Michel Guimond

Michel started ballroom dancing in Laval, QC and competed as a junior amateur in 1969. He became a professional competitor in 1980. He took his first certification as a dance instructor from La Corporation des Professeurs de Danse du Québec in 1992 in both the Latin and Standard divisions and then proceed with his International Style certifications with CDTA Québec. In 1993 Michel moved to Calgary where he became a prominent coach and choreographer to many amateur and professional competitors. His frequent coaching trips to Vancouver in the mid 90's prompted him to move to Vancouver in 1996 and establish himself as a resident instructor at The Grand Ballroom. Now you can find him in both The Grand Ballroom(for a few more months) and Broadway Ballroom. Michel has always been active in the dance community. He served as President of CDTA Alberta in 1994/1995 and in March 2000, became the Chairman for CDTA — BC Branch Ballroom Division. Chairman of judges in countless Canadian Closed Amateur and Professional Championships and International Adjudicator and now a co-producer of the Vancouver Challenge Cup 2014!

To contact Michel, please e-mail: michel@vancouverchallengecup.com

Clara Shih Marasigan

Clara has always been passionate about music and dance from an early age. Through her childhood years, she played the piano and drums, and was involved in Chinese Folk Dance and Jazz dance. It was not until she hit University (UBC Dance Club) that she developed an addiction to ballroom dancing.

Instead of attending her UBC graduation ceremony, Clara went to her first British Open Festival in Blackpool. As it does with many, the magical experience of dancing to the Empress Orchestra hooked her for life! During her competitive career, Clara was a multiple time undefeated BC Standard champion, and placed second in Canada. She did extensive training in England & Italy with the World's best teachers, and participated in competitions all over the world.

Now, over 15 years later, Clara (together with her dance partner and husband Joel) is director and co-founder of JC Dance Co. and mother of two adorable little girls. Their company, JC Dance Co., is known for coaching some of the top dancers in BC, for their innovative workshops and for their performance teams that go out into the community to raise awareness of the wonderful world of ballroom dance.

Clara's goal is to inspire people to discover the true essence of ballroom dancing and to help people lead healthy and balanced lifestyles through dance. Her teaching style, "strict but with a smile", shows that her focus and attention to detail always comes in a positive light; which is the approach she will bring to the organization of the Vancouver Challenge Cup.

To contact Clara, please e-mail:
clara@vancouverchallengecup.com

David Marasigan

David has been in competitive ballroom dancing for the past 14 years with highlights including an undefeated local season in 2012. He's an active member in the BC dance community with strong ties to the UBC Dance Club and JC Dance Co. He has been involved with the execution of multiple events within the ballroom community as well as the outlying dance community including the Goh Ballet and the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Outside of the ballroom you can find him working hard on his professional photography and videography. He's the designer of this website and can be contacted for any of your marketing needs. Outside of that, you can find him carving up the local mountains on his skis, or kicking back with his friends for late night sushi.

To contact David, please e-mail: david@vancouverchallengecup.com