Meet The Team

David and Megan are husband and wife team who together own Dance Headquarters and teach ballroom, latin, and nightclub styles. From first-time dancers, wedding couples, to those looking to jump into the world of competitive dancing, their 10 plus years of experience make them adaptable to the needs and goals of each student. 

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As studio owners, they are passionate about creating a warm and welcoming space where people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds can come and experience the joy of dance. They hope Dance Headquarters can become a home for everyone who chooses to make them a part of their dance journey. 

Lilia, San Diego born and raised, is the welcoming face you see when you first walk into Dance Headquarters and the friendly voice on the phone when you call to ask questions or schedule lessons. She oversees the dance instructors and event coordinators along with being tasked with the day-to-day responsibilities of running a dance studio with more than 20 instructors and hundreds of students. This includes scheduling, promoting on social media, managing the newsletter, collections, cleaning, website management, troubleshooting & more. In her free time she enjoys being in nature, trying new cuisines, traveling, and attending music festivals. 

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Shawn opened the studio Dance For 2, now better known as San Diego’s Dance Headquarters in 2005. At that time it was just the top floor of the American Legion in Linda Vista. Now, he's happy to have passed the baton to David and Megan and remains an integral part of the dance instruction here at Dance Headquarters. 

While able to teach with high proficiency a multitude of styles, his specialty is club dances and uses his background in hip hop and breakdancing to create unique and cool pattern combinations that can be used in partner social dancing. 

Christann Heideman, a San Diego native, began dancing jazz and hip hop as a kid and in 2003, she began training in to be a ballroom dance teacher, becoming a certified instructor in 2005 through Dance Vision.

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She has a passion for teaching new dancers and watching them transform right before her eyes. Her style of teaching varies and each lesson is tailored to the student. She offers Salsa, Cha Cha, Tango, Waltz, Foxtrot, East and West Coast Swing and more. 

John, a central member of our Dance Headquarters team, also concurrently teaches dance and fitness classes at SDSU. He has been teaching partner dance for decades, having a repertoire of over thirty dances. Everything from cumbia to country western two-step.

Linda, originally from Mexico, now permanently resides in San Diego. She has been dancing and studying tango since 1998 and teaching since 2002. She teaches strictly social tango both from the leader’s and follower’s perspective in both traditional salon tango and the more intimate Milonguero style. She has traveled extensively to complement her training, learning from well known Argentine masters.

Linda has been in Buenos Aires twice, both times spending a month perfecting her dancing technique and investigating different teaching methodologies. The Argentine influence can be felt and seen in her approach to teaching Tango. Posture, connection and musicality are emphasized extensively through all her classes, and technique is always the focal point. She strongly believes in a solid foundation and complete understanding of the basics of the dance.

Fun, friendly, patient, flexible, & talented are some of the words students have used to describe dance instructor Liza. She has been choreographing and teaching wedding dances as well as beginning level country, line, ballroom, swing, & Latin dancing in San Diego for 20 years. She was professionally trained at Mac Vitties Dance Studio where she taught for a few years and then branched out on her own furthering her training with experts in the field. The daughter of an accomplished international folk dancer, Liza has been dancing all her life and loves inspiring and motivating people.

2toGroove has been San Diego’s top swing dance source for over 13 years, offering high-energy instruction and entertainment. Founded in 1997 by Margie Adams and Jim Cruzen, it grew from a few classes into a full-time business, blending over 25 years of experience in swing, ballroom, jazz, ballet, and more.

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The company hosts popular classes, events, and the $10K David Patrone Viejas Swing Event, while performing at major venues like the Balboa Theater and Midway Museum. 2toGroove also specializes in corporate events, working with companies like Qualcomm and 1-800-Flowers.

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Their performance team, SwingFX, brings fun and energy to every event. With a passion for swing, Margie and her team keep it swingin’ for everyone!

Maria Kucherenko is CEO of American Modeling Academy and has more than 25+ years of experience as a Runway model in Russia, China, Europe, and the USA. For the last 20+ years as director of fashion shows and beauty pageants in Russia and the USA. She has trained more than 7,000 models all over the world.

Mark teaches classes for both social and competition dancers with his dance partner, Christann Heideman.

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He has participated in a wide variety of performances and been team member of studios across San Diego and the country. Hi most notable projects include performing for Nike, Disneyland, and The Old Globe Theatre.

Mira Reznichenko is a professional ballroom dancer, instructor, and choreographer with 24 years of dancing experience and over 9 years of teaching expertise. Born in Ukraine, she began her dance journey at the age of 3 and has continued to refine her skills in the United States. As a Ukrainian National Latin finalist and winner of numerous international dance competitions, Mira offers private and group lessons to students of all ages, for both

recreational and competitive programs. She serves as a dedicated guide for her students throughout their entire dance journey, nurturing their growth and supporting them in achieving outstanding results.

Parker Dearborn has been a dancer since he could walk, first by learning country & line dances, and then as a teen, participating in both solo and partner dance styles.  He eventually gravitated to West Coast Swing, and  became a professional dancer, at the age of 17 in his hometown of San Diego, California.

Parker has dedicated his life to dance and is grateful to have a successful career that has earned him the most prestigious awards in the world of West Coast Swing. Parker holds the title to every major championship in the nation. He is a three time US Open Swing Dance Champion and two time Grand National Swing Dance Champion.  He has also been inducted to several Halls of Fame for his contributions to the style of West Coast Swing. Parker’s decorated competition career has since distinguished him as a world-renowned and sought-after choreographer, instructor, and coach.

Sergiy is a 5 time Ukrainian Latin Champion, a Professional World Latin Championship Semi-Finalist, and finalist of many international competitions in England, Russia, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Switzerland, USA, Austria and more! He has more than 30 years of dance experience and has been teaching for over 20 years. His students are pro/am World Champions and US National Champions. Sergiy specializes in international latin and ballroom dancing.

Trish Connery Walkup is an award-winning dancer, teacher, and choreographer based in San Diego, specializing in contemporary partner dances. A five-time UCWDC World Champion and California Swing Dance Hall of Fame Rising Star, she is also a multi-year finalist at the US Open Swing Dance Championships.

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Trish began her teaching career 20 years ago with Skippy Blair in Los Angeles before relocating to San Diego in 2012. She co-founded Southland Hustle and Double Diva Workshops and created DanceChatter Performance Teams.

She teaches a variety of dances, including West Coast Swing, Hustle, and Country 2-Step, and, along with her husband David Walkup, is San Diego’s top Country 2-Step instructor. Trish also provides workshops, choreography, and coaching for social and competitive dancers, including wedding couples.

Vanessa has been ballroom dancing for over 30 years, starting in New Zealand, where she competed in the Amateur International Standard division while earning her MS in Psychology. After moving to the U.S. in 1998, she began teaching in 2003, specializing in American Smooth, Rhythm, and Club styles.

In 2005, Vanessa moved to San Diego, where she teaches students of all ages and abilities. She trains social dancers as well as competitors, and has helped over 150 couples create memorable wedding dances, particularly working with beginners and reluctant grooms.

Vanessa is the primary instructor and Dance Program Director for Let’s Dance Kids!, a non-profit that provides ballroom dance training to children in the South Bay School District. She is certified in both American Smooth and International Ballroom and is a member of the Dance Vision Professional Teacher Organization.