Giacomo Steccaglia

Overview

Giacomo Steccaglia was raised in the small Northern Italian town of Arcola, which was calculated to have a population of about 100. The young boy excelled at sports including soccer, track & field, and swimming. At age 14, however, he chose to pursue dancing. Three months later, Giacomo won the first of his 5 National Amateur Championships and went on to represent Italy at both the European and World Championships. As a young competitor, Giacomo was the Italian Junior Latin and Ballroom Champion, the Italian Youth Latin and Ballroom Champion, and the Italian Open Amateur Latin Champion.

Attending the Blackpool Dance Festival, Giacomo was “mesmerized by a gorgeous girl in white from America, wishing with all his heart to dance with somebody like her." That beautiful talent was the one and only Melissa Dexter. After marrying Melissa, Giacomo turned Professional, and together, the newlywed couple won four Italian Professional Championships, became the Italian Showdance Latin Champions, the 2-time Vice South American Showdance Champions, as well as Imperial, All England, and Universal Champions.

Giacomo and Melissa also placed second in the "World Professional Masters Championship" and were finalists in the European and World Latin American Dance Championships.

Career after Competition

Following his retirement from competitive dancing, Giacomo began coaching competitive couples, producing national champions and world championship representatives from the United States, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Russia and Spain. He has also adjudicated more than 400 competitions including the World Dance Championships, European Championships, WDSF Grand Slam Competitions, German Open Championships, and many National Championships.

In Italy, Giacomo was heavily involved in growing and improving DanceSport. He became the first National Director of Italy for the Ballroom Dancers' Federation International, where he worked with other National Directors to grow the dance community at large. He also became an examiner for the Italian Federation of DanceSport, and was a member of the technical committee for the Latin division as well as the judges/coaches training committee where his focus was to increase the caliber of Italian competitive dancing and DanceSport athletes. Giacomo also oversaw the design of the initial web site to support the WDSF Professional division, produced a dance competition at Fiera del Mare in Naples, Italy, with over 25,000 spectators, and secured Coca-Cola Italy as a corporate sponsor to support the Italian Dance Championships in Bologna, Italy.

Having performed in places like the Kremlin in Moscow, the Royal Albert Hall in London (International Championships), the Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo, and New York’s Madison Square Garden, Giacomo is a popular international lecturer. He is also the founder of Dancessense Studios together with partner and wife Melissa Dexter.

Accomplishments

• 4-time Italian Professional Latin Champion
• 2-time Vice South American Showdance Champion
• Italian Showdance Latin Champion
• "World Professional Masters" Vice Champion
• World Professional Latin American Finalist
• European Professional Latin American Finalist
• Imperial Professional Latin Champion
• All England Professional Latin Champion
• Universal Professional Latin Champion
• 5-time Italian National Amateur Champion
• Italian Junior Latin Champion
• Italian Junior Ballroom Champion
• Italian Youth Latin Champion
• Italian Youth Ballroom Champion
• Italian Open Amateur Latin Champion
• Represented Italy at both the European and World Championships as an Amateur

Coach, Adjudicator, & Official

• Became the first National Director of Italy for the Ballroom Dancers' Federation International
• Italian Federation of DanceSport
• Examiner
• Member of technical committee for the Latin division
• Member of the judges/coaches training committee where his focus was to increase the caliber of Italian competitive dancing and DanceSport athletes
• Trained students that have become national champions and world championship representatives from the United States, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Russia and Spain
• Adjudicated more than 400 competitions including the:
• World Dance Championships
• European Championships
• WDSF Grand Slam Competitions
• German Open Championships
• National Championships
• Oversaw the design of the initial web site to support the WDSF Professional division
• Produced a dance competition at Fiera del Mare in Naples, Italy, with over 25,000 spectators
• Secured Coca-Cola Italy as a corporate sponsor to support the Italian Dance Championships in Bologna, Italy

Dance Partners

• Melissa Dexter (1997 - 2002)
• Carla Grillotti (? - 1996)

Entrepreneurship

• USA Dance Vice President
• Dancessense Studios, Owner
• Instructor
• Choreographer