Dora Baroti - Dance Bio

Ballet (27 years), Jazz (6 years), Ballroom, Swing (Lindy Hop, Boogie Woogie, East Coast Swing, Charleston, West Coast Swing, Hustle.), Acrobatic elements: lifts, drops, air steps. Latin dances (Salsa, Merengue, Cha-cha, Bachata, and several ethnic dances.) My experience includes competitions in swing, salsa and acrobatic rock n' roll, performances, teaching classes (in private and group setting), as well as workshops.

Choreography (theater)

The Wiz - Quest Academy ( Palatine ) April 2003
Guys and Dolls - Quest Academy (Palatine) April 2004
Guys and Dolls - Cutting Hall (Palatine) August 2004
Annie Get Your Gun - Quest Academy (Palatine) April 2006

Ballet Instructor (Szeged, Hungary) 1988-1990

Taught 2 ½ to 5 year-olds. Instruction material included creative movement, as well as all basic elements of classical ballet, with special attention to posture and control of their movement.

During the same time period, I also taught ballet technique to professional ballroom dancers (adults.) This involved refining their technique in turns, as well as other basic and advanced dance techniques.

Ballet Instructor (Bloomington, IN) — Hungarian Cultural Association 1994-1998

Taught ballet to children ages 5-9. Instruction material included typical elements of classical ballet, barre exercises, floor exercises, stretching, turns and simple choreographies using the learned techniques. Children gave performance at the end of each year.

Ballet Instructor (Palatine, IL) — Quest Academy 1999-2006

Taught ballet to children ages 5-9. Instruction material included barre exercises, floor exercises, stretching, turns and simple choreographies using the learned techniques. In lieu of a performance, we held an open class for parents and family members.

Swing and Salsa Instuction and Performance

Dora is a trained instructor of classical ballet and jazz, and is a European Boogie Woogie (swing) Champion. After coming to the US , she continued to explore the dance scene. She danced and taught East Coast Swing and Lindy Hop in Chicago since 1999. In 2001, Dora discovered the explosive Latin scene. After several years of training, she now teaches and competes with her partner Marco, all over Chicagoland.

Marco Suarez started dancing Salsa as a child in his native Colombia . In the United States , he continued dancing, and his distinctive style is a unique combination of Colombian, Puerto Rican, Cuban and Rueda styles of salsa. He and Dora have formed a dynamic and successful dancing, competition and teaching partnership.

Marco and Dora have placed second in the Living Room Dance Competitions in 2004, when they burst into the Swing competition with their energetic salsa routine. In Early 2005 they placed fourth in the national Salsa competitions held in Chicago 's Salsa mainstay night club: The Buzz. They have entertained at various corporate and private events, and continue to enjoy dancing and performing together.

Training (not exhaustive list):

Classical ballet training by Lydia Barothy, St. Petersburg Ballet – Ms. Barothy was a lead ballerina with the St. Petersburg Ballet before she moved to Hungary , where she became the most highly recognized teacher or the art. Her work also included choreography and workshops with the leading performing arts groups in the country and abroad. Ms. Barothy has closely followed my career and mentored me throughout the years.

Jazz and Modern Ballet training with Abraham Jazz Performance Group, Szeged, Hungary – Trained and performed with Abraham Jazz Performance Group, specifically learned the Luigi technique in its pure form. Performed with Abraham Jazz Performance Group in a great variety of styles, from modern ballet to various facets of jazz styles. (E.g.: “All That Jazz” , Charleston , etc.) Won numerous competitions, performed in a great number of shows and events as a member of this group, in various settings, from outdoor festivals to formal theaters.

Dora developed her trademark program, Flexercize, in 2003. She taught Flexercize classes in Chicago studios, with wonderful results. The original program was an overall stretching program developed for dancers, but the interest quickly spread to non-dancers, and the modified program for all was developed. Today, Dora is interested in bringing the Flexercize programs to those who would benefit from them most — corporate offices and seniors.

Dora started Studio Viva! in January of 2006, with the idea to bring creative and health-oriented movement to not just those who already dance, but also those who are pressed for time, or limited in movement. Please browse around to get to know my passion, and e-mail me with your questions or comments.