U.S. Professional Ballroom Smooth Champions - Michael Mead & Toni Redpath

U.S. Professional Ballroom Smooth Champions – Michael Meade & Toni Redpath

(Photo from Can-Am Pro Show Routine Championships, YouTube)

In the United States, national professional ballroom dance champions are crowned at the United States Dance Championships, which is recognized by the National Dance Council of America (NDCA) and the World Dance Council (WDC). The American Rhythm division includes American style cha cha, rumba, East Coast swing, bolero and mambo. The American Smooth division includes the American style waltz, tango, foxtrot and Viennese waltz.

Can-Am Pro Show-Routine Championships – Michael Mead & Toni Redpath

A beautiful American style waltz performed Michael Mead and Toni Redpath. Michael and Toni were the U.S. National Professional Smooth (Ballroom) Dance Champions from 1999-2002.

Michael Mead was born in Croydon, England. Eventually, he moved to the California and opened Londance in Costa, Mesa, California. In 1989, he sold Londance to devote himself to his competitive dance career. He continued to teach at Londance and at the Champion Ballroom Academy in San Diego, California. He partnered with Toni Redpath.

Toni Redpath was born in Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia. She started dancing as a pre-teen. She partnered with Jan Tore Jacobson and represented Norway for several years. She moved to England to study and pass her exams for the Imperial Society Professional Exams. With partner, Michael Mead, she won the U.S. Open Ballroom Championships four years in a row between 1999-2002. She moved to the United States and began a professional teaching career at the Champion Ballroom Academy. Recently, she started a YouTube channel and blog featuring commentary on Dancing With The Stars. Currently, Toni is choreographer for dance shows, trains top ballroom dance competitors and judges ballroom dance competitions nationally.

Michael Mead and Toni Redpath have made numerous TV and film appearances including the dance show, So You Think You Can Dance and the PBS show, America’s Ballroom Challenge and Championship Ballroom Dancing and the feature films Dance With Me and Shall We Dance.