Adjudicators and Officials


Ilya Barmotin	Adjudicator -


Inna Brayer	Adjudicator - NY NDCA+USA Dance+WDSF - A+ B+ C+ D+ E+
	Inna Brayer, a native of Moscow Russia, is the 3 time United States National Ten Dance Champion and a National Certified Adjudicator holding fellowship level accreditation from the N.A.D.T.A. As an ambassador and World Team Member representing the United States she has been ranked as high as ninth in the world, competing in six World Championships. Inna participated as a dancer on Season 7 of ABC-TV’s “Dancing with the Stars” and was partnered with actor Ted McGinley. In 2008 Inna represented USA Dance, Inc. when she was featured on ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America” discussing the upcoming National Championships and the benefits of ballroom dancing. She also served as the choreographer for the Rutgers University Ballroom Dance Team performance on Season 9 of “Dancing with the Stars.” As a coach her students have achieved high placements in many national and international competitions including winning Junior Latin National Championships. Off the dance floor she is actively involved with USA Dance as a DanceSport Delegate, member of the Governing Council, and DanceSport Council. Outside of dance she holds a B.A. in English and Education from the Hunter College Quest School of Education.

Bonnie Diaz	Adjudicator - NY
	Bonnie Diaz is the first World Champion for the United States, Three Times Ten Dance Representative and Eleven Times Undefeated Basic Latin Champion. She is a guest teacher at the Joffery Ballet School, Gelsey Kirkland Ballet Academy and on Faculty at Ballet Hispanico as a coach and choreographer. Her proudest accomplishment to date is her not for profit organization www.BallroomBarks.org, using Ballroom Dance to champion animal causes. She resides in New York City. Bonnie is producing her own DVD series called Diaz Dance Dynamics to be out by the end of 2011.

Viktoriya Drubetskaya	Adjudicator - Brooklyn, NY USA Dance+WDSF+WDC - A+ B+ C+ D+ E-
	Viktoriya Drubetskaya was a 1999 UK Open Professional Rising Star Finalist, 1999 USA Professional Rising Star Champion. 2001-2002 US and World Mambo Champion. 2002 US Professional Rhythm Finalist. As an amateur, she was a 1996 USA Amateur Latin Finalist as well as a Junior 10-Dance Finalist in Moldova. Since 2002, she has been learning about human body movement in depth in Laban Institute of Movement Studies, has studied Dance Notation via Language of Dance and Kestenberg Movement Profile. She has also been certified as Eric Franklin Level 3 movement educator. She has used her knowledge successfully, creating BESSI (Body, Effort, Shape, Space, and Imagery) to train top level junior, youth and adult competitors who were US representatives to many world championships. As of Jnauary 2016, Viktoriya became a WDSF Technical Examiner.

Patricia Goh	Adjudicator - Ont, Canada WDSF - Chair+ A+ B+ C+ D+
	CDS & WDSF Chair A+B+C+D+, Formation, Showdance, NCA, Scrutineer WDSF Chairperson, WDSF PD Adjudicator, WDSF Adjudicator * President, Canada DanceSport Professional Division * Serves on WDSF Equality Commission * WDSF Chairperson and recently chaired the WDSF World U21 Standard Championship and World Cup Ten Dance Championships * WDSF World Championships Adjudicator regularly represent Canada judging various World championships, Grand Slams and Countries' national championships * WDSF Showdance and Formation Adjudicator * National Championship Adjudicator * National Championship Chairperson regularly chair championships * Certified to judge International & American styles * Certified Scrutineer * Canadian Ontario Adult Standard Champion * Canadian Ontario Adult 10-Dance Champion * North America Professional Rising Star Standard Vice Champion * Canadian and North American Grand Finalist * Coaches competitive championship dancers and enjoy teaching new talents * Blue Silver DanceSport Competition Organizer * Ontario DanceSport Award of Distinction Recipient * Holds a Masters degree from a business school, a professional accounting designation CPA and advanced certifications in music and ballet

Valeri Ivanov	Adjudicator -


Jami Josephson-Chace	Adjudicator -


Vano Kandelaki	Adjudicator -


Vladimir Karpov	Adjudicator - Brooklyn NY USA Dance+WDSF - A+ B+ C+ D+
	* WDSF World Latin American Freestyle Champion * Two times WDSF World Cup Amateur Latin Champion * European Cup Amateur Latin Champion * World Dance Sport Games (Latin American Freestyle) Champion * European Championship Amateur Latin Finalist * Russian National Champion in the Latin American Freestyle * Multiple times Winner of the Russian National Championship * Russian National Champion in the Professional Division Latin * Runner Up at the World Championship Professional Division Latin

Roman Kutskyy	Adjudicator -


Phil Lee	Adjudicator - Ont, Canada WDSF - Chair+ A+ B+ C+ D+
	CDS & WDSF Chair A+B+C+D+ Formation, Showdance, NCA, Scrutineer, WDSF Chairperson, WDSF PD Adjudicator, WDSF Adjudicator * WDSF World Championships Adjudicator regularly represent Canada judging worldwide championships including in Asia, Europe and North America * WDSF Showdance Adjudicator, * WDSF Formation Adjudicator * National Championship Adjudicator * National Championship Chairperson regularly chairing championship events * Certified to judge International & American styles A+ B+ C+ D+ * Certified Scrutineer * Canadian Ontario Adult Standard Champion * Canadian Ontario Adult 10-Dance Champion * Canadian Ontario Adult Latin Bronze Medallist * North America Professional Rising Star Standard Vice Champion * Canadian and North American Adult Grand Finalist * Coaches competitive championship dancers and enjoy teaching new talents * Blue Silver DanceSport Competition Organizer * Ontario DanceSport Award of Distinction Recipient * Holds a Masters degree, a professional accounting designation CPA and is a business school graduate * B.Comm, MA, CPA

Patti Panebianco	Adjudicator - New York USA Dance+WDSF - Chair+ A+ B+ C+ D+ E+
	Pattis dynamic energy & charisma has allowed her to become a sought after adjudicator & invigilator for numerous NDCA & USA Dance competitions as well as being the former treasurer & national committee member for the US Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. She is the recipient of numerous championship titles in both Intl Latin & American Rhythm styles. She has choreographed & performed in various stage, TV & movie productions, throughout the world including A Tribute to Gershwin, Wallflowering, Marconi Brothers, All my Children & YoYo Mas Soul of the Tango. Working with children brings joy to her soul; she is a former Teaching Artist & Educational Liason with Dancing Classrooms Long Island. And has recently volunteered her time judging The Colors of the Rainbow Team Match for DCLI. She holds licentiate certifications in all styles of dance and is a popular trainer for professionals & amateurs for their national certifications with the U.S.I.S.T.D For the Past 17 years she has been the founder & owner of NY Dancesport Centre on Long Island where she currently resides with her husband Anthony and her two rescue cats Dolly & Puca. She enjoys touring the country coaching, adjudicating & sharing her joy & knowledge of Ballroom dance. Patti is a passionate fundraiser encompassing such causes as Ballroom Barks! & Roll Call Wheel Chair Dance

Siscu Perez	Adjudicator -


Kimberly Smith	Adjudicator - Birmingham, AL USA Dance+WDSF - A+ B+ C+ D+ E+
	Kimberly Smith has been teaching dancing for 43 years and has owned and operated Dr. Dance Studio, Inc. in Birmingham, Alabama for 36 years. She has enjoyed a fulfilling career as a professional competitor, pro/am competitor, teacher and currently coaches amateur and professional couples. Kimberly holds both Memberships and Fellowships with the North American Dance Teachers Association and Licentiates with The American International Dancers Association (AIDA) formerly the United States Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. She continues to proudly serve the association on the National Committee as Treasurer. As an adjudicator, Kim is a WDSF A 3.0 AJS certified adjudicator and has had the honor of judging the 2022 IWGA World Games Standard & Latin, WDSF Sr. I World Latin Championships, as well as many Open WDSF Championship events. Kim serves the WDSF as a member of the Sports Event Planning and Promotion Committee and is Co-Organizer of Christmas in Dixie Ballroom Challenge.

Benjamin Soencksen	Adjudicator - - Chair+ A+ B+ C+ D+ E+
	BENJAMIN SOENCKSEN is originally from Germany, and comes from a family of competitors and judges in the world of DanceSport. He competed successfully for about 30 years in International Style Latin and Standard throughout the world in mainstream and same-sex dance competitions. For about 25 years, he has managed several different dance studios and departments within dance studios in New York and New Jersey (19 years at Stepping Out Studios). As part of his decades of experience as a dancer, he studied all styles of partnership dancing and its history. In 2007, he started DAGE (Dancesport Alliance for Gender Equality), a network of social and competitive same-sex dancers in the Tri-State area with each other via a yahoo group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dageonline/). Since 2009, he has been serving on the Board of Directors of the North American Same-Sex Partner Dance Association (www.nasspda.org), first as Secretary and currently as President, and had been instrumental in writing NASSPDAs Competition Rules. At the 2018 April Follies the prestigious Richard Lamberty Community Service Trophy was awarded to him for many years of volunteer work in the same-sex dance community. As the delegate from NASSPDA to the Federation of Gay Games, he is a member of the FGGs Sports Committee and has been elected as the Sport Coordinator for DanceSport.

Irina Trebunskaya	Adjudicator - California USA Dance - A+ B+ C+ D+
	Irina is the co-owner of You Can Dance Studio with her daughter, pro DWTS dancer Anna Trebunskaya and was also her childhood dance instructor. Irina 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), Irina 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 & Smooth.

Ruslan Vysotskyy	Adjudicator -


Yelena Vesnovskiy	Adjudicator - New York USA Dance+WDSF - A+ B+ C+ D+
	Yelena Vesnovskiy is WDSF `A` and USA Dance A+, B+, C+, D+ certified adjudicator. As an adjudicator, Yelena has judged many esteemed North American and European international competitions including WDSF World Championships and WDSF World Open competitions. Yelena has been teaching and training dancers for the past 40 years. From the age of seven she studied ballet, folk, modern, and contemporary styles of dance in Russia. At age twelve she discovered ballroom dancing, which quickly became her primary style of dance. As a dancer, Yelena has competed in all major European and North American championships. She has achieved S-class in Standard and Latin as an amateur dancesport athlete and continued as a professional competitor specializing in Standard. Yelena has trained with the top coaches and trainers in the world. Yelena graduated the Performing Arts University in Novosibirsk, Russia, with degrees in Choreography and Ballet Mastery. Shortly after the graduating, Yelena became the founder, executive manager and professor of the Ballroom Dance Department at the Novosibirsk University of Performing Arts. Many of her college students became coaches and dancesport club owners in different regions of Russia and even other countries. Yelena has published books, teaching materials and has been cited in numerous technique and development publications. Since 2001, Yelena has been the owner and primary instructor of Atlantic Ballroom Dance Studio in Brooklyn New York. In Atlantic Ballroom, her main focus has been to raise dancers to be determined and passionate competitors. Her education and experience from Russia and the United States create a strict and diverse curriculum, which imbeds into the dancers fundamentals that are necessary for success. Her students became Russian Youth Latin National Champions.Her couples in the USA have also reached many heights, such as Junior, Youth and Under 21 Standard National Champions, who represented USA at WDSF World Championships. Yelena has organized the Metropolitan DanceSport Championship in Brooklyn, NY since 2016.

Alan Winter	Adjudicator - DENMARK WDSF - A+
	WDSF World,European and Grandslam Adjudicator European Youth Latin Champion Professional Closed Latin Semi-finalised Undefeated North East Latin Champion Trainer for Danmark Sportsdansforbund Professional UKA examined President for Professional Division in Denmark Avaliable for teaching monday18th-tuesday 19th Jan.Please contact Daphna Locker

Yuehwern Yih	Adjudicator - Indiana USA Dance+WDSF - Chair+ A+ B+ C+ D+
	Chair of Judges - World Dancesport Federation (WDSF) and USA Dance. Certified Adjudicator - World Dancesport Federation (WDSF) Championship Certified Adjudicator by North American Dancesport Teachers Association (NADTA) and USA Dance Certified Scrutineer by National Dance Council of America (NDCA), recognized by USA Dance In addition to judging and chairing, Yuehwern and her partner, Daniel, spend most of their time being the head coaches of the Purdue Latin & Ballroom Dance Team. Yuehwern founded this college team in 1995 and it has been highly ranked in the USA Dance collegiate national events. In 2010, the Team was invited to compete on Season 10 of Dancing with the Stars on Fox, and placed second in collegiate formation team competition at the finale. Yuehwern was vice-champion in USA Dance National Dancesport Championships and later finalists in professional events in a span of 15 years. Throughout her dancing career, she is passionate about learning; teaching, and helping students find their pathways to success on and off the dance floor. Over 20 years, the competition team she works with is an incubator of many Dancesport competitors, professionals, and lifelong dancers. Each year Yuehwern is also the key person to organize the Purdue Ballroom Classic, which attracts more than 400 collegiate competitors from 20+ universities in the Midwest area for the last two decades. Yuehwern studied ballet and performed with the Lafayette Ballet Company before learning ballroom dance. Besides dancing, she completed her B.S. and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering, specializing in smart operations and system engineering. She is currently a Full Professor in Industrial Engineering at Purdue University, the Academic Director of LASER PULSE (Long-term Assistance and Services for Research, Partners for University-Led Solutions Engine) Consortium, and the Associate Director of Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering.

Paul Ru	Adjudicator -


Dan Calloway	Adjudicator - Bethesda, MD USA Dance+WDSF - Chair+ A+ B+ C+ D+ E+
	* WDSF World Championship, Grand Slam and World Cup Adjudicator * WDSF Chairman of Judges * WDSF A Adjudicator * WDSF PD (Professional Division) Adjudicator * Chairman of Judges: North American and United States Championships * Professional of the Year and Top Teacher Dan has been competing professionally, coaching and judging for over 40 years. In 1985 Dan was the youngest dual fellow in the world with highly commended fellowships in the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, the London-based society, which embodies the worlds acknowledged leaders of the dance profession. Dan is also the DanceSport coach for the competitive DanceSport teams at Georgetown University and the University of Maryland, as well as serving as guest coach at numerous other universities, congresses, and dance camps, including moderating the professional discussion panels at key events in the United States. Dan has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Religion and a Master of Arts degree in English Literature.

Daniel Calloway	Chairman - Bethesda, MD USA Dance+WDSF - Chair+ A+ B+ C+ D+ E+
	* WDSF World Championship, Grand Slam and World Cup Adjudicator * WDSF Chairman of Judges * WDSF A Adjudicator * WDSF PD (Professional Division) Adjudicator * Chairman of Judges: North American and United States Championships * Professional of the Year and Top Teacher Dan has been competing professionally, coaching and judging for over 40 years. In 1985 Dan was the youngest dual fellow in the world with highly commended fellowships in the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, the London-based society, which embodies the worlds acknowledged leaders of the dance profession. Dan is also the DanceSport coach for the competitive DanceSport teams at Georgetown University and the University of Maryland, as well as serving as guest coach at numerous other universities, congresses, and dance camps, including moderating the professional discussion panels at key events in the United States. Dan has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Religion and a Master of Arts degree in English Literature.

Shawn Fisher	Deck Captain - Idaho USA Dance+WDSF - Chair+ A+ B+ C+ D+
	Shawn Fisher is a Professor of dance for the Brigham Young University Idaho Theatre and Dance Department. He has coached youth and collegiate ballroom teams for 32 years winning many national titles as well as Blackpool. He has toured extensively both in the United States and around the world as the director of the BYU Idaho Dance Alliance performing company. As a competitor he was a bronze medalist in the World Latin Formation team championships. Holds four national Formation titles and was a U.S. finalist in Standard, Latin, Smooth, and Rhythm. Shawn was formerly the Sr. Vice President of USA Dance as well as an adjudicator with the NDCA. He is currently a WDSF adjudicator, both level A and professional, a USA Dance Chairman, National Adjudicator, and a national examiner in all four styles for DVIDA. He and his wife Janie direct the Idaho Ballroom Academy and are the proud parents of seven lovely children.

Ricky Semlitz	Emcee - Maryland
	Ricky Semlitz is an Open-level Amateur dancer who began his ballroom career at the University of Maryland, College Park. Ricky started singing in middle school and high school through choir and musicals where he discovered his ability to tap dance. Ricky found the Ballroom at Maryland team where his mediocre tap skills transferred well into standard and latin dance. Ricky has been an avid ballroom dancer ever since having organized DC DanceSport Inferno for eight years and Dance Legends in New York City for three. Ricky continues to MC events like DCDI, the MAC, Metropolitan DanceSport, and Summer Sizzler.

Madeleine Mravkarov	Music Director -


Daphna Locker	Registrar - New York USA Dance -
	I am a member of the USA Dance Greater NY Chapter #3004, was the Co-President of the Chapter with Janine D’Andrea from 1998 through 2002. In 2002 I moved to Denver, CO with my wife Julie and became a member of the Denver Chapter. In 2007 we moved back to NY and I once again joined the NY Chapter. I was voted for a third-time to be President of the Chapter in 2014, and continue in that position to this day. While living in Denver, in addition to serving on the local board, I became the DanceSport Delegate for Region 5 and in that role worked on many revisions of the Dress Code and rulebook. In 2005, I ran for National Secretary and I was elected for 2 terms. Upon my return to NY, I resigned from that position to become the Chair of the National Organizing Committee for Nationals 2008-2014. I currently serve as the Registrar for the ‘National Collegiate DanceSport Championship,’ am on the organizing committee for the NQE ‘The MAC,’ and am the registrar for all three of the NJ DanceSport Classic competitions, ‘Fall Frolic’, ‘Spring Fling’ and the NQE, ‘Summer Sizzler’. I have been a competitive ballroom dancer for many years, starting as a Pro/Am competitor making the Pro/Am Adult Open Championship finals at the United States Dance Sport Championships in Florida. After reaching that milestone, I started dancing Am/Am and worked my way up the ranks from Bronze to being a finalist in the Open Standard Senior I at the USA Dance National Championship in Minneapolis. I currently compete in the A level in same-sex competitions. When not working in some capacity or other in the ballroom world, I’m a full-time Psychologist working in an inner city hospital on the Psychiatric Unit with people with serious mental illnesses.

Daniel Dilley	Scrutineer - Indiana USA Dance+WDSF - Scrutineer A+ B+ C+ D+
	National Judge, USA Dance registered; Certified by the North American Dancesport Teachers Association (NADTA) and World Dancesport Federation (WDSF); Certified Scrutineer (by NDCA) with extensive experience, and enough equipment to run O2CM wireless judging for 30+ judges. Professional Rhythm Competitor. Finalists in many US competitions; Daniel is the head coach of the Purdue Latin & Ballroom Dance Team, which has about 125 members each semester, requiring competitive coaching in all levels from Newcomer to Champ. Daniel also co-organizes the annual Purdue Ballroom Classic Competition, which attracts more than 400 collegiate ballroom dance competitors each year in the Midwest.

Andriy Polyvka	WDSF Chair -


Albert De Leonardo	WDSF Music Dir. -