Louis Van Amstel

It was while traveling to New York to work in 2005, Louis got a call to ask if he wanted to audition for a new BBC dance show called “Dancing With The Stars”. Van Amstel said yes and flew to L.A. for the audition. At this time, he was coaching Jonathan Roberts, Anna Trebunskaya, Alec Mazo, Edyta Sliwinska, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, and Elena Grinenko. Louis told them about the show wich subsiquently led to them also being casted on the show and also his fellow dancing instructor, Ashly Delgrosso. In season one of Dancing With The Stars, Louis Van Amstel was partnered with Bachelorette star, Trista Sutter. They were the first to be eliminated from the competition.

After that and prior to season two Louis was coaching Cheryl Burke and her professional partner. Louis Van Amstel was invited back for the second season of Dancing With The Stars and this time he was partnered with hostess Lisa Rinna. The pair got to the semi-finals, but were eliminated so finished fourth.

Louis van Amstel was asked to choreograph the original nationwide tour of Dancing With The Stars. He traveled the country on tour before being nominated for an Emmy award for his group paso doble “Carmina Burana”. Van Amstel continued choreographing Dancing With The Stars and he was also co-director.

In Season 3 of Dancing With the Stars Louis was partnered with Monique Coleman, start of High School Musical. They got to the semi-finals, but were eliminated once again resulting in a fourth place finish for Louis and his partner. Through season 4 and 5 his role as a performer and choreographer was maintained but he didn’t compete.

Louis Van Amstel returned to Dancing With The Stars in Season 6 and was partnered with actress and daughter of Elvis, Priscilla Presley. The couple made it to the fifth week, but were eliminated resulting in their eighth place finish.

After Season 6, van Amstel was asked to choreograph and create “Ballroom With A Twist”. Ballroom With A Twist has been very successful and features a list of dancers and includes a variety of ballroom dancing styles: classical, country, Latin, and more. Van Amstel also choreographed seven dances on season 5 of So You Think You Can Dance. Three dances made it to the final and were also the judges’ favorite picks.

Van Amstel returned to Dancing With The Stars in Season 9 and was partnered with daughter of Ozzy Osbouren, Kelly Osbourne. After an emotional season, against all odds they made it to the finale where they ended up in third place. Kelly Osbourne says a huge part of her weight loss was down to van Amstel. Luois and Kelly remain close friends.

Van Amstel returned again to Dancing With The Stars in Season 10. this time he was partnered with Reno 911 star Niecy Nash. They got to week 8 but were eliminated with a fifth place finish. Van Amstel returned to Dancing With The Stars in Season 11 this time with with actress and comedian partner Margaret Cho. They made it only to week 3, but were eliminated this time giving Louis and partner a tenth place finish. Van Amstel appeared in Cho’s comedy music album Cho Dependent as her therapist.
For Dancing With The Stars Season 12 Louis partner will be reality star Kendra Wilkinson.

Saturday night, and your friends and their partners are off on another night of music fun and dancing. You really want to go, but you can’t dance, or at least you think you can’t dance and that stops you from going.
Instead you stay home in your bath robe and watch “Dancing with the Stars”. The beautifully desigmed costumes, the beat of the music, and the romance that goes along with it…..

As you drift off to sleep you imagine you are being whirled across the dance floor with the hypnotic beat of the Samba surrounding you in its warmth. You are in the arms of a beautiful or handsome partner. You smile at each other with confidence; You glide accross the floor, making you feel like you are flying.

Laughing with triumph, you throw your head back and begin swaying with the music swing and grinding your hips seductively as you drive yourself closer and closer to the edge of … the dance floor.

As the music draws to a close you gently pull apart, your dance partner tries to draw you back but as you turn from him you are swept away once again but this time in the arms of another man.

You look back and catch the desperate look in your partner’s eyes as he watches you being lead away from him this time to the gentle sway of the waltz.

There’s no stopping you now; you can hardly catch your breath as one partner after the other takes your hand for you to dance. Visions of the foxtrot, the Jive, the Rumba and the Cha Cha fill your mind.

You glance around the room searching for the handsome dance partner that you shared your first dance with you notice that most of the dancers have left. As if on cue the lights begin to dim. Perhaps, you sigh, it is time for you to go home. But as you head towards the door, the band begins to play and somehow you know it. You sense he is there waiting for you, you look and in the middle of the dance floor with his arms held out toward you, looking into your eyes from a distance as if you are the only woman in the world.

The sensual Tango music now pulls you into his arms as once more and he folds you into his embrace, twirling and spinning you across the floor.
As the song comes to an end you look up at him and feel … like you must be dreaming.

Well, yes of course you are, but the good news is that it will not be for long. With the help of Emmy Nominated Choreographer, Louis van Amstel, best known for his 3 hit seasons on America’s most popular dance show,’Dancing with the stars’, you will be able to learn all of the most popular dance moves in the comfort of your own home.

Learning how to dance will help you gain more confidence, tone your body, and shed any unwanted pounds, and the greatest part of it is that you will be having fun while doing it.

Louis Van Amstel was born in Amsterdam in the Netherlands on june 23rd in 1972 and live in a very small town outside Amsterdam. Louis started to dance at the age of 10 and by the age of 15 was already representing his country in major dance competitions and went on to become a professional dancer and choreographer. He founded the Van Dance LLC and also VisionWorx dance companies performing dance productions. On the original dancing with stars series was partnered with Priscilla Presley, Lisa Rinna and Monique Coleman to name just a few. In 2007 Louis was a nominee for the Outstanding Choreography category in the Emmy awards.

The Twelve-time dance champion, Emmy-nominated choreographer, Louis Van Amstel is probably best known at the moment for his five stunning turns on the hit ABC show Dancing with the Stars. Currently Louis is the Choreographer and Creative Director on the ‘Dancing with Stars’ tour. Louis also has a learn to dance 8 DVD set released ,Learn to Dance Like the Stars, ‘Lets Dance Louis’.