Qualified Teachers
Deanna Stephens (Owner and Teacher)
Deanna's passion for dance has been a driving force throughout her entire life that has culminated in opening the Uptempo Barrie Dance Studio. Her goal is to share the joy of dance with the people of Barrie and the surrounding areas. Deanna has been teaching ballroom and latin dance since 2015 after discovering her passion for the style in 2008. She has won awards at multiple competitions. Her experience teaching includes both private and group lessons in Barrie, Ontario and at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Before that, she trained as a dance teacher and served as a dance intern to assist the teachers in the lessons at Paramount Ballroom Studios in West Palm Beach. She also has experience in developing wedding choreography for couple's first dances and choreographing stage musicals. She currently teaches a variety of dances, including: cha cha, rumba, east coast swing, samba, merengue, tango, waltz, foxtrot, hustle, salsa, and bachata.
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Ben Tusim
Ben has an abundance of energy and enthusiasm! He has been dancing, performing, and teaching for many years and has won numerous high score and overall awards throughout North America. Ben is certified as a dance instructor with both the Latin & Smooth curriculum through the DVIDA Syllabus. He is a very dedicated teacher who enjoys sharing his love of dance with his students which have won many top awards in all fields of dance. Ben has trained with the renowned judge and host of ‘Dancing at the Palais’, Mr. Allan Arsmby; as well as the Canadian Ballroom 10 dance champion, Mr. Claude Crevier. Ben was also a part of and trained with the group ‘Strictly Salsa’, focusing on salsa influenced from different parts of the world. Such as New York, LA, and Puerto Rico. Ben is also the owner of 2some Dance that hosted the annual dance event 'Toronto Dances with the Stars' which featured dancers from the hit TV show 'Dancing with the Stars' and 'So you Think You Can Dance'
Phil Davidson
Phil fell in love with salsa and bachata in 2019 and has never stopped since! Thanks to Uptempo Barrie's intensive Teacher Training Program, he is now ready to take his dance journey to the next level!