MEET THE INSTRUCTORS
Svetlana Iskhakov -
Owner/Dance Instructor
Svetlana Iskhakov - founder, co-owner and lead instructor at the Columbus Dance Centre is one of the top professional Dancesport dancers in the United States.
Her titles include:
- US representative to the World in professional 10-dance championships held in Japan on June 22, 2003
- 3rd place finalist in the 2003 US Professional 10-dance championships
- 2002 Blackpool Dance Festival Professional Rising Stars Latin Quarter-Finalist
- 1999 Ohio Star Ball Professional Rising Star Latin-American Champion
- Open Professional Northcoast and Cincinnati Dancesport Champion, etc.
NDCA member, ISDT Certified Instructor.
Svetlana also has a very strong and broad academic background. She received BFA in dance from Ohio State University, completing the studies she did at the University of Culture in Moscow, Russia.
Svetlana travels extensively coaching and performing nationally. She performed roles of the head coach of the OSU and Kenyon College Ballroom Teams. She is frequently invited to judge and do demonstrations at the collegiate competitions around the country. Svetlana has been featured in numerous articles in Columbus Dispatch, New York Times, This Week, Columbus Alive, Gahanna News etc.
Sergei Bakalov -
Co-Owner/Dance Instructor
Sergei Bakalov - co-owner, dance and fitness instructor at the Columbus Dance Centre.
He began as a Hip Hop and Break Dance dancer at age of 14 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Long journey of dancing, competing and teaching in those styles brought him to Ballroom and Latin-American dancing in Columbus Ohio in 2001.
Sergei also has a very strong academic background in fitness and health.1998 - graduate from Wingate Institute for Physical Education & Sport (Israel), 25 years experience in powerlifting and bodybuilding, 20 years work experience as a Personal Fitness Trainer in Israel & USA.
Dance instructor, Healthy Lifestyle Consultant, Personal Trainer in USA since 2001.
Currently, Sergei is a co-owner and one of the lead dance instructors at Columbus Dance Centre. He is dedicated to providing high quality instruction in most major styles of dance. He teaches students of all levels in Ballroom, Smooth, Latin, Rhythm, Wedding Dance and Ballroom Social Dance. Adults and Children, Couples and Singles.
Sergei has been featured in numerous articles in Columbus Dispatch, New York Times, This Week, Columbus Alive, Gahanna News etc.
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Andrey Bakalov -
Piano & Dance Instructor
Andrey Bakalov has been seriously studying piano with Nina Polonsky since 2020. Since then, he has seen success in multiple competitions. The most notable are first place at the 2024 Venetia Hall Concerto Competition and 2023/25 CMTA Achievement Awards, second at the 2024 American Virtuoso Competition and 2024 CMTA Achievement Awards as well as alternate positions at the 2023 Buckeye State Finals and 2024 Ohio MTNA competition.
After earning an honorable mention at the 2022 Piano Star Grand Finals, Andrey was invited to perform at Weill Recital Hall in New York City. Just recently, after receiving the Platinum Award at the AADGT International Young Gifted Musicians Competition "Passion of Music" Japan 2025, he has been invited to perform at Suntory Hall in Tokyo. Andrey has also participated in masterclasses with many renowned pianists including Alexander Kobrin and Marina Lomazov.
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Beyond piano, Andrey is a successful competitive ballroom dancer, partnering with Svetlana to win pro/am ballroom competitions locally and nationally. He is a 6-time Ohio Star Ball World Pro/AM DanceSport Series Teen Ballroom Champion.