OUR STORY
Founded in 2009, Dare 2 Dance grew from a simple belief: everyone deserves the confidence and joy of dancing. Today, it stands as Cincinnati's premier award-winning studio for personalized, private instruction. Guided by expert coaches Marco and Tia, we provide a fun, pressure-free environment designed specifically for newcomers and wedding couples. At our studio, we make learning easy, helping you connect, grow, and own the floor at your own pace.
Lead Instructor & Owner
Marco Mechelke
Marco was born in Berlin, Germany. After a successful career as an amateur dancer, he and his partner moved to the United States in 1989. He became a professional and immediately succeeded, climbing the ranks in Latin Dance in the United States.
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Having lived in Miami, Dallas, New York, Las Vegas, Santa Barbara, San Diego, and Cincinnati over the last 30 years, he has built long-lasting professional relationships through coaching, competing, performing shows, and judging major dance competitions.
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He represented the United States in many international competitions and championships. His many professional accomplishments include being a finalist in the United States Ballroom Championships and the World Latin Masters.
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He won many championships, all in the United States. After retiring, he started to teach and coach around the United States and perform shows. He was a visiting coach for independent dance studios (incl. Arthur Murray and Fred Astaire Studios) in Europe and the United States.
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The experience helped him when he was offered to manage a dance studio in Las Vegas. In just two years, he built it into one of the premier dance studios in Nevada.
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Marco was a featured dancer in the movie “Dance With Me” with Vanessa Williams, Kris Kristofferson, and Chayenne.
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He is a member of the North American Dance Association and the National Dance Council of America. He is a world-class adjudicator and can judge any dance competition, including all World and European Championships.
Dance Instructor
Tia Maurer
Tia is a passionate dance instructor and choreographer with 24 years of experience in Ballroom (both Smooth and Latin styles), Swing, Country, and Jazz dance. Known for her fun, encouraging teaching style, she focuses on building strong technical foundations while making every lesson easy to understand and enjoyable for dancers of all levels.
Although Tia did NOT dance at her own wedding, she often jokes that she has forced her husband to spend the last 25 years dancing with her to make up for it. Tia especially enjoys working with wedding couples. She takes time to understand their personalities and vision for their special dance while creating unique choreography that feels natural, memorable, and truly personal to them.
She has participated in numerous dance showcases and competed in local Dancing with the Stars charity events, bringing both performance experience and creativity to every class and choreography session. Music makes Tia’s heart sing, and she has shared her love of music and her passion for dance with others at Dare 2 Dance for the past 6 years.