Vivienne Ramsey
InstructorVivienne Ramsey began her ballet training at an early age in Sydney, Australia. She completed her Royal Academy of Dance syllabus with honors and was awarded the Solo Seal at age 16. A silver medal performance during the Peter Stuyvesant Competition at the famed Sydney Opera House led to an invitation and a stipend to the John Cranko School in Stuttgart, Germany. It was in Stuttgart under the influence of Marcia Haydee that Vivienne learned the ultimate importance of integrating passion and dance. She went on to become a soloist with John Neumeier's Hamburg Ballet and traveled the world, dancing in such capitals as Paris, Berlin, Leningrad, New York, Montreal, Buenos Aires, and Salzburg.
Vivienne began her experience in "Exhibition Ballroom Dancing" in 1992 in Charlottesville, Virginia. She and her partner David Howland very quickly began to challenge the world's most experienced and highly ranked competitors. Between 1995 and 2002, they dominated international competition in their discipline winning the World Championships 6 times and the U.S. Ballroom Championships several times. Their most notable achievement was winning the British Exhibition Championships in Blackpool, England 5 times. No other couple has ever accomplished the feat. During this period, Vivienne and David were invited many times to appear as featured artists at some of the world's most prestigious ballroom events.
Since retiring from international competition in 2003, Vivienne has been able to devote much more time to teaching and coaching. Vivienne joins Steps 'N Motion Dance Studio in 2010 and is looking forward to sharing her knowledge and experience!
