About Tim Bennett
Starting his dancing career in 1991, Tim Bennett quickly made a name for himself within the Fred Astaire organization. After completing his full American Bronze exam, he was selected to be the Dance Director in the Fred Astaire Dance Studio of Raleigh, NC. When he completed his full American Silver exam in 1993, he was asked to oversee direction and training of all instructors in both the Winston/Salem, NC, and Raleigh, NC, Fred Astaire studios.
After several years of competing professionally and becoming an accomplished instructor, Tim moved to Portland, OR in 1997 to be with his ailing mother. It took some time and much deliberation but Tim finally decided to become an Independent Instructor and has been successfully teaching ever since. “After being with my family through that difficult period, I wanted to focus my attention on giving more of myself. So I decided the best way to do this was to focus on beginning dancers.”
For several years, Tim taught the beginners course at Ballroom Parkrose, introducing new dancers to the magical world of ballroom dancing. In fact, many of the dancers in the Portland metro area got their start from Tim’s beginner course. Tim’s good nature, humorous antecdotes, and discipline makes for a very refreshing experience. “I’ve always enjoyed getting people started on that wonderful journey of ballroom dancing and this is what I get to do in the beginners course.”
Although Tim specializes in working with beginners, he continues to work with and train advanced to championship level dancers as well as continuing his own education. To that end, Tim studied with former U.S. Champion and World Class Judge Beth Knoll and has since acquired his Associate Degree in the International Standard Style of ballroom dancing and is now registered with the National Dance Council of America (NDCA) as an official Ballroom Adjudicator.
“Teaching at Ballroom Parkrose has been a really neat experience for me. I got to work with some of the finest instructors I’ve encountered in all my years as a professional.”
Tim now makes his home in the beautiful state of West Virginia and is currently the only certified Dancesport instructor registered with and recognized by the National Dance Council of America (ndca.org) in the entire state. “I’m really excited about getting started creating a ballroom dance community here”
Because of Tim’s extensive and diverse background in ballroom dancing, he is an ideal instructor for newcomers as well as the most advanced dancers. Tim’s goal is to maintain the highest standard of instruction and dancing. Everyone will have a great and fun learning experience with this highly trained instructor.