David Elkin

David Elkin is an American professional theatrical ballroom dancer and studio director whose competitive partnership with Leslie Elkin made them among the most successful U.S. theatrical couples of the 1990s. Working in theatrical ballroom and cabaret—divisions that combine partner-dance technique with lifts, drops and staged storytelling—Elkin and Leslie Elkin won the United States National Professional Theatrical championship in 1992, 1994 and 1995, as documented by the National Dance Council of America. Footage from the 1994 Ohio Star Ball captures their cabaret work, where acrobatic vocabulary sits inside a ballroom frame: entries and exits, musical pacing, lines and character mattered alongside technical difficulty. Other archived routines draw on theatrical source material, including an Evita-themed performance.

After his competitive career, Elkin established World Champion Productions in the Nashville area, operating studios in Hendersonville and Mt. Juliet. The organization teaches ballroom, Latin, swing, social and wedding dance, extending his championship expertise to social dancers and local communities. Elkin also became an adjudicator and coach across American and international styles, holding qualifications in International Standard and Latin, American Smooth and Rhythm, and Theatrical divisions.

As a competition organizer, Elkin co-produces the Ultimate DanceSport Challenge with Charles Danza. The 2024 edition, held in New Orleans, spanned three days and included Pro/Am, amateur, mixed-amateur and professional divisions across ballroom, Latin, smooth, rhythm, nightclub and cabaret. His work therefore connects his own competitive history to the infrastructure that sustains the contemporary dancesport field.