Iacono Ballroom Center

Our Vision
We envision the Iacono Ballroom Center as a global entity that cultivates the passion and beauty of the human spirit through positive social interaction and individual expression with ballroom dance as the medium. The quality of dance instruction received at the Iacono Ballroom Center will always be the very best for all who walk through our doors and be delivered by a staff that is supportive, caring, and inspiring.

Our Mission
To enrich the lives of the people we teach by giving non-dancers the opportunity to participate in the world of ballroom dance.

The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing

Quite Simply “The Best” For over 100 years, the ISTD has upheld the highest standards, unequaled by any other organization throughout the world. American and International styles, Social, and Dancesport.

Artistic Director/Owner, Paula Iacono

Artistic Director/Owner, Paula Iacono, is a world-class instructor, choreographer, and former competitive dancer, placing as a finalist with her former partners in national competitions in the U.S. and Canada over the past 20 years. Her professional career started out as a ballet dancer and musical theatre dancer in Boston, Massachusetts.

Paula was conservatory trained at prestigious Walnut Hill for the Performing Arts in Newton, Massachusetts, Cambridge School of Ballet in Boston, The Boston Conservatory of Dance, and The Boston Ballet Company. At the age of 29, Paula went back to school to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree in dance and art history from the State University of New York at Buffalo. During this time Paula also trained for her first degree with the Imperial Society and started professional competition.

While in Buffalo, Paula performed with the Zodiaque Dance Company, and stage productions for Upstage New York, Studio Arena, Pfeiffer Theatre, Mary Kate O'Connells Theatre in the Square, and The Arts & Education Institute of WNY where she was a teaching and performing artist for eight years. She has been featured as a performer and interviewed for WNED, Channel 2, Channel 7, and Fox TV. In 2008, Paula launched her own dance company. That Summer Paula performed with the company in their debut performance at UB on The Green.

Paula is the only credentialed member of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance, ISTD, in the Buffalo area. She continues to train on a regular basis attending conferences around the country, thereby maintaining the latest knowledge in the areas of ballroom and Latin dance. At the Imperial Congress in 2005, Paula had the pleasure of working with Pierre Dulaine, "Take The Lead" and "Mad Hot Ballroom", to demonstrate techniques for a variety of dance lifts for ballroom dancers. In 2008, Paula completed two additional degrees and now holds her Licentiate diplomas in the Ballroom and Theater Arts divisions of the ISTD. She is also certified to judge the Theater Arts division in competitions.

Paula’s professional affiliations include: Imperial Society of Teacher’s of Dance/ISTD, National Dance Council of America/NDCA, Golden Key National Honor Society, and ASCAP.

The Teaching Staff
All staff at the Iacono Ballroom Center are selected for exceptional talent, intelligence, attitude, and personality. Each staff member attends weekly training sessions in American and International Dance Styles. Training includes teaching the beginning dancer or wedding couples with no prior knowledge of dance to the advanced styles of competitive dancing for students who enjoy studying more intensely. We are confident that you will find our studio to be unique in the quality and delivery of instruction to you. We all share a passion for dance and Love what we do!

» Click Here For Our Staff Biographies

Helping Our Community
The Iacono Ballroom Center maintains an active presence in the community by hosting charitable functions and speaking engagements for the American Heart Association, local hospitals, and various community groups. The Iacono Ballroom Center also donates thousands of dollars per year in goods and services to help raise funds for charitable organizations in the Buffalo area.

Our Facility
We offer a fun and rewarding learning experience, enhanced by the aesthetics of our spacious facility, which houses two studios (equipped with sprung hardwood dance floors) and a comfortable lounge area for enjoying refreshments and socializing. Our professional sound system and DJ booth offer an extensive catalogue of music to accompany a wide variety of dances, while our dynamic lighting system helps set the mood for your dancing pleasure.

*The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (London, England, established 1904)