2026 BBDC Staff
Yuehwern Yih - Chair of Judges and Judge
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Yuehwern Yih is a Certified Chair of Adjudicators with World Dancesport Federation (WDSF) and USA Dance, Championship Licensed Adjudicator by the North American Dancesport Teachers Association and WDSF, and Certified Scrutineer with the National Dance Council of America. She is the founder and head coach of the Purdue Latin & Ballroom Dance Competition Team, training thousands of dancers since 1995, producing several USA Dance Champions and finalists, professionals, and studio owners.
In addition, Yuehwern is the Member of National Academy of Engineering and the Senior Member of National Academy of Inventors. She is the Tompkins Professor of Industrial Engineering and the Director of Smart Operations and Systems (SOS) Lab at Purdue University, specializing in system engineering in supply chains, healthcare, and humanitarian assistance.
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Daniel Dilley - Judge and Scrutineer
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Daniel Dilley is a certified Scrutineer with the National Dance Council of America (NDCA) and the owner of the O2CM competition management system.
Daniel is an alum of Purdue University, where he currently coaches the ballroom team with his partner Yuehwern. |
Samantha Trinidad - Judge
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Originally from Milwaukee, WI, Samantha began her journey at the age of four with classical dance training and later went on to receive her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. Shortly after graduation in 2007, Samantha began training with several national champions and has been teaching all styles of ballroom and Latin for over fifteen years. In 2018, she opened her own dance studio, Madison Ballroom Company in Madison, WI. Samantha competed in the Professional American Smooth division and is a Rising Star and Open Finalist.
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Chris Spalding - Judge
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Christopher Spalding was born and raised in Virginia where he received his BFA in Musical Theatre from the prestigious Shenandoah Conservatory. After college he embarked on a successful theatre career that took him all over the US including multiple national touring productions and Broadway. He then transitioned into the ballroom world where he met his wife and dance partner, Kelly Bartlett. Together they won 3 North American Titles in American Smooth and Showdance and a UCWDC World Title. In 2013 they opened their school, The Fort Wayne Ballroom Company, and have continuously won top teacher and top studio awards around the country and internationally. In 2018 he made his return to the theatre world when he founded Summit City Music Theatre, a professional theatre company in Fort Wayne.
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Kelly Spalding - Judge
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Kelly Bartlett-Spalding is Co-Owner and Master Instructor at The Fort Wayne Ballroom Company.
She has an extensive background in Dance Education, Performance and Competition, working with young children, adults, senior citizens and individuals with special needs. Kelly, and her husband, Christopher Spalding, compete in the American Smooth Division – and are Regional Rising Star, Open Professional and Showdance Champions. They hold 3 North American Titles and are known for their creative and entertaining performances.
Kelly is currently the the Global Top Female Teacher in the United States (2nd overall between men and women) and coaches four of the top 10 competing Amateur men in the country.
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Tetyana Oliynyk - Judge
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Tetyana Oliynyk is a professional Latin dancer and choreographer. Born in Ukraine, she started dancing at the age of 3. Throughout her dancing career, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago became her adopted hometowns. Representing first Ukraine and later the USA on the world stage, Tetyana holds numerous national and international championship titles.
Among her many achievements, Tetyana is a former U.S. National Professional finalist in Latin Ballroom, as well as a semifinalist at elite competitions such as the Blackpool Dance Festival, the UK Championship, and the Asian Tour. After retiring from competitive dancing, Tetyana settled in Chicago, where she focuses on teaching and mentoring dancers.
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Kevin Guy - DJ
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Kevin is a ballroom dance teacher and music director residing in the South Bend, IN area. He and his wife Michelle travel much of the Midwest to bring you the best and newest selections in dance music. Kevin has been serving as Music Director for many collegiate dance competitions for over 20 years and was recently invited to be the Music Director for a USA Dance competition in Tallahassee, Florida. Kevin and Michelle are also likely to look for an escape room to unlock after the comp…
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Andrea Mirenda - MC
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Andrea has spent more than 30 years as a certified ballroom dance educator and is registered with the NDCA and USA Dance. She was the cofounder and Executive Director of Heart of Dance, a nonprofit that taught dance to over 10,000 students in Minnesota schools, and the creator of Dance for Life, a dance-based wellness program for older adults. Andrea is an experienced choreographer, competitor, multi-studio owner, regional director, and competition and event organizer. She coaches individuals and dance teams, judges and emcees ballroom dance competitions, and serves as a DanceSport Rules Official for USA Dance, as well as sitting on their national Ballroom Dance Council as the founding chairperson of the Gender Neutral Committee.
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