In January 2006, Toby was voted
"Best Male Couples Dance Instructor" at the Star Awards Gala held in Stockholm,
Sweden.
Toby began his career in 1990 after being dragged
-- kicking & screaming -- to a Country & Western Dance Festival in
Portland, OR. After watching the professional show on Saturday evening,
he was hooked and began taking classes the very next day. One year later,
Toby had found a partner, choreographed all of their routines, and was stepping
on the competition floor for the very first time.
In 1993, Toby
began teaching at Strictly Ballroom in Calgary, Alberta. It was there he began
studying American style Ballroom and Rhythm with many of Canada's top
coaches. In July of 1995, Toby relocated to California to pursue a new
dance partnership. Over the next several years, he and his partner worked
their way up from Division II to Masters, winning numerous country
and swing titles along the way. While in California, Toby also began to
study International Latin and Standard with top coaches from around the US and
the UK.
January of 2000 brought Toby to Denver, CO where, for three
years, he focused solely on teaching, judging, and training. In June of
2003, Toby teamed up with Kristin Geil to begin working on a new classic
masters program. They were instantly successful and won their very first
UCWDC World Championship together in January 2004. Toby and Kristin added
showcase to their repertoire during the 2004 season and went undefeated in both
classic and showcase masters throughout the year. During 2004, Toby also
stepped up his Latin and Standard training, as well as adding Modern Dance and
Ballet to his schedule. In January Toby and Kristin won the UCWDC World
Championships in Classic Masters and were runners up in Showcase
Masters.
Since then, Toby has gone on to become one of the most
sought-after coaches, choreographers & instructors in the world. His
extensive background in dance includes Country, Swing, Hustle, Latin, Ballroom
and Salsa. He has won countless titles on the UCWDC circuit. Toby
won his first World Championship title in 2002 for ABC Choreography. He
has been nominated for nine Star Awards, has taught at Stanford University and
has been featured on the TNN and GAC television networks. Toby is also a
four-time Colorado State Swing Champion and a UCWDC Master Certified
Judge.
Toby is now married to his current partner, Harmony Lyris (see
link below for their bio). Harmony is unable to accompany him on
this trip, as she is expecting their first child soon. Congratulations to
them!
PS. Yes, you guessed it, Toby is the older brother of Miles
Munroe (...who is also well known in the swing and country dance
circuits)!
Videos to check out on the internet:
Dancing with
his partner Harmony at UCWDC Worlds
WCS J&J
w/Mary Ann Nunez
Taking on the World, Brief biography of Toby &
Harmony |
