About Us

Tim Allen/Owner	Tim Allen Tim started dancing at the age of 9, beginning with Tap dancing and danced in his first recital in 1976. From there he began to play with different forms of dancing including Jazz, Ballet and some Gymnastics. In 1981 he earned the title of Jr Mr. Dance of Connecticut; through the Dance Masters of America Organization. He continued to dance through his teen years and all through high school competing around the New England area. In 1991, Tim saw an ad in the local paper that asked “Do you like to dance and sleep late?” To which he replied “yes”. He answered the ad and began working at one of the franchise dance studios. About a year later he started working for an Independent dance studio and has been Independent since. Tim has competed nationally in the American Smooth division with multiple partners and has achieved many successes along the way. Tim has taken much time and effort along his path to study both the American and International styles of dance. He has also trained extensively in Theater Arts (lifts) division. Where he and his armature partner took second place in the United States Championships. He enjoys creating dance and would classify himself as an engineer of movement. Sometimes it just takes the right music to make a spark and you have something beautiful to show for it. Tim may have grown up in the Northeast, but has found a new home here on the Gulf Coast and resides in Gulfport close to the Mississippi Dance Clubs where he is the owner and dance director. He is in charge of the day to day activities and depends on his staff for support in creating a professional atmosphere for every student that walks through the door.
Julie Pagano	Julie Pagano Julie started dancing late in life for a dancer. She started in her mid-twenties in the winter of 1994 at Steps In Time in Avon Connecticut. She competed in Pro-Am competitions for a few years and then got her teaching certificate through the NDCA (National Dance Council of America) in 1997 and has been teaching ever since. Julie also competed in the Professional American Smooth Division with her partner Tim Allen. She was the assistant coach of the UCONN Ballroom Dance team for several years. Making them one of the strongest Ballroom dance teams in the Northeast. Then a few years later they opened their own studio, The Emerald Ballroom Dance Education Center in Vernon Connecticut in 2003. After the dissolution of their partnership in 2004. Julie continued to own and operate The Emerald Ballroom till closing its doors in the spring of 2008. At that time Julie moved to Gulfport Mississippi where she now teaches the American and International styles of dance at Mississippi Dance Clubs back together with her old partner Tim Allen. Julie teaches private and group classes and manages the daily operations of the studio. She has a unique teaching style that students of all ages can appreciate and feel at ease to learn very quickly. Her quick whit and technical knowledge makes her students very successful and sought after on the dance floor. We are very happy she is here.
Tito Melvin	Tito Melvin Tito started ballroom dance at the age of 16, and in the beginning… he hated it. His mom dragged him to lessons every week because she thought it would be good for him in the end and a lot more productive than sitting at home in front of the television for the rest of the day. However in time, as he began to get better at it, he actually started to enjoy it… and now? Well he can’t get enough of it. Ballroom dance has taught him a lot of things, and it’s even boosted his confidence so much that you’d never believe that several years ago he was a quiet and reserved. After about three years into ballroom dancing Tito developed the courage to actually go out and compete. He competed as an amateur with Yuki Fan several times over the next year and never brought home anything less than first place. He now finds himself at Mississippi Ballroom Dance Clubs, and enjoys his days there teaching and learning and hopes that in the end he’ll be able to bring a lot more people into the world of ballroom dancing so that they too might experience the happiness and joy he gets when he puts on a pair of dance shoes and steps out on the floor. There’s nothing like coming to a ballroom dance, leaving all your worries and stresses out the door, and dancing the rest of the night away.