in the city and abroad. After pursuing her career as an Architectural Technologist Natalia decided it was time to pass on some of what she had learned. She joined Franco Dance Studios to realize her dream of becoming an instructor in ballroom and Latin dancing. Natalia's unique style, her warm personality and her dance background make her someone you'll want to learn from.

Christal Derry-Francis

Christal Derry-Francis has ardently pursued the arts of song, music, dance and other forms of self expression since her childhood. She has been choreographing, composing and performing ever since then. Her passion for the rhythm and energy of latin dancing, particularly Salsa was cultivated in her native Trinidad and enriched by the diversity of the Toronto salsa scene. Her desire is to share her love of dance with anyone who wishes to shed their inhibitions and let their true selves shine.

Joseph Hersco

Joseph Hersco who's more commonly known as J-Rebel within the b-boy community has been dancing since the age of fifteen. He is a member from an up and coming Canadian B-Boy Crew known as Supernaturalz Crew. His complex footwork and natural flow has set him apart from many other dancers. His footwork is a true testament to the legacy of Supernaturalz Crew, whose members have been known for having unique styles. Many of his accomplishments include, Battle of the Year 2004, UK Championships 2004, Semi Finalist in City vs City (1 on 1 battle), Out for Fame Finals (New York 2002) and currently holds the world record for world's longest B-Boy circle. J-Rebel grew up in Lawrence Heights Community know as "The Jungle"; as the area was set up like an urban jungle with a chaotic environment from architecture to the people who embodied wild spirits due to social-economics and politics. He was from a family of five where every day was a battle i.e. for food, attention and respect amongst his siblings. Because he was raised by a single parent mother on welfare, there was rarely anyone around to guide him and he quickly became vulnerable to the ills of his neighbourhood (drugs, gangs etc). At the age of sixteen Joseph decided that he wanted to take breakdancing more seriously. In the beginning he taught himself the basics by mimicking dancers in videos such as ‘breaker delight’ featuring REDMAN, and watching an unedited underground video of Supernaturalz. It was only when he joined Supernaturalz Crew, his skills and appreciation for breakdancing elevated to a new level. He is now an active mentor in many housing projects where he teaches the art of B-Boying to many youth at risk.

Anzhelika Kasparova

Anzhelika Kasparova First of all I want to say my favorite quotation 'God respects us when we work but loves us when we dance'

My passion for dancing has been through all my life. According to my mother she will tell you that 'My daughter start dancing before she did her first step and at 2 years she danced as ABBA'. My mother has an accent like I do so it sounds even more romantic when she tells you the story.

My experience of 8 years dancing classical and traditional dance as professional dancer back in Russia helps me a lot to understand and feel ballroom style. In addition, I have to say that I can dance Hip-Hop and Cardio, combined with Fitness and Arabic dance I can bring down the beats.

Moreover, I have traveled a lot and on top of that have my Master degree in International Business in United Kingdom which gives me knowledge to understand different cultures and views to this complex industry like the dancing industry.

Finally, I have to say that it is never too late to start dancing and make your dreams come true. I hope my brief description of what I feel about dancing will inspire you to join our great team and bring more enjoyment and wonderful time in your life.

Jon Drops

As a dancer, Drops is known for his musicality and fast powerful flow. He is a member of Supernaturalz Crew, Canada’s best Bboy crew, currently ranked one of the top crews in the world. Drops and Supernaturalz represented Canada at the prestigious R-16 2009 International Invitational Bboy Championship in Incheon Korea. They were heralded for their complicated style and creativity. Drops is also the Artistic Director for Break It Down, a not-for-profit dedicated to inspiring youth through the art of Bboying, Dance Director for the Manifesto Hip Hop Festival and Marketing Director for Back to the Underground Bboy Events and Promotions. He is heavily dedicated to spreading the knowledge of the culture to the next generation of dancers and works towards it each day through his community work, dancing and teaching.

Márcio Mendes

Márcio Mendes was born in the Northern Amazonian city of Macapá, state of Amapá in Brazil. He spent his formative years in the neighboring city of Belém. At the age of seventeen, Márcio began studying Capoeira with the internationally renowned Capoeira Master, Antônio Bezerra dos Santos, the first man to bring Capoeira to the state of Pará. Márcio excelled at the art, and within a few years, Mestre Bezerra allowed him to serve as his assistant at the University of Pará. By the age of twenty, Márcio was encouraged to lead his own Capoeira classes at the University, and he decided to dedicate his life to the practice and teaching of the art form. In 1999, Márcio travelled across Western Europe, performing Capoeira and leading numerous workshops throughout France, Portugal and Spain. He then moved to Canada and opened a Capoeira school named “Muiraquitã Capoeira”. Today Marcio is also teaching Capoeira at University of Toronto, YMCA, he is a member of Ache Brasil, and recently has founded Shango Capoeira where he teaches classes. In addition Marcio is the Vice-President of the National Capoeira Association of Canada and director of the Adimula Cultural Center to promote African and Nigeria Culture.

Dancing is like dreaming with your feet!
-Constanze