Tony Dovolani came to Fred Astaire Michigan recently, and we couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome!
Tony is an impressive dance talent in his own right. Now the Co-National Dance Director for Fred Astaire Dance Studios, he began his career at 15 with Fred Astaire, learning to ballroom dance after emigrating to New York from Albania (Prishtina, Kosova).
Dancing With The Stars
He went on to become a U.S. Rhythm Dance Champion several times, with several different partners. Then, Tony was recruited to be one of the professionals on Dancing With the Stars, way back at the beginning, 13 years ago.
Last year, Tony retired from DWTS and came full circle – back to FADS. Learn more about him here. Now, our two studios in Michigan (with more to come in 2019!) and all of our sister studios across the nation, benefit from Tony’s expertise and talent as he leads the nation’s biggest ballroom dance franchise in how to methodically and knowledgeably teach ballroom dance so people learn it, love it, and stick with it.
Tony’s Dance Boot Camp
Earlier this month, Tony visited Michigan for a few boot camps at our studio. First, after our PR team secured an interview for him on WXYZ (watch it here), he worked with our teachers for three hours on dance and procedures, teaching them how to work with our students even better than they already do.
Then, that night, Tony worked with our students. We had a limit of 75 students, and we not only hit the maximum, we had a waiting list.
With our students, Tony worked on how to be a better performer, how to properly lead and follow, how to be a complete dancer but also a creative one, and covered the cha cha, the rumba, swing and bolero. It was incredible – and fun!
Dance has long been a fixture in Tony’s identity. He began folk dancing when he was 3 because overseas, dance is a serious career, a serious sport, and a competitive one to boot.
Here, Americans often see dance as something celebrities might do. However, as we see in our studio and in the constant upsurge in ballroom dance interest, it’s something everyday folks can and do master and enjoy.
We are so honored that Tony spent time in Michigan, delighting and leading our staff and students. We can’t wait for him to return!