Conservatory Leadership

Robert Porch

Robert Porch

Director, Ballroom Dance Conservatory

Teaches: Latin Ballroom, Standard Ballroom

robert.porch@ocsarts.net

Mr. Robert Porch earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in theatre performance from the University of California, Los Angeles. After graduating, he was a full-time instructor and competitor with Fred Astaire Dance Studios in Florida and New York City. Mr. Porch has been fortunate to dance professionally in several ballroom touring shows, including the U.S. tour of Simply Ballroom with host Debbie Reynolds, as well as a Las Vegas residency show and the filming of the U.K. tour of Simply Ballroom. He also served as the ballroom specialist and featured ballroom couple for Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise Lines for several years.

Since Mr. Porch became the Director of the Ballroom Dance Conservatory, the program has tripled in size and has attracted some of the finest ballroom dancers and teachers in the area. Along with directing the conservatory’s community performance group, Ballroom Blitz, he directs the Ballroom Dance Conservatory showcase Dancing with the OCSA Stars every year. Most recently, Mr. Porch has been certified as a Grand Master of Dance in International Ballroom and Latin through DVIDA. He also has an AAU and USA Dance Adjudicator and has judged the Journey Dancesport California State Youth Championships, Hot Ballroom Dancesport Challenge, and the AAU West Coast Junior Olympics in the category of DanceSport for several years.

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Advisory Board

Linda Wakefield

Linda Wakefield

Co-Director

BYU Ballroom Dance Touring Company

Former US Theater Arts Champion

Linda Wakefield, along with her husband Lee, began dancing professionally in 1974. They competed professionally for fourteen years in the Ballroom, Latin, and Theatrical Arts (Exhibition) styles. They won two United States National Professional Championships and placed third at the 1980 World Professional Exhibition Championships in the Theatrical Arts division. They also represented the United States of America at the British Professional invitational Exhibition Championship in Blackpool, England. The Wakefields have also judged 21 World Championships, as well as an additional seven other national or major championships overseas.

In 1995, Mrs. Wakefield hosted the live broadcast of the Northwest Dance Championships and subsequently became the host of both GoodLife Television’s DanceSport series and TLC’s Ballroom Boot Camp. In the past several years, the Wakefields have received a number of awards recognizing their contributions to Ballroom Dance nationally, including: National Dance Council of America U.S. DanceSport Hall of Fame, Millennium Lifetime Achievement Award, U.S. Dance Championships Hall of Fame, National Dance Association Heritage Award, the Hanlon-Ford Award, and World Masters Hall of Fame.

"The first time I saw this program perform at a competition, I was instantly impressed with the quality of dancing. It was evident that they had a team of qualified instructors mentoring the students in a positive and artistic way. I am certain the teachers will nurture the full potential of these young dancers, and I could see this growing into a nationally recognized ballroom program. Well done."

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Stuart Cole

Stuart Cole

World Champion Ballroom Dancer

Adjudicator

Owner & Dance Director, Fullerton Dancesport Center

Stuart Cole choreographs competition and showcase routines for senior dancers in the Ballroom Program. He has also featured several students in showcases at his dance studio, Fullerton Dancesport Center. Mr. Cole has more than 50 years of experience in the world of ballroom and Latin dance as a competitor, coach, and judge. 

Mr. Cole had an extensive and illustrious competitive career as both an amateur and professional. During his amateur career, he reached the British Open (Blackpool) Youth Finalist five times. He was both the Scottish International Ballroom champion and Scottish 10 Dance champion. During Mr.Cole's professional career, he placed first or second in every major competition in the United States, reaching the national final five times. He was the Vice-Champion of the United States, the national representative to the World Championships, and a U.S. National representative for the British Open (Blackpool) Team Match. Domestically, he is regarded as the best male dancer of his era. Mr. Cole is currently an active coach and judge of DanceSport, teaching and judging both at home and abroad. He was most recently selected to judge at the United States National Championships held in Orlando, Florida.

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Irina Suvorov

Irina Suvorov

World Champion Ballroom Dancer

Adjudicator

Co-Organizer, Desert Classic Dancesport

Irina Suvorov, along with her husband Igor, is a former Modern, Latin, and 10-Dance Russian Champion, British Open (Blackpool) Rising Star Champion, Asian-Pacific Champion, and U.S. Representative to the World Championships. Currently, she is a coach, judge, and organizer of the Desert Classic DanceSport Championships. Originally from Russia, she came to the United States in 1990 and live in Huntington Beach, California.

"The OCSA Ballroom Dance Program has the potential to be a great ballroom training program. I look forward to seeing high level competitors coming from this school."

Irina Trebunskaya

Irina Trebunskaya

Russian Professional Champion Finalist

U.S. Pro/Am Champion

Co-Owner, You Can Dance Studio

Irina Trebunskaya is the co-owner of You Can Dance Studio with her daughter, professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars, Anna Trebunskaya. Irina Trebunskaya has a rich dance background as a competitor, instructor, and manager of dance institutions. She was a Russian professional champion finalist and a U.S. Pro/Am champion.

After a successful tenure as head instructor in Chelyabinsk (a well-known Russian home for world champions), Mrs. Trebunskaya opened and ran a dance studio in New York City. Her heart and passion is reflected in her teaching, instructor selection, and teacher/student mentoring. She has gone on to become a certified master of dance in all four styles: International Standard, Latin, American Rhythm, and Smooth.

"I like that the students of the OCSA Ballroom Dance Program get a well-rounded education, along with experience in performing and competing as DanceSport athletes. They can use this knowledge and these skills in many different areas— becoming a professional dancer, teacher, business owner, or anything they do in life."

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Anna Trebunskaya

Anna Trebunskaya

Dancing with the Stars Professional & Choreographer

Co-Owner, You Can Dance Studio

Anna Trebunskaya began dancing at the age of six in her parents’ dance studio in Russia. At seven, she entered her first dance competition, which she won, and she has been dancing ever since. At 17, she moved to the United States to further pursue her dance career in New York City. She won the USA Amateur Youth Standard Championships in 1998. In 2000, she moved to California to dance competitively. Ms. Trebunskaya now lives in Los Angeles, where she co-owns her ballroom dance studio You Can Dance in Hermosa Beach. She travels around the country teaching and doing shows, when she’s not dancing on Dancing with the Stars!

"I really like seeing students learning in-depth ballroom, Latin and other styles of dance. The students of the OCSA Ballroom Dance Program are becoming specialists with a wide range of expertise and experience. These skills are necessary to be a performer on TV shows like Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance."

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Erik Cyr

Erik Cyr

Owner, Dance Director & Coach

DanceSport Place

Erik Cyr choreographs the Latin competition routines that the students perform throughout the year. He has also been the Master Guest Choreographer for the program’s Ballroom Showcase and high-profile events including OCSA’s Season Finale. He is the sole choreographer and coach of the award-winning Latin Formation team. Mr. Cyr also teaches ballroom in OCSA’s Elective Program.

Mr. Cyr and his wife advanced through the professional ranks, becoming the National Canadian Open Latin finalists and the U.S. Rising Star Latin Couple of the Year. Mr. Cyr has choreographed for Asia Entertainment, Days of Our Lives, and assisted on So You Think You Can Dance, and the feature film Funkytown. Mr. Cyr served as the Claremont Colleges Ballroom team advisor. The Cyrs produce and film world class instructors for their online dance studio, DanceSportPlace.com, created for competitive dancers of every level to reach their dance goals.

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Melissa Cyr

Melissa Cyr

Owner & Coach

DanceSport Place

Melissa Cyr had a successful early career in American Rhythm, winning several Rising Star Championships. She later switched to International Latin. Along with her husband, the two advanced through the professional ranks, becoming the National Canadian Open Latin finalists and the U.S. Rising Star Latin Couple of the Year. Mrs. Cyr appeared on GoodLife TV and in two television dance series, winning the second season with her contestant partner. She choreographed numbers for Asia Entertainment, Paris by Night, Days of Our Lives, and assisted on So You Think You Can Dance.   

Eddie Alba

Eddie Alba

World Champion Ballroom Dancer

Co-Owner & Choreographer, Century DanceSport

As a professional competitor in the American Smooth division from 1995 to 2006, Mr. Alba was a Rising Star Champion and a Finalist in the World Championships. He is a certified judge in five styles of ballroom dancing, including American Smooth, American Rhythm, International Latin, International Standard, and Theatre Arts. He is the reigning Male International Standard World Champion in the A Division, having received the title in 2014.  Previously, he was the 2008 North American Male Latin Champion. Mr. Alba is also on the board of directors for the North American Same-Sex Partner Dance Association (NASSPDA). 

Mr. Alba collaborated with world renowned choreographers and performers, such as Cheryl Burke, Jean Marc Genereux, Wendy Johnson, Tony Meredith, and Jonathan Roberts. He is a versatile and creative choreographer in his own right; his work for television includes TLC’s reality television show Ballroom Bootcamp and choreography for ABC's Dancing with the Stars for 9 seasons. Mr. Alba is the owner of Century Dancesport, Orange County's Premiere Dance Studio since 2009.

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