Instructors

Below gives a brief biography of the instructors currently teaching the lessons for the UMBC Ballroom Club as of Spring 2012.

Karen Trimble, LISTD LA, BB

Karen Trimble

American Style Ballroom

Karen is a renowned teacher, who has been teaching since 1977 in Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Pennsylvania (York), Baltimore, and South Africa. Specifically, she has been teaching American style at UMBC since 1998 and UM CP since 1994 (she has also taught at GWU). Karen is a coach at the Promenade in Baltimore, where she provides many UMBC students with private lessons and choreography.

Karen has also been the invigilation judge at DCDI for many years, and she is the number one resource for information regarding the American syllabi (ISTD, NDCA, USA Dance, and Fred Astaire) and costume regulations.

Licentiate Member of the Imperial Society of Dancing, Latin American and Ballroom Branches
Fred Astaire American Style Specialist/Dance Director
Member and Adjudicator of the National Dance Council of America

Contact: (410) 444-1151

E-mail:

Karen in the News: http://www.baltimorestories.com/main.cfm?nid=1&tid=95

Natalia Skorikova

Natasha Skorikova

International Style Ballroom

Shortly after Natalia Skorikova started teaching International Ballroom at UMBC, Natalia and her dance partner Nikolai Pilipenchuk became the youngest couple from America to win the World Dance Council (WDC) Championship title for International Ballroom. It was on October 2, 2011, that our Natalia became the World Champion for Professional level, Champion 10-dance. Known affectionately to her students as Natasha, she has been teaching our Sunday International classes since February of 2011.

Natasha also teaches private lessons at her dance studio, Atlantic Ballroom in Towson, MD.
She can be reached for more information at:

Christina Ferrari

Hustle and West Coast Swing

Christina has been dancing and competing in Ballroom Dance since 2005. Over the last several years, Christina has been competing and placing in West Coast Swing and Hustle NASDE (National Association of Swing Dance Events) competitions throughout the country over the last several years. While Hustle and Swing are quite popular in Philadelphia and DC, the Baltimore area hasn't quite caught up to our surrounding neighbor's numbers. Looking forward to changing that, Christina is bringing her years of dance experience, her talent and wisdom, and her incredibly fun disposition to UMBC to help make us the Hustle and Swing dancers she knows we can be. Christina can be reached for private instruction in Woodlawn, MD.

Matt Misroch

Salsa and Bachata

Dance instructor at Arthur Murray's Dance Studios, Certified to teach Salsa and Ballroom Dance. Many people are unaware of the huge Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, and Nightclub scene we used to have at UMBC. Matt, previously an instructor exclusive to Arthur Murray's Dance Studio, has agreed to teach us the dance moves that will help us get our Salsa dance community back on its feet. Look for Genaro Hernandez, our Ballroom Club's VP and liason to the Salsa clubs of Baltimore, in Matt's classes this Fall. Matt can be reached for private instruction at his Arthur Murray dance studio.