I first met Nataša Ambrož forty-seven years ago. She was my dance coach during my competitive career and later became my mentor, guiding me through the necessary exams to become a dance teacher, trainer and licensed adjudicator.
As a teacher and mentor, she was strict and precise, yet she encouraged independent thinking to understand and effectively apply the technique and fundamental values of Ballroom and Latin dancing.
In 1989, together with Tomaž Ambrož, we founded Urška Dance School and Club. The Urška Dance Club consistently set new standards, inviting top foreign coaches and organizing the first-ever international training camps since 1992, which became a tradition.
Sadly, Tomaž passed away in 2013, marking the end of the Urška legacy.
Nataša's Biography in Brief
Nataša Ambrož was born on May 24, 1955, in Ljubljana, Slovenia, then part of Yugoslavia. She began practicing Ballroom dancing in her third year of high school.
Since the epicenter of dance knowledge was in London at the time, she and her partner Tomaž Ambrož traveled there twice a year for training. In 1977, they became Yugoslavian national champions in standard dances.
Subsequently, they transitioned into the professional category, undergoing training to become coaches and judges. They obtained their first professional exams in Ballroom and Latin American dances in London, followed by Slovenia, where they acquired a judging license.
As a coach, Nataša honed her expertise through international congresses and collaborations with foreign experts. She earned a diploma from the Academy of Dance in Ljubljana, where she later lectured for three years in Standard and Latin American dances.
She held the position of the first vice president of WDSF for 12 years, served as the director of education and remains a member of the WDSF Academy. Nataša contributed significantly to shaping the rules, code of conduct, development programs, judging systems, and criteria of WDSF. She is also one of the authors of WDSF technique books for Standard and Latin American dances.
Aside from teaching and lecturing, Nataša's passion extends to designing and creating dance costumes through her own dressmaking company, Torzo, based in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Due to our shared surname, many still mistakenly believe Nataša and I are sisters. We both were married to the same man at different times, but regardless we've maintained a respectful relationship since we first met nearly half a century ago, bonded by our love for dancing.