Ballroom Dance Instructors

Deborah Fields Perez

Deborah is the Founder of By Your Side Dance Studio and one of the most sought after dancers and choreographers in the United States. Due to her love for choreography, she also serves as the best Wedding Dance Instructor in Los Angeles. Deborah teaches American Rhythm, American Smooth, International Standard, Salsa, West Coast Swing, Lindy Hop and Tap Dancing.

Deborah has over twenty years of experience as a dance instructor and competitor competing in National Dance Championships across the country. Her titles include: United States Rising Star Theater Arts Champion, Dixie Invitational American Style Theater Arts Champion, South Eastern Theater Arts Dance Champion, Fred Astaire Dixie Invitational Theater Arts Champion, World Champion Dance Cheerleader – Notre Dame University. Deborah was certified by Arthur Murray Studios and Fred Astaire Dance Studios with high honors. She trained with dance greats such as Patrick and Wendy Johnson, Chester Whitmore, Rufus Dustin, Ron Montez, Rick Valenzuela, Terry Leone, Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin. As a sideline special skill, Deborah also has a background in theatrical weaponry and has trained many of Hollywood’s stuntmen for movie scenes!

Deborah is a member of the National Dance Council of America, USA Dance, Inc. as an Athlete: Professional, a coveted member of the International Dance Council – CID and listed on the International List of Who’s Who in Dancing. Deborah has appeared and choreographed in numerous television, films, music videos & stage productions. Her latest television appearance was on “The Bachelor” as a dance instructor. Deborah now dances professionally with Craig Morris and owns the By Your Side Dance Studio as well as By Your Side Productions performance dance company.

Guillermo Ceballos

Rene Perez

Rene has 15 years of experience teaching dance at By Your Side Dance Studio in Los Angeles. He is a competitive ballroom dancer specializing in American Smooth and Rhythm. Rene has won the Open Amateur American Rhythm and Open Amateur American Smooth titles. He is a great instructor and his sense of humor makes his students feel comfortable and at ease.
 

Laura Canellias

Laura Canellias – also known as the “First Lady of Salsa” is one of the foremost salsa instructors on the west coast as well as one of the pioneers of the L.A. Salsa style. Originally from Texas, her dance training began at a young age with ballet, jazz and tap and later included musical theater and ballroom dancing. Since moving to Los Angeles 37 years ago, her reputation and teaching skills in the world of salsa have placed her in high demand taking her around the globe teaching, coaching and adjudicating as well as performing and choreographing locally for television, film & stage. As a featured performer, she has danced her way into movies such as: The Mambo Kings, Out To Sea and Dance With Me. She is the recipient of numerous awards and most recently was the first woman inducted into the Salsa Hall of Fame at the Los Angeles Salsa Festival in 2019 and again at the World Salsa Festival in 2022. Other highlights of her career include performances with Tito Puente and Celia Cruz as well as The Spanish Harlem Orchestra at the 2003 Montreal Jazz Festival. She was the creator of the Latin workout program, Cardio Salsa™ in 1995 and is still teaching it to this day. She has been an adjunct dance faculty member of Santa Monica College for over 20 years and continues to teach classes at By Your Side Dance Studio in Culver City and Marina Del Rey, as well as various dance festivals throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Sandor & Parissa

Sandor, originally from Buenos Aires Argentina, is a Tango Master for over three decades. He was a principal dancer in the Broadway/London hit show Forever Tango, nominated for the Tony Award “Best Choreography”. Parissa has coached several celebrities, including Antonio Banderas for the movie Take the Lead. Sandor & Parissa have been featured performing on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, and they have choreographed many of the Argentine Tangos on the show.

Felipe Telona Jr.

Felipe Telona Jr. began his journey to become a professional ballroom dance teacher in New Jersey where after only three months with his first ballroom dance partner he placed Fifth in the U.S. American Rhythm division. He is now a Championship Ballroom Dancing Judge and also qualifies as a National Judge belonging to an elite group of Ballroom Dance Competition judges in the United States.

• 10 Time World American Rhythm Finalist
• 4 Time Vice-Champion in American Rhythm
• 2 Time World Mambo Champion
• World Salsa Champion
• 1999 Blackpool Latin Formation Team Champion
• Assistant Choreographer on “So You Think You Can Dance”
• Assistant Choreographer for Celine Dion Music Video
• Choreographer for an American Express Industrial Film
• 2008 World Tour Featured Dance Artist on America’s Ballroom Challenge – Seen on PBS
• Featured Performer for the Gracie Allen Awards
• Featured Performer for the “Dancers for Life Tribute” at the New York City Center on Broadway
• Featured in “Dance Legends on Broadway”

Emily Mikolitch

Emily Mikolitch is a Dallas native and graduate of UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television. A passionate and versatile performer, Emily has studied tap dance internationally, with notable training at the prestigious Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. Her career has taken her to some of the world’s most renowned stages, including the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Public Theater in New York City, Walt Disney World in Florida, and in Dubai, UAE.

Emily’s teaching journey began at age 15, when she started sharing her love for tap dance with students across North Texas. Over the years, she has expanded her reach, teaching at the Rhythm in Fusion Festival in Dallas, the Monday Night Tap Experience at Debbie Allen Dance Academy, the Cascadia Dance & Film Festival in Vancouver, the Syncopated Ladies Bootcamp in Dubai, and Dance Arts Academy in Los Angeles, among others. Her choreography has been commissioned across the United States, with work featured in Florida, California, Texas, and Ohio.

When she’s not dancing, Emily works in post-production for TV and feature films and directs theater—her most recent show was mounted at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Lindsay Benay

Lindsay Benay is an American born dancer from Mulvane, Kansas. Lindsay has been teaching dance since 2011, her specialties include wedding choreography, salsa, bachata, Argentine tango, swing, Latin styles, and country two-step. Her dance career started as a Wichita Thunder Dancer in 2009. Lindsay was then cast to be in an all girl group called The Flaunt Girls who debuted on the TV series called Full Throttle Saloon on TruTV. Lindsay has toured the World doing performances and appearances with SINsational Cabaret & The Paranormal Circus. She has done live stage performances with artist’s such as Kid Rock, DMC, Tyga, and Pop Evil. She has worked on shows like basketball wives and crazy rich Asians, and been in music videos with artists like Frankie Jay and Mario. Lindsay currently works as a professional dancer and instructor in Los Angeles.

Sindy McManus

Sindy McManus began studying ballet at age 7, attending the San Jose Ballet School in San Jose, California. Her teachers were Dimitri and Francesca Romanoff who traded teaching duties between Mr. Romanoff’s six-months-per-year duties as Ballet Master of American Ballet Theatre in New York. Sindy’s love of dance led to performing in high school musicals and cheerleading. At Chico State University, ballet studies continued with Harold Lang. Upon transfer to the University of San Francisco/Lone Mountain College, she continued to study with San Francisco Ballet Master Carlos Carvajal and his wife, Caroline Hauser Carvajal. She apprenticed with Carvajal’s ballet company, Dance Spectrum and upon graduation from USF/Lone Mountain College with Bachelor of Arts in Dance (emphasis ballet), she was offered position with Dance Spectrum to develop their children’s ballet training program. She taught children ages 6 to 10 and continued to perform with the ballet company. Upon moving to Los Angeles, Sindy continued to study ballet at Stanley Holden Ballet Academy and later, Westside Ballet Academy in Santa Monica. She studied ballet also at Santa Monica College. She has enjoyed studying and performing in other styles of dance as well but has always maintained her ballet practice as her first-and-forever dance love. Her “mission statement” as a ballet teacher is to share her love of music, dance and discovery of a student’s unique dancer that is already inside, to experience joy as we all develop dance skills, improving, growing stronger, and more expressive with each new exercise and class.