Our Team: Our heart and soul
The dance professionals who teach at Emilie Cole Studios are independent instructors and specialists, bringing their own experience, expertise, and passion to our studio community.
Great dancing grows through great people, and Broad Street Ballroom is a place where both teachers and students can learn, connect, and grow.
Natalie Duke is a Chattanooga native and 2004 graduate of Chattanooga Center for the Creative Arts. Though Natalie has studied several styles of dance, she chose to pursue a career in Ballroom Dance both on the competition floor and teaching. In 2015, Natalie moved to New Jersey to begin her dance partnership with Joe Hasson and trained under Fred Astaire Dance Studios. Together they were regular finalists in American Style Rhythm in competitions across the country, even winning American Star Ball and Washington Open. They also represented the United States at Blackpool where they made the semi-finals. Along with her professional dance career, Natalie trained to be the best instructor she could be. In 2019 she was awarded "Top Female Instructor" out of all the Fred Astaire Studios in the state of New Jersey.
After years of training, Natalie retired from competitive dance, deciding to return home to Chattanooga to focus on teaching and choreography. She also found a new passion for Shuffle Dance, starting Chattanooga's first and only group, ShuffleNooga for teaching the style.
Natalie Duke - Ballroom & Shuffle
Diana Suarez - Argentine Tango
Originally from Cali, Colombia, Diana discovered tango in 2008 and soon moved to Buenos Aires, where she trained intensively for over a decade—beginning with the renowned Sistema Dinzel®. Her teaching blends strong technique with improvisation, musicality, and personal expression, shaped by years of study and performance across South America and the U.S. Diana creates a welcoming space where students can explore the connection, creativity, and joy of tango. Now in Chattanooga, she invites dancers of all levels to discover their own voice through this beautiful and dynamic dance.
Joel Thomas - Ballroom and Country
Joel is a professional ballroom dance instructor with over a decade of experience teaching in Nashville and Chattanooga, Tn. He works with dancers of all levels, from beginners to advanced performers, focusing on clear technique, musicality, and well-structured story centric choreography. Routines choreographed and coached by Joel have been performed at national ballroom dance competitions and regional charity events, earning multiple awards for performance and presentation. Specializing in group classes, Joel creates an engaging and welcoming environment where students build confidence, improve movement, and experience the benefits of ballroom dancing both on and off the dance floor.
Manuel and Sonia - Salsa and Bachata
Sonia discovered her love for dance while living in Spain. What started as an interest quickly became a passion, leading her to dive into salsa, bachata, and kizomba and dedicate herself to learning and growing as a dancer. Manuel shares that same passion for Latin dance, with years of experience in salsa and bachata and a love for connecting with others through movement.
Together, Sonia and Manuel have 6 years of experience in Latin dance and now bring their love and energy for salsa and bachata to Chattanooga. They believe that anyone can learn to dance at any age—especially because they both started their own dance journeys in their late 20s and early 30s. You don’t have to be born with rhythm or start dancing as a child. With the right environment, practice, and a willingness to have fun, anyone can learn. Their classes are all about good vibes, growth, connection, and building confidence on the dance floor.
Kira Vasilev - Country and Ballroom
Kira is a born and raised Chattanooga local who started out in the Ballroom dancing community in 2016 and has been teaching ballroom and country dancing for a year.
She has a passion for community connection and movement through dance.