Photis Pishiaras, a Greek Cypriot, first performed folk dancing in kindergarten continuing through his teenage years. While attending college in Athens, Greece, he taught ballroom dance at the Gene Kelly School before completing a choreography program in Berlin, Germany, and opening his own ballroom dance school in Cyprus.
Photis moved to San Francisco in 1994 where he taught at Arthur Murray Dance Studio for eight years.
Photis established Vima Dance Studio in San Francisco in 2005 which he operated until 2014.
Competing in the US, Canada and Europe, Photis and his dance partner, Ron, together known as Photon won the 2012 US and California and the 2013 US and North America Men's Ballroom Standard championships. They got a Gold medal in the 2013 World OutGames in Antwerp. They won silver medals for the world championships in Men's Ballroom and Latin division at the Ninth Gay Games in Cleveland, Ohio. They are the 2015 Montreal Rainbow Dance Challene Ballroom Standard champions - Montreal, Canada and 2015 US championship runner ups. They hold the 2016 US Men's Ballroom Championship. They are the 2016 North America Ballroom Standard championship runner ups, Dublin, Ohio. The are the 2017 North America Men's Ballroom Champions, Palm Springs, California. Their latest exciting accomplishment was winning Gold medal in Men's Ballroom division at the 2018 Tenth Gay-Games world championships in Paris, France. Runner ups at the 2019 State of California championships in Men's Ballroom and winners in Country Western State of California championships.
Photis is the founder of the all-male performance group, Vima Vice Squad, who are the 2011 - 2014 US and 2013 North America Formation Team Champions. Vima Vice Squad won the world championship with a Gold medal at the 2014 Ninth Gay Games in Cleveland, Ohio. They are the 2016 US and 2017 California Formation Team Champions. They are the 2018 California and North America Formation Team Champions. Their most recent accomplishment was winning a Silver medal at the 2018 Tenth Gay-Games Formation Team world Championships, Paris, France.
He dances Country Western and studied clogging with the Barbary Coast Cloggers.
Photis is a certified professional ballroom dance instructor and has competed professionally as well as Pro-Am with Students in Dance Sport competitions, earning him a Top Teacher Award.
2005-2014 established, operated and managed Vima Dance Studio in San Francisco
AWARDS
Top Teacher award for the 1998 San Francisco Arthur Murray Dance-Orama
Top Formation award for the 1998 San Francisco Arthur Murray Dance- Orama
Bronze medalist in Men's Ballroom division at the 2010 world championships Eighth Gay-Games in Cologne, Germany
2012 California Men's Ballroom Standard champion
2012 US Men's Ballroom Standard champion
2013 US Men's Ballroom Standard champion
2013 North America Men's Ballroom Standard champion
Gold medalist in the 2013 World OutGames in Men's Ballroom Standard division in Antwerp, Belgium
Silver medalist in Men's Ballroom division at the 2014 world championships Ninth Gay-Games in Cleveland, Ohio
Silver medalist in Men's Latin division at the 2014 world championships Ninth Gay Games in Cleveland, Ohio
2011 - 2014 US Formation Team Champion
2013 North America Formation Team Champion
Gold medalist at the 2014 Ninth Gay-Games earning the Formation Team world championship title in Cleveland, Ohio
2015 Gold medalist at the Montreal Ballroom Standard championships in Montreal, Canada
2015 US Ballroom Standard championship runner up
2016 US Men's Ballroom Champion
2016 US Formation Team Champion
2016 North America Ballroom Standard championship runner up, Dublin, Ohio
2017 North America Men's Ballroom Championship, Palm Springs, California.
2017 Received the Richard Lamberty award. An award given the North American Same Sex Partner Dance Association (NASSPDA) for continuing/enduring contributions to the same sex dance community, named in honor of one of the early promoters of same sex dancing.
2018 California and North America Formation Team Champion
Formation Team Silver medalist at the 2018 Tenth Gay-Games world championships, Paris, France
Gold medalist in Men's Ballroom division at the 2018 Tenth Gay-Games world championships in Paris, France
2nd place in Men's Ballroom at the 2019 State of California championships
1st place in Country Western at the 2019 State of California championships
Gold medalist in Men's Ballroom division at the 2023 Eleventh Gay-Games world championships in Guadalajara, Mexico