Stephanie McCool is a mother and restaurant manager and now part time dancer.  Having always had the desire to dance, she picked up the hobby seven years ago.  While competing has been her main focus she is excited to hit the stage for a fun showcase piece! 

Jan has been dancing since the age of three, when she enthusiastically studied tap dancing for seven years.  She was a gold level professional ballroom dancer with Arthur Murray Hartford studio in the seventies.  After marrying and raising two children, she became an avid figure skater and ice dancer with Skating Club of Hartford, completing her Standard Intermediate Moves in the Field and Standard Silver Free Dance Tests.  She also earned her gold medal in Adult Compulsory Dance with Bolton Figure Skating Club.  She now dances recreationally and can be found at many a salsa night in Central Connecticut.

Ekaterina is originally from Russia and has been living in the United States since 1999. She is a graduate of the Tyumen State University, Russia, and has been teaching English as a Second Language in public schools of New Haven, Connecticut since 2004. Ekaterina published her first collection of poems in 2010 entitled On the Wings of Time. She is also the author of the two children’s books published in 2012 and 2013. Ekaterina is a devoted ballroom dancer since 2005. She used to compete at the New England Dancesport Championships of the Fred Astaire Franchised Dance Studios. Now she sharpens her dancing skills and prepares dance showcases with independent instructor, Alexey Gavrilov. Her favorite ballroom dance is tango. Ekaterina and her husband Roman have two little daughters. They live in North Haven, Connecticut.

Annie Braley is a Registered Pediatric Nurse and Essential Oils Coach who’s passionate about educating people about natural wellness solutions.  When not managing the schedules of her 11 year old twins and family, Annie enjoys traveling and spending time in the dance studio.  After a 3 year hiatus, she recently returned and is excited to dance again!

James first started dancing 14 years ago and took to it quickly having had some previous experience with music and other physical activities such as martial arts.  He has been active on and off since then doing dance competitions and performances but mostly social dancing.  James likes the variety of different dances in Ballroom dancing but Samba and Bolero are particular favorites.  James has been working in the field of cancer research for 24 years and is now a Bioinformatics software developer.

Laura Fantarella missed her chance to be a Las Vegas showgirl, so she began taking dance lessons later in life. After beginning with ballroom, she turned her attention to Argentine Tango. Dancing complements her passion for ice dancing, where she has received gold & silver medals in national and international championships. In addition, Laura is a former restaurant owner, part time newspaper reporter, and a silver level USFSA judge. 

Months of preparation and it's finally here! A huge thank you to the TTLF team for providing the opportunity to perform on the BIG stage, to my parents for introducing me to dance, to my friends and family for the Facebook "Likes" and verbal/written support, and, of course, to my lovely teacher and girlfriend, Kristen, for making this night, well, fantastic!...

Magalí Bazzano believes that learning as many dancing styles as possible is extremely valuable to become a well-rounded dancer with equal parts of exposure, experience, and training. Apart from ballroom, she has enjoyed dancing Argentine tango, salsa, bachata, contemporary, hip hop, and even shuffle!  At the moment, she’s devoting herself mostly to ballroom rhythm styles for upcoming competitions.

Dance makes our world and life much more pretty and tender-hearted. Dance is the way we express ourselves when our words are insufficient. We all want to be understood, and dance is the best way to convey emotion. I started to develop my ballroom dance skills seven years ago and Kristen is one of the best and has worked very hard to make me able to dance in the right way. Her attention to detail while sharing knowledge and experience with me is outstanding. I  can't find enough words to express how deeply I appreciate Kristen for her dedication to helping me grow my ballroom dance skills and potential.

Nancy Laggis Orlando is a full time Realtor since 1977 and previously was the Broker-Owner of Century 21 in Branford, CT. As a primary hobby, Nancy has experience as an amateur  ballroom dancer for 30 years in both American and International styles. Over the years, she has danced in ballroom-latin competitions, student showcases and ballroom dance troops. Nancy lives in Branford and has two married sons and five grandchildren.

Frank first discovered nightclub dancing (Line and Hustle) back in college; but left the Latin Hustle and his platform shoes to pursue other interests shortly after graduating.  It wasn’t till his 30-year High School reunion that a friend invited him to dance lessons thru the Fairfield Continuing Ed Program. It wasn’t till 2011 that Frank and his friend could take continuous lessons offered by Ballroom Dancesport of CT (BDS).   By 2013, Frank and his instructor, Ya-Ching Liu, were performing at the BDS semi-annual student spotlights, highlighting their flair for various Latin, Smooth, and Swing dances - while incorporating some theatrics and clever costumes as well.   While Frank has competed at Beginner/Bronze level, his preference is to perform at showcases, always looking to break new barriers under the talented guidance of his instructor and dance partner.

Venkat Reddy started with two left feet learning Salsa.  After a couple of years, Venkat started dancing West Coast Swing and Argentine Tango. Venkat expresses profound gratitude to Alex Scott for his endless patience and dance instruction.  When he isn't dancing, Venkat can be found enjoying bourbon and working as a software Engineer at Yale University.

Gabriel first started learning Salsa and after two years he ventured into Ballroom as it has always peaked his interest. Though not a regular performer Gabriel has had the wonderful opportunity to be part of a performing group. Still learning, growing and loving this form art.

Karen Giaimo has danced socially for over 10 years and enjoys participating in group performances.  She is happy to be dancing with old and new friends in her first TTLF performance, and looks forward to the challenge.  Karen is an attorney who served on active duty in the Navy Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps and now specializes in workers’ compensation insurance defense.

Daniel was first introduced to ballroom dance several years ago, when he decided to try something new and meet new people.  He quickly discovered he had a natural ability for learning dance and enjoys the challenge of learning new routines.  He met his wife, Kasia Lussier, while dancing, but eventually put dancing on hold for a few years to marry and grow his family.  He has found that dance is a universal language that brings people from all walks of life together.  This is his second showcase in front of an audience.

Kasia got hooked on dancing when she stumbled into a dance studio after seeing an intro party invite on Meetup.  Going to learn a few new moves she quickly discovered a world of pure joy and fun challenges, leading her to perform in various showcases and to compete in Bronze and Silver levels with the Fred Astaire Studio.  Kasia has met her husband, Daniel Lussier, through dance.  She took several years off from dancing to marry and start a family, and is back in the studio to grow her passion for dance so she can keep performing and dancing with her husband and friends.  

Toby Appel has loved to dance since she learned swing and cha cha from elementary school classmates.  She has pursued ballroom dance for over eight years, and also enjoys contra dance, English country dance, and Argentine tango.  Trained as a historian of science & medicine and as a librarian, she was the Librarian for Medical History at Yale, and supervised a large collection of rare books and related materials on the history of medicine.