About your Event Directors Keith Gussoni, trained
in Jazz, Ballet, Adagio, Ballroom, Swing and Hustle, a native New
Orleanian, has
been dancing for over 25 years. He has trained with some of the most
elite of instructors and coaches in the country. After a long absence
from the dance world to raise his son, Keith a/k/a HustleNewOrleans,
resurged in 1998 to the Hustle and Swing circuit. Dancing in the amateur
divisions of, Keith and previous partners, Kathy Centenio and Joy Kohlmaier,
have won numerous titles in the division of Classic, Theater Arts,
Cabaret, Just Hustle and Jack 'n Jills at the following events: Hustle
USA, International
Hustle & Salsa Competition, Disco America, World Hustle Dance Championship,
Texas Classic, Swing Fling, Virginia State Open Swing Dance Championships,
Paul Pellicoro's DanceSport and New Orleans Dance Mardi Gras. Since
turning Pro in July 2002, Keith, with his top Pro Am partner, Celeste
Pfefferle,
has been competing and has won 1st Place titles at the International
Hustle & Salsa Competition, Disco America, New Orleans Dance Mardi
Gras and World Hustle Dance Championship. Keith was awarded the Top
Male Instructor Award at the 2003 World Hustle Dance Championship in
New Jersey
for his achievements with his male and female students along with being
invited on staff for the 2004 World Hustle Dance Championship, 2004
International Hustle; Salsa Competition in Miami, as well as other
major national events.
As an instructor, Keith believes it's all about giving to the students.
They are, indeed, the key to our success. Katie Marlow has been performing professionally since 1981. As a performer, she has assembled a wide range of credits stretching from cabaret revues, to theatre to television and feature films. She is a member of both Screen Actors Guild and Actors Equity Association. Beginning her performance career as a showgirl aboard the Cunard NAC Cruise Line, she later branched out to do commercials and feature films. Just a few of her credits include "A Chorus Line: The Movie" the television show "The Equalizer" and "Miami Vice". She later moved into choreography, putting together, the "Hot Nights in the City night club revue in Japan. In 1995 she founded Dancesation! Entertainment - an upscale production company who provides entertainment services throughout the United States for major corporations. In addition to her many singular accomplishments, Katie is also half of the world renowned dance team Billy Fajardo and Katie Marlow. They are considered to be one of the most highly accomplished and versatile dance teams in the world. They are the 2002 IDO World Champions for both Hustle and Cabaret Exhibition. They are the only couple in the history of the United States to hold two concurrent world championship titles in the same year. Other titles include 2000 US Open Cabaret Champions, 1999 United States Hustle Champions, 2002 NADC Cabaret Champions. In addition, Billy and Katie were four times invitees to the prestigious Blackpool Dance Festival Open Exhibition Championships, an honor reserved for only a select few throughout the world. With their exceptional talent of being able to perform both theatrical dance and social partner dance on a world class level, they hold the distinctive position of being in demand on a number of circuits, including the Ballroom circuit, the Hustle circuit, the Salsa circuit and even the Swing dance circuit. They have the number one selling hustle instructional dance videos in the world, and are in demand in many far off destinations as performers and instructors. Recent overseas performances include Hong Kong, London, Equador, Taiwan and Italy. At home, the pair have been featured at home in the US at such well known venues as Radio City Music Hall and Lincoln Center. Th ey were the subjects of a special television segment for Good Life TV. Their photos have graced the covers of numerous dance publications, including Dancesport Magazine, 5-6-7-8, and NY Salsa. In addition, they have been the subjects of numerous newspaper and television interviews. Performances recently aired include the World Salsa Championships on ESPN. They also recently choreographed a segment for the show Havana Nights in Las Vegas. Billy and Katie were the recipients of the Augie and Margo Rodriguez Award which is awarded to exemplary and inspirational performance within the dance world. They were also recently honored at the West Coast Salsa Congress, considered to be the largest and most prestigious in the world, for their contributions to the Salsa dance world. In addition to the Big Easy Dance Classic, Katie is also the organizer, along with Billy, of the renowned International Hustle and Salsa Competition (IHSC) which will be going into its eighth consecutive year. To view more about Billy and Katie go to:
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