Renzo & Andrea Zegarra
Renzo and Andrea were both born in Lima, Peru but they ended up meeting at AM Nationals in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2016.
Renzo’s dream was to become a professional soccer player since he played many years in the minor leagues in a professional team in South America. At the age of 15, he began salsa dancing at his uncle’s studio in Seattle and he fell in love with the art. During summer break, while in college he decided to teach at a ballroom studio and quickly developed a passion for developing students and staff, winning Top Instructor, Top Supervisor, and Top Manager awards through the years. In 2015, he opened his first Arthur Murray Dance Studio in South California, and since then he enjoys being a coach, dance coach and business trainer for the AM Organization. Currently, competitive dancing is the main motivator in his career.
Andrea always had passion for music and dancing since she was a kid. Growing up, she would see her parents dance at parties and being very natural without having taken any formal training, and she always admired that. She decided to immerse herself in the salsa/bachata social scene at the age of 18 at the same time as she was finishing her Master’s Degree in Hospitality and Management. Later, she was invited to represent her country at a Worldwide Competition where she won the Pro-am World Salsa Champion Title at The World Salsa Summit in 2016. Getting to experience a higher level of competition, she knew she wanted to pursue ballroom dancing next, as it was a new concept in her country. She auditioned with 200 people and was selected to be part of the team that would represent Peru in shows and competitions outside the country. At the same time, she got invited to audition to a famous show: the well-recognized “Dancing with the Stars Peru” where she was the runner-up, giving her great experience and exposure as a dancer, coach, and choreographer.
Soon enough, she was invited to join an Arthur Murray studio in the USA with the big and ambitious possibility of finding a partner and growing in her dance career. That’s when she made the strong decision to fully commit to the dance business and left her family, job, and friends back in Peru to start her training in ballroom dancing as a full-time career.
In 2016, Renzo and Andrea met and decided to have a try-out. They got married in 2018 and have been sharing their love for the American Rhythm style since then. They now own 2 studios in California and have planned to open 2 more by then end of 2025. Thanks to the guidance from their dear team of coaches they have been able to mix their natural rhythm with the right foundation that’s needed to express themselves in a unique way.
As a result, they have been honored to make various finals at prestigious competitions at the Rising Star Division and making the Top 12 in the Open Professional Division at the United States Dance Championship and Ohio Star Ball in 2024. Now, their goal is to continue training to become adjudicators in 4 styles, make the Top 6 in the Open Professional Division; and keep training and inspiring staff to keep opening more businesses and continue changing people’s lives.
Renzo & Andrea’s accomplishments include:
- 2024 Ohio Star Ball Rising Star Champions
- 2024 Ohio Star Ball Open Professional Semi finalists
- 2024 Open Professional Mambo Championship Runners up
- 2024 USDC Rising Star Finalists
- 2024 USDC Open Professional Semi finalists
- 2024 Blackpool American Rhythm Finalist
- 2024 Superama American Rhythm Runners up
- 2024 World DOR American Rhythm Runners up
- 2023 World DOR Salsa and Bachata Champions