Our Teachers & Testimonials
Judit Gaspar
Judit was born in a small town called Szombathely in Hungary. She was 14 years old when she got introduced to ballroom dancing through her school. She joined the local dance team called Savaria Dance Sport Club, and took dancing seriously: in just two years she became member of the Adult Latin Formation Team. Savaria rose to the top and became undefeated Hungarian Champion in Latin American dances for all the years she was member. The team represented Hungary in international competitions. Judit's best result with the team was 5th place in the World Championship. She also competed with a partner in International Standard and they became regular finalists in national championships.
In 1997 she was invited by Armin Kappacher, the owner of the Fred Astaire Dance Studio of Boston to teach ballroom dancing in USA. She decided to make dancing a new career, which also meant to compete now as a professional. She danced with Richard Hutton from Ireland for 2 years, which had proven itself as a successful partnership. They reached several finals here on the East coast.
Some of their most outstanding results as professionals: The Dance Sport Competition in Montreal: first place in the Rising Star Standard division and 4th in the Open Standard Championship. Yankee Classic Boston: 4th place in the Rising Star Standard division and semi-final in the Open Standard Championship.
She took the Fred Astaire teachers’ qualification tests as well as the ISTD (Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing) Licentiate exam in International Ballroom and passed as 'highly commended'.
Judit studied international business and economics and she holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Business Management. She has been an advocate for healthy lifestyle and in 2018 she received her Master of Science degree in Applied Nutrition from University of New England. Judit has two sons: Christopher and Patrick. Christopher is an assistant teacher at Champions since 2019.
Christopher Affonso & Holly Hatleberg
Christopher and Holly have been dancing together since 2012. Both dancers started dancing at Champions Dance Sport Club and are currently members.
They have been competing with great success in local and national competitions throughout the years. In their junior years they were national champions in gold standard syllabus and placed second in Latin.
As they moved up to open championship level, they have achieved many results in the dance sport world including becoming US Champions in Youth Standard and U21 Standard, two times US vice-champions in youth 10-dance, and bronze medalist in Adult Standard with USA Dance.
Their top result is CSIT Youth Standard World Championship Bronze medalists, and U21 fifth place in Schladming, Austria in 2023.
They train under the guidance of Judit Gaspar and Andrea Zaramella.
Christopher and Holly have been teaching since 2019. Their students have succeeded at numerous national championships.
Christopher Affonso
Christopher was three years old when he started dancing. At first, he did it because his mom had a studio, but as time went on, he grew to really love dancing.
Christopher is heading to Boston University to study chemistry and linguistics. He loves languages: he speaks Hungarian, Spanish, and German. He plays the piano and the violin. When spring comes, he also likes to hit the road and sign up for 5K races or take long bike rides. In his spare time, he likes to hike, play tennis, and camping. He also established a successful online shop for flag designs.
Holly Hatleberg
Holly began dancing at the age of five. She watched her parents’ first Waltz lessons out of the corner of her eye until she finally came up and said, “Daddy, if you sign me up for lessons, I will dance better than you.” By now she has proven herself! Holly is interested in studying Biomedical Engineering. She has recently helped choreograph her school’s musical, Mamma Mia, and is also part of a Youth Scholar Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. In her rare spare time, Holly also loves to travel and bake complicated cakes and desserts!
Fiona Brymer
Fiona started dancing in 2010 when she was just 7 years old after years of watching Dancing with the stars with her mom. After sitting in on a dance lesson her mom was taking (and some bribery in the form of stickers) her interest was peaked, and she begged her mom to sign her up for lessons with Judit. And the rest is history :)
During all these years of dancing, Fiona has accomplished many things such as: First Place Overall Winner at the MIT Open, Eastern United States Champion, and USA Dance National Champion competing in International Standard and Latin in the syllabus events.
She is now a student at Boston University with the hopes of becoming a lawyer. Along with studying law, Fiona is also team captain of the Boston University Ballroom team and has worked as a choreographer on several musical productions including Chicago, Rent, and The Little Mermaid.
In the past few years, she has taken up a love for teaching. Getting to share her love for ballroom dancing (and paso doble in particular) with dancers new and old has been extremely rewarding for her. She hopes to continue sharing her passion for many more years to come.
Brian Freitas
Brian Freitas started dancing with his fiancé in 2014, working with Judit to perfect their wedding dance. And they loved it so much that they never stopped! He and his now-wife, Lina, continue to perform and compete in the American Smooth style.
When Lina took a hiatus from dance in 2018, Brian partnered up with Fiona to compete in the International Standard and Latin styles. The partnership was so successful that they continued even after Lina returned to dancing, so Brian has studied and competed in three styles ever since. His most notable competition results include multiple podium-finishes at the gold level at the USA Dance National Championships with both partners.
Brian has a background in teaching computer software and English as a Second Language (ESL), so starting work as an assistant teacher at Champions in 2021 was a natural transition for him. As a dancer, he draws heavily on his lifetime of experience as a classical musician (violin, viola) and NCAA Division I Track & Field athlete--because dance truly is the perfect blend of art and sport.
Testimonials
