11800 Quivira Rd
Overland Park KS 66210
913-338-0888
Our Mission at Amore Dance
• To provide quality teaching at affordable prices, enticing new students to begin dancing around the Kansas City area.
• To ensure that clients have fun while promoting good health. Personal gains, such as improved self-esteem and self-motivation, combined with measurable benefits are only some of the proven benefits of a fun dance and fitness program.
• To serve as a source of quality dance instruction, aerobics instruction and performances for companies and fellow dance performers.
• Use Zumba as a way to introduce people to dance and thus develop a larger dance and music community.
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Tony & Jessica Witt, co-owners of Amoré Dance, are both ZUMBA® International Presenters and ZUMBA® Education Specialists. They are 2 of the original 13 that helped introduce ZUMBA® to the world as ZUMBA® went global. Tony & Jessica Witt are a certified ACE/AFAA instructors / presenters & Zumba Education Specialist (ZES), based in Kansas City . They are also professional dancers trained in International Latin and Standard Ballroom, Salsa & Swing. In 2004, Jessica & Tony's passions for Latin Ballroom dancing and for Zumba lead them to open their very own dance studio, Amore Dance.
Jessica & Tony began teaching Zumba in 2003 as a way to introduce health and fitness to their dance students. They have provided dance and Zumba instruction to over 30 fitness clubs/schools in the Kansas City area. Since 2006, over 3000 instructors have attended Jessica & Tony's Zumba & Dance workshops and become Zumba-fied and dance inspired. Most recently, Jessica & Tony formed part of the cast of Zumba's fitness videos released in 2008. Fusing music, entertainment and fitness, Zumba is one of the hottest and fastest growing dance and fitness phenomenons in the world.
Tony and Jessica have been featured in the commercial zumba videos, created choreography for zumba training videos, helped write zumba programs (such as the new aqua Zumba program), launched the zumba program in Taiwain, China, Japan and Canada. They currently teach and perform at worldwide dance and fitness conventions including, Idea Fitness, Chicago Salsa Congress, New York Salsa Congress, SCW Fitness, Can Fit Pro, DCAC, AFAA Japan Conventions, AFAA Taiwan Conventions, and more!
“Competing and performing always pushes you to dance at a higher level and improve at a much faster pace. Though I love performing, my true passion lies within the dance itself. Performing and teaching simply allows me to share my passion with others. Dance is becoming one with the music and your partner through connection and movement. It is your ability to let go with the right sense of pressure, lead and follow, and exchange of psychic energy that merges two dancers and the music into one congruous experience.”
Contact Amore Dance Studio at 913-338-0888 info@amoredance.com
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Katia Burkhardt was born near Philadelphia, PA, and has also lived and studied in Mexico, Spain, Brazil and Kansas City. These wonderfully diverse cultural experiences have made her who she is today – a multilingual Kansas Citian who is very passionate about Latin dancing and who identifies strongly with Latin cultures.
Always energetic and very active as a child, Katia was a gymnast for nine years and competed at the state level. Later she participated in activities such as ice skating, soccer, tennis, track, and jazz dance. She has always enjoyed dancing and teaching others to dance – everything from salsa and merengue, to Brazilian samba and Spanish flamenco. Back in the Spring of 2002, she partnered up with Josué Hernández, and together they co-founded Latin Rhythm Dance Company. There she met Tony and Jessica in 2003 while on the Latin Rhythm performance team, and began working with Amore Dance in 2004. In addition to being a dance instructor, she is also a certified Zumba fitness instructor.
An accomplished dancer, Katia has won numerous 1st place competition titles in salsa, with both her previous dance partner and also with Amore Dance founder Tony Witt. She has competed, instructed and performed across the U.S. and internationally. Katia believes that, “as a dancer, it is as if you are an instrument in the band, using your body to interpret the music and to connect with your partners’ energy.” When teaching, she emphasizes rhythm, technique, musical interpretation, and the development of your own individualized style. For Katia, it is a privilege to inspire others, just as she has been inspired, and to share the joy of this blessing. She provides event entertainment and performance, as well as private and group instruction of salsa, other Latin dances, and Zumba fitness in English and Spanish.
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Deanna Taphorn has been a Zumba instructor since 2005. She got her first taste of Zumba with Tony and Jess's first Zumba class in the K.C. area! Ever sinceshe's been hooked! Zumba has helped her keep a strong workout/fitness regimin she says its because the music and melody are always changing and she never gets bored. "There is no monotony to the class and that makes me want to work out."
Graphics designer by day and zumba instructor by night...Dea has had little to no professional dance training, but it doesn't matter, she packs them in for a fun class. Her class is great for working individuals to get any stress or anxiety out of their systems. She is a very energetic instructor and people of all levels and backgrounds enjoy attending her class. Anyone can do it!! Deanna is so approachable and makes people feel very comfortable in her class. She enjoys getting to know everyone who attends and has met some wonderful friends throughout the years. She helps to create that zumba family atmosphere. "Zumba to me is a second family. Everyone is having fun and is interested in the person next to them. I love the fact that before class we talk about how are days went and what is new in our lives. In all the other classes that I've ever taken at different gyms it's the only class where people become friends outside of the workout"
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Jon McMichen
Jon McMichen has been dancing since 2002 and teaching with Amore Dance since 2004. He enjoyes performing and teaching in many street styles such as Poppin, Electric Boogaloo, Lockin, Tut, etc. Jon has won several area talent shows and performed at local events including the Shane Sparks tour and the Royals game. He has done choreography for various local dance teams including an AAU Cheerleading Competition Team, who ended up taking first place. The basic hip hop course focuses on fundamental hip hop moves to various popular songs. In the advanced class he uses those fundamental moves to teach a hip/hop routine. Fundamental moves include gliding, waving, and popping.
"Hip/hop is something I can teach, but the street style is more of my style. My class is made up of 30% hip/hop, 70% street style. Be ready to sweat, jam, glide, wave, and pop/lock. But most of all I want you to become the dancer you want to be. I'm Ready to teach you. Are you ready to learn?"
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Melody Gabrielle
Melody has always been a dancer. According to her mother, Melody danced before she could walk, and she even danced in the womb. She began dance classes in ballet, tap, and jazz when she was four years old. By age six Melody focused her training primarily in ballet. She danced in Metropolitan Ballet Company of Wichita 1991-1994. She also attended a workshop with David Howard of New York.
In high school Melody turned her attention to musical studies, but she never lost interest in dance. She studied voice under Tacey Grey and later Deborah Baxtor, PhD. of Wichita State University. Her training in music has been indispensable to her dancing. She has always intuitively felt that a dancer must be an extension of the music.
In college Melody's academic interests in anthropology and history, as well as fond memories of dancing the Arabian chorus in the Nutcracker, led to her discovery of belly dance. Melody began belly dance in 2003. She has studied with Dona Baba, Safira Zeki, and Maya Zahira. She has also attended numerous workshops with noted dancers such as Elena Lentini, Angelika Nemeth, Azziza, and Elizabeth Artemis Mourat. Melody is currently studying under Zada Al Gaziyeh and dances with Raghsidad dance company.
Recently Melody has also discovered sacred/liturgical dance. She has participated in sacred dance workshops with Keri Sutter of Surgite dance company, and she is currently leading a sacred dance ministry at Saint Margaret's Episcopal Church of Lawrence, KS. She also enjoys dancing at drum circles and other spiritually related dance events.
In the future Melody wants to continue to explore dance creatively, academically, and spiritually while technically expanding her knowledge of ethnic dances to include various African, Polynesian, and Latin forms. She also wants to explore new sacred dance practices as well.
Melody performs in many venues in the Kansas City, Lawrence, and Topeka area. These include multi-cultural events, fine arts events, fundraisers, bachelorette parties, birthday parties, weddings, restaurants, libraries, and community centers. Melody also teaches belly dance in the Kansas City area. She is also an accomplished lecturer in belly dance and other dance related topics. Melody has also authored several academic papers on various dance subjects.
Although Melody has had a great deal of dance training, she feels that it is her calling to reach out to the dancers without training or even the dancers that would not traditionally be called dancers. She believes dance is intimately connected with life. Dance is defined as rhythmic movement. If you listen to your body, you discover that the body is all about rhythm. The heart beat and the steady inhale and exhale of the breath are the basic rhythms of life, and in this rhythm we live and move and have our being. In other words, if you're alive you're moving to the rhythms of the body, and if you're moving in rhythm you're dancing. Life is dance. We are all dancers. Melody's life pursuit is to share her knowledge of the mystical power of dance which heals, inspires, and enlightens. She hopes that her efforts will allow individuals to cultivate their own mystical dance experiences as both spectators and performers.
Melody holds a Master of Arts from the University of Kansas in religious studies with an emphasis on sacred dances of the ancient Near East and Mediterranean. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Wichita State University in anthropology and history with a minor in music.
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OSCAR HAMPTON
Oscar Hampton started dancing four years ago because his girlfriend worked at a dance studio. Soon after, he realized that his love of dance and wanted to pursue it further. Since then he has won a National Championship and reached the All-Star level on the West Coast Swing circuit. He has also placed at many events across the nation including Boogie by the Bay, Capital Swing, Americas Classic, Dallas Dance, Meet Me in St Louis, The Boston Tea Party, The Chicago Classic, Swingtime in the Rockies and many more. As a Lindy Hop competitor, Oscar most recently made it into the top 30 in the worlds largest Jack and Jill competition (consisting of more than 200 leaders) at Frankie Mannings 95th Birthday celebration. In the upcoming competition year, Oscar will be competing with Stevie Blakely in the Classic Division & with Samantha Ramirez in the Showcase Division in the West Coast Swing Circuit. Along with his intense competition schedule, Oscar has also been teaching for the past two years and loves every minute of it. In addition to West Coast Swing and Lindy Hop, he also teaches Partner Charleston, Solo Vernacular Jazz, aerials/airsteps, and East Coast Swing. Oscar is available for Workshops, Privates Lesson, and Choreography
Ann Marie Cotto and Michelle Tarpley Smith
