Today we’d like to introduce you to Satu Ketellapper.
Hi Satu, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in the Netherlands and started dancing at a young age. What began as a hobby quickly became a passion, and over the years I dedicated my life to competitive country dance. That journey eventually took me all over the world, competing, teaching, and judging at the highest level of the sport.
In 2016, I met my dance partner, Mike Wagner. Mike was already a six-time World Champion before we started dancing together, so having the opportunity to partner with someone of his experience was incredible. Over the next several years, we spent countless hours traveling back and forth between Europe and the United States for training and competitions.
Eventually, I realized I wanted to build my future in the U.S. In 2022, I received my O-1 visa, and in 2024, I was granted my Green Card. I’m proud to now call the United States—and especially Nashville—my home. Nashville felt like the perfect place to continue my career because of its incredible music, dance, and country culture.
Throughout my competitive career, I became a five-time UCWDC Masters World Champion and a two-time UCWDC Superstars World Champion.
In 2024, Mike and I retired from professional competition and shifted our focus to growing the sport in new ways. Today, we run Country Dance Champions, our online educational platform for dancers around the world. We also host two Country Dance Camp events each year and coach a team of students, helping them develop their skills with the goal of becoming professional dancers themselves.
Today, I also serve as the UCWDC Line Dance Chair, continue to judge and teach internationally, and remain passionate about helping country dance grow both in the United States and around the world.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Nothing is ever a smooth road. If you want to become successful at anything, you have to be willing to work for it and be prepared to face obstacles along the way. I don’t think success comes without challenges—it’s how you respond to them that makes the difference.
For years, I was essentially living two different lives. I was based in the Netherlands but constantly traveling back and forth to the United States for training and competitions. It was physically exhausting, and there were many weeks where I felt like I was living out of a suitcase. But I knew that if I wanted to compete with the best, I had to put myself in that environment.
Another major challenge was the decision to move to the U.S. You’re not just changing your address—you’re starting an entirely new life. The visa process alone took years, countless hours of preparation, and a significant financial investment. My immigration file was over 1,000 pages, documenting my career and achievements to demonstrate that I qualified to live and work here.
Then, once you finally receive your visa, a whole new journey begins. You quickly realize how differently things work compared to your home country. Everything from everyday systems to cultural differences takes time to understand. There were definitely culture shocks along the way, and at times it felt like I had to reinvent myself and learn how to navigate life all over again.
Of course, there were also setbacks on the dance floor. Not every competition went my way, and there were moments of disappointment and self-doubt. But I believe those experiences are just as important as the victories. They teach resilience, patience, and the value of continuing to move forward.
Looking back, every challenge taught me something, and each one played a part in bringing me to where I am today.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Today, I wear a lot of different hats within the country dance industry. I’m the UCWDC Line Dance Chair, an international certified judge, coach, choreographer, and educator. Together with my dance and business partner, Mike Wagner, I also run Country Dance Champions, an online platform that provides educational resources for dancers around the world. In addition, we host two Country Dance Camp events each year, bringing together some of the world’s top instructors to help dancers continue learning and growing. I’m also the co-owner and event director of Carolina Dance Fusion, a UCWDC World Championship qualifying event held annually in Raleigh, North Carolina.
For the past 15 years, I’ve been fortunate to travel extensively—both across the United States and internationally—coaching dancers and teaching workshops. I’ve had the opportunity to work with dancers throughout Europe and regularly teach in countries such as South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and South Africa. Traveling has allowed me to experience different dance communities and cultures while helping grow the sport around the world.
I’ve also been fortunate enough to work with and choreograph for several major artists in the country music industry. Being able to combine my passion for dance with live entertainment and music has been an exciting part of my career and has allowed me to contribute to the industry in a different way.
Coaching has become one of the most rewarding parts of my career. I love working with dancers at every level, helping them not only improve their technique but also discover their own style and confidence on the dance floor. Watching students achieve goals they once thought were impossible is incredibly fulfilling.
What I’m most proud of is that I’ve been able to make an impact in so many different areas of the industry. As a competitor, I became a five-time UCWDC Masters World Champion and a two-time UCWDC Superstars World Champion. The UCWDC is the world’s oldest and largest Country & Western dance organization. Masters is the premier professional couples division, while Superstars is the premier professional line dance division. Both are elite divisions, and simply qualifying to compete at that level is an achievement in itself.
I’m especially proud to be one of only five people in the world to have won World Championship titles in both the Masters and Superstars divisions. Today, I have the opportunity to give back to the sport as a certified judge and UCWDC Line Dance Chair, helping shape the future of country dance. Through Country Dance Champions, our dance camps, Carolina Dance Fusion, and coaching, I get to invest in the next generation of dancers and help create more opportunities for others to build careers in this industry.
I think what sets me apart is that I’ve experienced almost every side of this industry. I’ve been the student, the competitor, the champion, the coach, the choreographer, the judge, the event organizer, and now someone helping lead the sport at an international level. Each role has given me a different perspective, and together they’ve shaped how I teach, lead, and connect with people.
At the end of the day, my goal has always been bigger than collecting titles. I want to leave the country dance community stronger than I found it, help create opportunities for the next generation, and inspire more dancers to turn their passion into a lifelong career.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I think the future of country dance is incredibly bright. Over the past few years, we’ve seen country culture become much more mainstream, and I believe social media has played a huge role in that.
Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube have introduced country music, line dancing, and country fashion to an entirely new generation. A single viral dance or song can reach millions of people overnight, bringing more young people into country bars, dance studios, and events than ever before. I experienced that firsthand during COVID when I co-choreographed the line dance **Infectious** with my friend from Malaysia. The dance quickly went viral and became one of the most popular dances in country bars across the United States. It really showed me the power of social media and how quickly dance can bring people together, no matter where they live.
You can also see the shift outside of social media. Country bars are opening in more cities, dance nights are becoming increasingly popular, and country fashion has become part of mainstream culture. More people are discovering that country dancing is not just fun to watch—it’s something anyone can learn and enjoy.
I also think technology will continue to change how people learn. Online instruction makes it possible for someone anywhere in the world to learn from top instructors, while in-person events provide the community and connections that make people fall in love with dancing. I believe those two will continue to complement each other.
Beyond growing participation, I hope we continue creating more opportunities for dancers to turn their passion into a profession. I’d love to see more instructors, choreographers, judges, event directors, and performers build successful careers within the industry. The stronger we make those career pathways, the healthier and more sustainable our dance community will become.
My hope is that we continue building on this momentum by making country dance more accessible to everyone. Whether someone wants to dance socially on a Friday night or compete at the World Championship level, there should be a place for them. I believe the next five to ten years will bring continued growth, and I’m excited to be part of helping shape that future.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.countrychampions.dance and www.countrydancecamp.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/satuketellapper
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikesatudance
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@satuketellapper
