Lania Berger
Manager/Franchisee

Lania Berger's professional dancing career has had her dancing on the Castle Stage of Walt Disney World Florida and Tokyo Disneyland Japan; she has also danced in the Christina Applegate movie, Just Visiting, as well as the cable TV Show Jackson Street and other independent films. Her ballroom career started in 1998, when she won her first Swing Championship. From there she went on to compete in American Rhythm (cha cha, rumba, mambo, bolero, and swing), American Smooth (waltz, tango, foxtrot, and Viennese waltz), and Freestyle Salsa. She has been a finalist in Atlantic City, Manhattan, LA, Hawaii, Orlando, Tampa, Miami,and at the prestigious Las Vegas World Dance-O-Rama.

Winner of the World's Top Arthur Murray Ballroom Specialist Award in 2005, and World's Top Arthur Murray Executive Award in 2007, Lania has studied ballroom dance throughout the world with some of the world's top dancers such as Miriam Larici of Superstars of Dance, Nick and Lena Kosovich of Dancing with the Stars, twelve-time undefeated US Rhythm Champions Bob Powers and Julia Gorchakova, and former Mambo Champion Sal Marino. Lania studied ballroom dancing in the US, Japan, Argentina, and Italy, adding a distinctive multifaceted perspective to her teaching. The most rewarding part of working in the ballroom dance industry for Lania is working with her students. One of her students won the top student award at the World Dance-O-Rama in Las Vegas; another was featured in an article about the tremendous health benefits of ballroom dancing, and how it saved his life. In 2008 she opened her own Arthur Murray Dance Studio in Palm Harbor, Florida.

David Schmidt
Senior Dance Instructor

David Schmidt has been dancing for as long as he can remember! Coming from a family with ballroom in the blood (he’s distantly related to Grace Kelly), David grew up hearing stories of the grand ballrooms that his great-grandparents used to dance in. You may have seen David dancing on Studio 10 TV, or at Palm Harbor’s Annual Citrus Festival. He was the Champion of Dancing with the Local Stars in New Port Richey, and has been named a preferred professional with USA Dance. In 2009 David won a prestigious Arthur Murray Top Specialist Award, signifying his great ability to help new students learn their very first steps on the dance floor. Most recently David was a semi-finalist in the Tournament of Champions Cha Cha competition, and a finalist in the Argentine Tango competition.

Mary Vaillancourt
Dance Instructor

Mary Vaillancourt has been ballroom dancing since the fifth grade! Her great dance experience coupled with the flexibility from her gymnastics background make her stand out on any dance floor. No stranger to performing, Mary has been showcased in cha cha, hustle, and hip-hop, among others. She began instructing at the Arthur Murray Studio in Indiana, and has recently transferred down to sunny Palm Harbor. “Dancing and music are my passion,” Mary said, “and I honestly have no idea what I would do without them.”

Christopher Caldwell
Dance Instructor

Christopher Scott Caldwell has been commissioned as a professional dancer, choreographer, and educator at an international standard. He has toured as a protégé to some of the worlds top choreographers, including the panel from So You Think You Can Dance. Christopher was trained in classical ballet by former Bejart Ballet Lausanne principle dancer Shonach Mirk Robles. and was introduced to modern technique by Ailey graduate Donna Kojo, and renowned instructor Michael Foley(Cirque du Soleil), and studied composition from choreographers Larry Keigwin (Julliard School), and Bill T Jones (Bill T Jones/Arnie Zane Dance company). Christopher has choreographed alongside the Miami City Ballet in an off- Broadway production of Romeo and Juliet, under the direction of Kristen Coury, and has played lead roles in other off- Broadway shows including Godspell, Little Shop of Horrors, Footloose, and much more. Christopher is currently the Artistic Director of Ovations Productions LLC, and a permanent faculty member of Colours School of the Arts. Chris is excited to join Arthur Murray Palm Harbor, and combine his extensive modern dance background with ballroom technique to offer an incredible learning experience to his students.Chris has worked with choreograhers such as Louis van Amstel, Andy Blankenbuehler, Luther Brown, Dmitry Chaplin, Napoleon and Tabitha D'umo, Alex Da Silva, Nakul Dev Mahajan, Tyce Diorio, Brian Friedman, Jean-Marc Généreux, Laurie Ann Gibson, Dan Karaty, Melanie LaPatin, Lil' C, Michael Mead, Tony Meredith, Mia Michaels, Mandy Moore, Mary Murphy, Toni Redpath, Dwight Rhoden, Desmond Richardson, Wade Robson, Shane Sparks, Sonya Tayeh, Stacey Tookey, and Travis Wall.

Jairo Garcia
Dance Instructor

Born in Puerto Rico, Jairo was born with an early childhood passion for dance inspired by his upbringing. Growing up Jairo danced for his love of dance and music in local clubs in his Spanish community. Jairo’s exposure to the Argentine Tango sparked his passion for Ballroom Dance and brought him to the state of Florida to join Arthur Murray Palm Harbor. His specialties include Salsa, Bachata, Rumba, and Argentine Tango.

Bart Dill
Dance Instructor

Bart Dill joins the Palm Harbor team from Chicago Dance. His many years instructing up north have led him to warmer weather and a new venue to share his experience. You may have seen Bart in the “South Pacific” looking for a dame, dancing hip-hop, or competing in the Tournament of Champions Cha Cha competition (where he was a semi-finalist), but most often you can find Bart making his students laugh and enjoy the great fun of learning how to ballroom dance.

Erica Jones
Receptionist

Erica Jones is the sweet, smiling face behind our desk. She is always happy to help you with your scheduling needs, answer your questions, and even get you started on the dance floor. The fantastic photo programs for our group performances, the calendar collage on the wall, and our upcoming wedding board are all the creative products of Erica and her artistic eye. Erica specializes in Argentine Tango, American Tango, Waltz, and Foxtrot.

The Studio

The Arthur Murray Dance Studio in Palm Harbor features over 2,000 square feet of floating dance floor, as well as over 60 feet of mirrored walls. IT IS PALM HARBOR'S PREMIER BALLROOM DANCE STUDIO!