Club Officers
Below are our club’s officers for the 2024-2025 academic year. We encourage any of you who would like to help shape the vision and direction of the club to consider participating in some capacity. Reach out to us with any comments, join our officer meetings, or shoot us an email.
President — Anna Vernetti
Anna is a junior from Germany. She attends Saint Mary’s College and is double majoring in Biology and Creative Writing with a minor in Fashion and Costume. She first started ballroom dancing her freshman year of high school in Pennsylvania. Fun fact…. in her junior year of high school, she did a year long AP Research research project on tactile signals and the role they play in interpersonal communication and connection in ballroom dancing. The data was entirely conducted over zoom because this was during COVID.
Email: avernetti01@saintmarys.edu
Vice President — Cece Swartz
Cece is an English MA student from Bethesda, Maryland.
Email: cswartz@nd.edu
Treasurer — Dan Mohr
Dan is a law student from Minnesota.
Email: dmohr@nd.edu
Secretary — Gabe Ortner
Gabe is a sophomore studying Honors Math.
Email: gortner@nd.edu
Social Media Outreach Coordinator — Emma Stadelmann
Emma is an English MA student from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She started dancing three years ago. Outside of dance, she is involved in radio and theater. Her favorite dances are waltz, tango, and swing!
Email: estadelm@nd.edu
Competition Organizers — Anna Vernetti and Cece Swartz
Contact with any questions about the Irish Dancesport Gala!
Email: avernetti01@saintmarys.edu
Email: cswartz@nd.edu
Current Coach
Below is the Notre Dame Ballroom Dance Club’s coach for the 2023-2024 school year. Feel free to contact them about private lessons and any other questions you may have.
Latin Coach – Kayla Carpenter
more information to come!
American Coach – Kevin Guy
more information to come!
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Past Coaches
Latin Coach — Mariusz Skonieczny
Mario Skonieczny was born in Poland. He immigrated to the United States at the age of 16. He has been dancing for 15 years. He is best known for Latin dancing which includes International Latin, American Rhythm, and Salsa club dancing. He currently competes with Mary Jester in professional Latin.
American Coach — Kathy Nate
Kathy Nate has owned and operated her own dance studio for 45 years. She is trained in American Style and urges her students to partake in learning the technical aspects of dance in order to compete. She gives her students short routines to learn in each dance so that the focus stays on execution. Kathy instills in her students that it’s not the number of patterns that you know but how well you do them is what constitutes a good dancer. She is known as the trendsetter in her area for club-style dances such as Nite Club 2-Step, West Coast Swing, Shag, and Country 2-Step. Private dance lessons may be available. Call 574-274-9024 for details.
Social Coach — Barb Coon
Barb graduated with honors from Arthur Murray Dance Schools and is a professional instructor and choreographer. She teaches and coaches at dance studios, workshops, and independently; and judges at collegiate ballroom competitions. Barb has received countless championship awards and trophies at competitions and exhibitions. She also instructs and supports USA Dance clubs. But what she loves the most is coaching, teaching, and judging competitions for our ND/SMC Ballroom Dance Club which she has been doing since 1998! Barb enjoys meeting new students and sharing her joy and passion for ballroom dancing.