Guest Artists

Andy Slimak and Emma Shelnutt, Dancers

Andy Slimak has been a professional ballroom dancer/coach for the better part of a decade. Working with franchised and independent studios since 2007, Andy’s dancing has taken him all over Ohio as well as the rest of the country. Andy is a Silver certified and award winning teacher as the Fred Astaire Rising Star Champion of 2007 & 2008 as well as the Mixed/Novice Champion of 2009. Cleveland’s Dancing With the Stars Champion of 2009 and the Greater Cleveland Diabetes Dancing with the Stars Champion of 2016. Andy’s students have also won many awards and accolades including Top Junior Students from 2007-2009 (4x shared by 3 students) as well as numerous Top Overall Student Awards (local, regional and national). Andy’s teachers and coaches include: Karina Smirnoff, Tony Dovolani, Kimberly Mitchell, Bill Sparks, Rosando Fumero, Anderson Sylvestre and many more. Andy’s love of dance is owed to his parents and grandparents who from a very young age had him watching Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly movies in amazement. As well as a professional ballroom dancer Andy holds a degree is Theater and Performance Arts from Cleveland State University while performing with various local and professional theatrical groups throughout Northeast Ohio including in 2007 in the World Community Theater debut of CATS at the Cassidy Theater in Parma Hts, Ohio. “Thank you to Symphony West Orchestra for the opportunity not only to showcase one of my wonderful students but to perform with such talented people!”

Emma Shelnutt, 11, has been studying under Andy Slimak of Starz Ballroom for 3 1/2 years. She began ballroom dancing when she was 8. Her favorite dance is the foxtrot. Emma enjoys reading, soccer, dancing, swimming and enjoying time in nature in her free time. She plans on continuing her education in dance to compete globally.