About Us

About Andy & Wendy, Grand Ballroom owners and instructors ...

          Andy & Wendy first met at The UBC Dance Club in 1976. Together they studied and trained as ballroom dance competitors with some of the best coaches in North American and around the world. Their achievements include an unprecedented 13 year reign as BC amateur champions in both the Standard and Latin divisions and finalists at the 1993 Canadian Championships. During those years, Andy studied pharmacy at UBC and graduated in 1981. His career as a pharmacist began with Macdonald’s Prescription on Broadway and he eventually joined the London Drugs Corporation in 1985. Wendy was a renowned costume designer and dressmaker in the dance community. In 1993, they both gave up their careers in pursuit of a dream.

        Throughout their amateur careers, Andy and Wendy were tireless volunteers and pioneers in the promotion of ballroom dancing in Vancouver. They served continually as executive members of the B.C. Amateur Dancers Association (now Dancesport BC) and were part of the original committee that started the SnowBall Classic event in Vancouver. This period served them well in preparing them for their ultimate goal, the realization of their dream of opening the grandest dance studio in Canada. Andy and Wendy retired from amateur competitions in 1993 and devoted themselves full time to training as professional instructors and building their dream studio. Exactly one year later on April 10, 1994, The Grand Ballroom opened in Richmond.  Since then, more than 15,000 students have taken lessons with the Andy & Wendy.

        Andy & Wendy’s personal achievements and the continual success of The Grand Ballroom have garnered them the highest respect and admiration from their colleagues not just in the local dance community, but across Canada and the United States. They have done something that no professional has ever done before and very likely will never be duplicated. But the qualities that really set them apart are not their skills as entrepreneurs, but their genuine devotion to their students, kindness and generosity, attention to details, and their passion for teaching. It is not a coincidence that their group classes are continually the largest in Canada and their students stay loyal to them for many many years. The way they teach is like watching a maestro conduct a symphony orchestra. Many have tried, but nobody does it better than Andy & Wendy.