John is one dancer who can truly say he was “discovered.” After mastering the bass clarinet, earning a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Music from Florida State University, and spending a lot of time on the West Palm Beach dance scene, he was approached one night at a disco club by someone who suggested that his talent, charisma, and natural ability to teach fellow dancers a move or two on the dance floor would make him a terrific ballroom dance instructor.

Hesitant at first, he gave it a shot and says now, over thirty years later, that he can’t imagine doing anything else.

“It’s just everything to me,” John says, “…life happens when people dance. They connect, they revitalize, they come alive. It’s wonderful to see and to be a part of that.”

John has been dancing, teaching professionally and competing ever since those first few ballroom steps across the floor in West Palm Beach, moving to Jacksonville in 1996 and opening Avondale Dance Directions in 2000. The contemporary ballroom dance studio provides lessons in Swing, Foxtrot, Waltz, Tango and Salsa to students at all levels who are looking for a fun way to stay active, preparing for special events, training for competitions, and everything in between.

In 2007 and 2008, he and Susan Walden—his student and dance partner for the last ten years—were the undefeated ProAm (Professional-Amateur) United States American Smooth champions at the United States DanceSport Competition in Orlando, Florida and in 2008, were also awarded Best Overall, as the number one ProAm couple across all categories.

While the awards and accolades are nice, John says, to him, ballroom dancing is about much more than dance. In a sense, it’s almost a ministry, a way to reinforce people and help them become better versions of themselves. Judging from John’s devout following of happy and fulfilled students, his “dance ministry” is making quite an impact!