Instructor Biographies
Cindy-Lee Overton is the owner and senior teacher of 1st Danz - a new dance studio/club located in Ft. Myers boasting one of the largest dance floors in the area. As a singer/dancer she has been performing professionally for over 30 years. Cindy-Lee started her career as a jazz/ballet/tap dancer who could sing. She has 2 CDs, has been nominated for MAC awards for vocal performance and Cabaret story and she has an extensive background in theatre. Cindy-Lee is a member of Actors Equity - the professional actors Union. Although she danced in many musicals over the years it wasn't until 1995 that she discovered Ballroom dancing. While visiting her father in Portland Maine, she accompanied him to his "Ballroom" dance party. It was love at first sight.
When she returned home to NYC she started to take Private and Group classes to study Mambo, West Coast Swing and Argentine Tango at Stepping Out Dance studios with Angel Figueroa and Peter Defalco. She also studied Argentine Tango at Dance Manhattan with Fabienne Bongard and Rebecca Shulman. More locally she has coached in the Argentine Tango with Pablo Repun. Cindy-Lee obtained her Ballroom certification from the Charlotte NC Arthur Murray Studio. She continues to study with all the 1st Danz visiting Master teachers as well as coaching with the top competitors on the competition circuit. As often as possible Cindy-Lee travels to Argentina to work with the Master series in the Tango in Buenos Aires. Please visit the web site www.1stdanz.com for more details.
Cristina Weaver
Cristina Weaver has been teaching and dancing Ballroom for 10 years and still continues to love what she does! She wasn't always a dancer while growing up. Cristina was into theater and film. But when she turned 16 there was an Arthur Murray Dance Studio a block away from her house and had to learn how to dance BALLROOM. She fell in love with it instantly. Her goal was to become an instructor for Arthur Murray and made it happen when she moved to Miami after High School. The day Cristina was supposed to go to college was the day she went for my interview with Arthur Murray in Coral Gables.
Cristina began training immediately and before she knew it she had been at that studio for five years competing with her very own students and also getting ready to compete professionally. After instructing at the Coral Gables location, Cristina was given the opportunity to be Dance Director, Supervisor, and then Manager of the Arthur Murray of Sunrise. At that location she continued teaching and competing with her students and also had the chance to compete professionally in American Smooth. During the past 10 years, she has become a certified ballroom dance instructor and continues dance training daily. She presently teaches Ballroom Dancing throughout Broward County.