Meet the Eviactive Team
We are a passionate team delivering personal, intelligently crafted,
and unique luxury experiences.
Personal . Connected . Experiences
Master of Ceremonies
Eva Stelzer
Master of Ceremonies
Show More
Show Less
Eva Stelzer, founder and driving force behind Eviactive is a licensed travel consultant and expert in bespoke travel. Her passion for life is infectious and transfers to all Eviactive’s travel itineraries. She organizes and hosts Italian walking holidays, Italian culinary and wine tours, and ballroom dance cruises. She also crafts bespoke, tailor-made itineraries for the discerning client. Her love of languages and her former career as a professor of education and physical education has resulted in intelligently crafted and active travel adventures. Eva is a graduate of McGill University and Concordia University in Montreal, with French studies at the Sorbonne in Paris, Spanish studies at the University of Cuenca in Spain, and Italian at the Istituto Michelangelo in Florence. Her passion for languages and cultures has found a place in helping every traveller experience great adventures. In collaboration with GAM-SPS Travel Inc. Eva will help you achieve all your travel needs from Italy to Ecuador, from bespoke custom itineraries, to all inclusive vacations.*
Buon viaggio!
In the Field
Michelangelo Marsili
Tour Guide
Show More
Show Less
Michelangelo Marsili is a native-born Florentine. Our Italian travel expert has a degree in environmental science and is happiest outdoors admiring the beautiful views. In 2001, Michelangelo guided his first group in Tuscany, and he knew immediately that his job would also be his pleasure. He now guides in many of Italy’s regions sharing both his vast knowledge and good humor. He and his wife Francesca help plan many of our group and tailor-made travel experiences in Italy. Other than guiding, he is interested in all things nature, and poetry. He is always happy to share a copy of his poetry book “Il Dio.”
Francesca Alati
Tour Guide
Show More
Show Less
Francesca hails from a village in the mountains east of Rome. She combines a degree in botany and an extensive knowledge of Italian culture, wine and food to bring the best to each client. Her love of hiking and passion for life result in the highest degree of customer service. Francesca’s warmth and humor will win over any guest. This year she was named her “Queen of Positivity,” a well-earned title. Her knowledge of all things Italy will make you want to return over and over again.
Giovanni Adreani
Tour Guide
Show More
Show Less
Giovanni is an expert and native to Cortona. For many generations his family lived and studied in this hilltop town. He will show you the layers of civilization, from the Etruscans, to the medieval times, to the Renaissance, to the modern era. He takes you to fabulous renaissance art hidden in small obscure churches, the monasteries hidden in the mountains of the Franciscan monks, or through the winding streets of Cortona.
Giovanni Caselli
Tour Guide
Show More
Show Less
After many years living, studying and teaching in England Giovanni has returned to his home in the northern region of Tuscany. An expert on Etruscan archaeology, Giovanni has lectured as a guest for the commonwealth club in California and was an escort to Prince Charles on his tour of Montepuliciano nearly twenty years ago.
Luigi Gamba
Tour Guide
Show More
Show Less
Luigi Gamba hails from north Italy where he worked in the interior design industry. His passion for cycling led him to shift gears, move to Tuscany, and become a cycling guide. He shares his enthusiasm for the sport and for the countryside and introduces guests to all that is Tuscan.
On Stage: Ballroom Dance Team
Mark Read
Mark Read Mark won our hearts during our Caribbean cruise in 2023. He has been dancing and teaching American Smooth and Rhythm for over 20 years. He understood early that teaching dance was a love and a calling. It gives him great joy to share his knowledge and be part of the transformation that occurs when a beginner becomes an accomplished dancer. Mark began training in International Standard and Latin 8 years ago in order to expand his dance and dance teaching vocabulary. Mark’s passion for teaching is well aligned with Eviactive’s passion to dance philosophy. He is certified in American Smooth and Rhythm, International Latin and Standard, as well as Hustle and West Coast Swing.
Steven James
Steven’s love of movement began on the stage as part of Theatre Beyond Words, a theatre company that took him on tour across North America, Europe and Asia. Yet Ballroom and Latin dance kept pulling him. It was Jennifer Jones, CEO and Dean of Joy of Dance Centre and Teachers College who convinced him that he should pursue his passion. Steve is teaches American smooth and rhythm as well as West Coast Swing and Hustle. Steven received his certification from Canadian DanceSport Federation in American Ballroom Smooth and Rhythm. His love and passion for teaching American Smooth and Rhythm comes from the deep belief that dancing is a fun, liberating and energizing experience that heightens awareness of the body and creates a unique connection between people.
Loreta Kriksciukaityte
Ballroom Dance TeamIt is a great pleasure to welcome Loreta to our team. Her career began by winning multiple Lithuanian championships in the youth and amateur divisions in her native Lithuania. She went on to become 5 time World Champion, 6 time European Champion, and dancing as a part of the world-famous Lithuanian formation team “Zuvedra”. Loreta has ranked among the top finalists in all the major USA competitions, rising stars finalists and a top 3 winner at the most prestigious competitions in the world including the Blackpool Dance festival in the United Kingdom.
Sergiy Bondarenko
Ballroom Dance TeamWe are excited to share the news that Sergiy from the United Kingdom has joined our fabulous team. He has a wealth of experience working as a Ballroom dance instructor and professional show dancer on the grand Cunard and Seabourne cruise liners, making him a perfect fit to join us on our dance cruises. He has won the Ukrainian Championship and has also received the Top Teacher Award many years in a row. Additionally, Sergiy owns Shall We Dance LDT, a dance school based in Southern England. He teaches Latin and Ballroom to aspiring dancers of all levels, encouraging them to enjoy their craft on their journey to the next level of their training. He gives his students the confidence and opportunity to take part in competitions all over the globe where they have celebrated many successes together. We met Sergiy when he competed at the Poseidon Ball in 2019, the first ever competition on the Queen Mary 2. Sergiy won our hearts with his friendliness, smile and talent, and we know that he will win yours too!
Ole Burlay
Ballroom Dance Team
Show More
Show Less
Olé holds the record as six-time undefeated champion in the Amateur Championship in Ukraine for Ballroom dance. He was a finalist of Open European Professional Ballroom Championships and of the Open Canadian Latin Championships. Upon starting his career in Canada, he quickly rose to the top in the Pro-Am world of dancing, becoming the Arthur Murray champion in both styles of international Latin and American Smooth. He is recognized on the dance floor for his constant smile and graciousness. For 6 consecutive years he has received the award for top teacher at the Crystal Leaf International Dancesport Championship and he is consistently one of the top 10 teachers at the Ballroom dance competition La Classique. He has also been the top teacher finalist Dancesport Series 2016 and 2017. Olé will be our lead teacher on the Mediterranean cruise starting April 8, 2019 in Monte Carlo and on our Viking journey through the Fjords in August 2019. His charm and teaching style is sure to win you over.
Annie Lebedeva
Ballroom Dance Team
Show More
Show Less
Annie has been dancing for more than 20 years. She’s trained and competed both in her native Estonia, in England and now in North America. Her strength is her enthusiasm and an ability to make technique accessible to students at all levels. The joy of seeing a student progress gives her a personal sense of achievement. Annie loves helping people reach their dance goals. She is a certified member of the CDF in International Standard and Latin, and American Smooth and Rhythm and a certified competition adjudicator. Recently, Annie has become North American Hustle champion with her partner Steven James. Annie is unstoppable and brings her curiosity, analytical mind, grace, technique and experience to each student. Annie will team up with Ole Burlay for the Mediterranean cruise starting in Monte Carlo April 8, 2019.
Danny Arbour
Ballroom Dance TeamShow More
Show Less
Danny brings 25 years of experience as a highly accomplished ballroom dancer and international dancesport competitor. In both 2004 and 2005 he won the prestigious “Latin Amateur Canadian Dancesport Championship” and was the Canadian representative at the World Championships in Germany and the Czech Republic. In 2008, Danny was one of the top 10 finalists on “So You Think You Can Dance Canada.” Since 2008, he has been competing as a pro Latin dancer.Known as well for his teaching and his choreography, Danny has and continues to choreographd for So You Think You Can Dance Canada, the film “Funky Town” and CBC’s “Les Dieu de la Danse.” He is certified by the Canadian DanceSport Federation in Latin, Standard, Rhythm, and Smooth. Danny is the co owner and founder of Studio Danza, where he brings a unique mixture of technique, dedication, and fun to his teaching.
Justine Rainville
Ballroom Dance Team
Show More
Show Less
Justine joins Eviactive’s Passion to Dance cruises with 15 years of experience, both socially and competitively. This is her second ballroom dance cruise with our group. Justine held the 1st place title in the under-21 Amateur Latin championship and more recently in the “Rising Star” and Open Professional categories. Justine’s excellent dance and teaching abilities are supported by her diploma from the Canadian DanceSport Federation (CDF). She teaches both competitive and social dance. Justine still competes with professional dance partner Danny Arbour and teaches many of the social group classes at Studio Danza in Montreal. Her training has been under some of the most renowned danced pros. Justine has recently trained dancers on the Canadian version of “So You Think You Can Dance” and “Les Dieux de la Danse.”
Sylvain Trottier
Ballroom Dance Team
Show More
Show Less
Sylvain has been dancing since the age of fourteen and has been involved in the ballroom dancing industry for over thirty years. During his career, he has danced in the Latin, rhythm, and Ballroom categories. His competitive success was in the Ballroom styles of Standard and Latin. His credits include two-time Canadian Standard Champion and North American Standard Champion. Sylvain competed at the world-famous Blackpool. In 2000 he competed with great success on the pro-am circuit while cultivated his other career in finance. Alongside with his ballroom dance involvement, Sylvain has climbed the ladder of the banking world and is now a financial planner for the Banque Nationale du Canada (National Bank of Canada), owner of the dance competition Extravaganza, and is an established dance coach in both standard and Latin styles. He is also a world-class adjudicator. He is a gentleman both on and off the dance floor and we love having him part of our hosting and teaching team.
Stanislav Borsh
Ballroom Dance Team
Show More
Show Less
Born is Tashkent, Uzbekistan Stan was destined to become a great dancer. By the time he was 8 years old his parents recognized an unstoppable passion and talent for the Ballroom. Amongst his successes are becoming 3-time champion in International style and Latin programs in Uzbekistan. In 2000, he organized several prestigious competitions, and passed his degree to become a judge in ballroom dance competitions. In 2008, Stan took a leap of faith and moved to Montreal, easily picking up American style dance. He regularly is amongst the top teachers in competitions and with his school Juste Dance and partner Allyson Kassie, is involved in many charity endeavors including “Dancing with the Stars” – a fund raiser for medical equipment at the Montreal Children’s hospital. Stan is an unstoppable machine on the dance floor, with impeccable technique and great charm.
James Prouton (LISTD, LNATD)
Ballroom Dance TeamShow More
Show Less
James began his dancing career at the age of 2½, all thanks to Top of the Pops and Adam Ant! After perfecting the routine to ‘Prince Charming’, his parents, recognizing his talent, enrolled him in local dancing classes. He studied tap, ballet and jazz as well as ballroom and Latin up until he was 9 years of age, when he started to compete in ballroom competitions. James quickly established himself amongst the top ballroom dancers in the UK, winning a string of juvenile and junior titles. As a competitive adult ballroom dancer he established himself as one of the UK’s top amateurs, regularly finishing in the top 6 in England and in the quarter finals of most international championships. He ranked as the UK Ten dance champion and was very privileged to represent England at the World Championships where he finished 9th. In 2004, James decided to turn professional and took 3 years away from competitive dancing to concentrate on teaching – and to find the right person with which to start a new chapter in his dancing career. Over the years, his dancing has become his number one passion and we can’t imagine anyone better to join our Passion to Dance cruises. Don’t be fooled by all those titles, James is a charming and proficient social dancer.
Mathieu Caron
Ballroom Dance Team
Show More
Show Less
We are honored to have Mathieu join our team. Mathieu is a professional dancer of course, but also an internationally acclaimed ballroom dance and figure skating clothing designer. For the 2018 winter Olympics, Mathieu designed 8 pairs couples costumes including that of the gold -medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. Mathiue still dances pro-am in the Latin categories and has competed successfully at Blackpool He is fun-loving, can lead anyone, and is a great asset to our team.
Jose Solano
Ballroom Dance Team
Show More
Show Less
A big welcome to Jose Solano from New York City. Jose started during the exciting era of disco when hustle was the greatest dance around. Since then he has had extensive dance training in American-style ballroom dancing, theater arts, and jazz. His passion for seeing the progress in his students gives Jose a tremendous sense of achievement. Jose was a finalist in the world theater arts competition held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. He has performed and taught on cruises all around the world. If he looks familiar, you may have seen Jose in one of his several appearances on “Sabado Gigante,” a world-wide, nightly variety show airing on Spanish television stations for decades. Jose also performed in the Broadway Show – a tribute to the famous Chita Rivera – at the BB King Blues Club in NYC. Jose’s motto is “Learn the beautiful art of ballroom dancing and it will improve the quality of your life in every sense of the word.”
Vadim Mostovoy
Ballroom Dance TeamShow More
Show Less
Vadim Mostovoy won the coveted 10-Dance Championships in his native Ukraine before representing the Ukraine at World’s. He placed in the finals of the Italian amateur 10-Dance event, the Krakow 10-Dance cup , and Gradec Kralove, to mention a few . Before emigrating to Canada he managed three Dance studios in Ukraine. His technical expertise and business acumen are a winning combination.Once in Canada, he continued his successes as a dancer, becoming 6-time Canadian Representative to the World Professional Championships in 10 Dance and Standard divisions, taking top prize at the Asian Pacific Championship in Australia as well as Universal Dance Cup in Japan. In 2003, Vadim danced next to Jenifer Lopez and Richard Gere in the movie “Shall we Dance.” Today, he is member of Canadian Dancesport Federation and World Dance Council. He is an International adjudicator in all styles of ballroom dancing.
Maria Elent
Ballroom Dance TeamShow More
Show Less
Maria Elent Golovanevski carries the title of Canadian National Ballroom Champion, is the founder and director of ‘Shall We Dance Studio’ in Toronto and is a member in good standing of Canadian Dance Teachers Association. Maria is also a certified ballroom & Latin dance adjudicator and Choreographer. Maria’s dance training began at the age of five in Russia and has been non stop since then. From an early age she performed in theaters, exhibitions and galas . By the age of seventeen, Maria had started teaching dance. She is a graduate of the St. Petersburg State University with a Masters Degree of Arts.
