Gocha Chertkoev and Shorena Gachechiladze are elegant, powerful, and highly-successful Latin dance competitors who are making a significant mark on the American and International competitive dance scene.  They have also become popular and sought-after performers on several continents. Both Gocha and Shorena were originally from the former-Soviet Republic of Georgia.  Shorena started to dance at the age of four in her father’s ballroom dance school.  Mr. Gachechiladze is recognized as a premier ballroom instructor, and serves as the President of the Georgian Dance Federation.  He strongly encouraged Shorena’s interest in dance and figure skating, and became her first and primary dance coach. While a young student at the Nikoladze College of Art, Gocha visited Mr. Gachechiladze’s dance studio to learn ballroom dance.  With his training in ballet, jazz and disco, he was a very promising student.  Shorena and Gocha began competing together, and in short order became very successful, winning the Georgian Amateur Championships in both Latin and Standard dance six times. In 1991 they decided to become professional and to concentrate on Latin dance.  Shortly afterwards, they had the opportunity to travel to a dance studio in Dallas, Texas for several months.  Following a period back in the Georgian Republic, they immigrated to the United States to continue their careers in a freer environment. In 1993 Gocha and Shorena entered the U.S. competitive dance scene.  Once again they quickly became very successful, reaching the final rounds in several national championships including the prestigious Ohio Star Ball and the United States National Professional Latin Championships.  They won numerous professional Latin-American Style Dance Championships in many competitions including the Southwestern U.S. Invitational, the Florida State Championships, the Hawaii Star Ball, and the Manhattan Dance Championships.  In addition, they won the honor of representing the United States at to the World Professional Latin Dance Championships in South Africa. They have been featured performers on the highly-popular and widely- broadcast P.B.S. television program “Championship Ballroom Dancing” for five consecutive years.  They are highly sought-after dance performers and demonstrators, performing throughout the United States and a number of foreign countries. In addition to their competitive career, Gocha and Shorena have established a successful coaching practice in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, developing and assisting a wide range of professional and amateur dance competitors from all over the U.S. with training, choreography, and costume design.  Click on “Design Gallery” to see some of Gocha's creations. Gocha continues his love of design and oil painting.  Gocha and Shorena are married and have a son who shares his father’s talent in the visual arts. Competitive Achievements   U.S. Representatives to World Professional Latin Championships     in South Africa U.S. Representatives to Open British Invitational Professional Team Match in Blackpool, England   Finalists in U.S. National Professional Latin Championships   Numerous Professional Latin Dance Championships, including:                 *   Manhattan Dance Championships                 *   Virginia State Championships                 *   Florida State Championships                 *   Millennium 200 Competition                 *   Southwestern U.S. Invitational                 *   Lone Star Classic