Louis van Amstel Biography (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Louis van Amstel is a ballroom dance champion and professional dancer and choreographer on the U.S. reality television series Dancing with the Stars.

Biography

Louis van Amstel, born 1972 in Holland, is a professional dancer, choreographer, and a dancesport coach. He is a world championship ballroom dancer, and also known in American pop culture for partnering with actress Lisa Rinna in the second season of the American program Dancing with the Stars; he and Rinna came in 4th place. Louis was paired with Trista Sutter for the first season; they were the first couple to be eliminated from the competition. He was most recently partnered with actress Monique Coleman for the show's third season and placed in fourth again. He stated that he did not compete on the fourth season since all of the female celebrities were taller than him, but still maintained a choreographer and performance role throughout the season.

Louis is the coach of Dmitry Chaplin, a Latin dancer best known for being a Top 10 finalist on FOX's So You Think You Can Dance. Van Amstel has coached standard ballroom to professional ballroom dance competitors such as Nick Kosovich with Katarina Marks and Clive Phillips and Karen McDonald.

He attended the University of the Arts in Amsterdam, and in 1989 was partnered with the British dancer Julie Fryer.

After retiring from competition, he moved on to choreography and production. He founded the company VanDance, LLC, and directed, produced, choreographed and performed in the Broadway show Latin Fusion.

Louis has appeared on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and had a cameo role as himself on ABC's All My Children, where he taught two characters to ballroom dance.

Awards

(with partner Julie Fryer)

• 1990, Dutch Latin champions
  • Finalists in the Blackpool "under 21" category
  • German Open, bronze medal
  • World Latin, bronze medal
• 1991, Dutch Latin champions
• 1994, World Amateur Latin Champion
• 1995, World Amateur Latin Champion
• 1995, European Amateur Latin Champion
• 1995, Amateur Grand-Slam Winners (UK-Champions, British Champions, International Champions, European and World Champions)
• Professional since November 1995
• 1996, World Professional Showdance Champion
  • Professional World Latin Finalist

(with partner Karina Smirnoff)

• 2000, U.S. National Latin champion
• 2000, Can-Am Dancesport Gala-Canadian Open Professional Championships: 1st place in Open Professional International Latin Division
• 2000, Japan International Dancing Championships: 1st place in Professional Latin section
• 2000, Emerald Ball Dancesport Championships: 1st place in Open Professional Latin division

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