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Dance Sport & Life34: Reagan To, Squid Games Red Light Green Light Voice, Ballroom and Latin Champion, Balancing School, Acting, Dancing and Life as a TeenReagan's schedule is jam packed. I coordinated with Julianna, her mom our podcast session months before out trip to Columbus, OH (USA) for Ohio Star Ball and even on the day of the shoot, she was booked back to back. This is what it takes to be a fast growing actress, model and dancer. Any one of those are impossibly hard to achieve, but somehow Reagan was full of energy and smiles when we sat down even though she had a dress fitting before, partnership meetings, training with her partner Daniil Babenko and content shoots after. She goes to...
2025-01-1727 minDance Sport & Life33: Anna Pelypenko, 5x Pro Canadian Champion, DWTS Ukraine Champion, U21 World Latin Champion, Toronto Studio Owner, Growing up Dancing in Ukraine, Learning Basics LateI sat down with Anna in Columbus, OH, USA the weekend of Ohio Star Ball, after long hours of driving from Toronto. Anna was there to support Valentin who was competing in Pro-AM and their students. We spent the weekend together and I got to hear about the intensity of being a young female dancer in Ukraine, talking about her teachers and how at 27 she started working with Vibeke and Donnie Burns and understood the important of learning the basics.
Anna and Valentin have won the Pro Canadian Latin Couple 5 times before moving into teaching and competing in...
2025-01-1257 minDance Sport & Life32: Winson Tam - 10 Dance World Champion (WDSF, Adults & U21), World Cup Latin Winner, Foodie, Vlogger, Entrepreneur and Overall Funny Human BeingI sat down with Winson in Rome after 10 hours of him training at Top Dance Real Camp (Organizers: Vanone & Soale) after recognising his and Anastasia’s unique dance style, but being able to place a name with the style. At that moment I realised a lot of times we see dancers on stage, performing and it’s hard to relate to them. They’re in make-up and costumes, fully focused and we’re cheering from the sidelines. I was a bit nervous approaching them for this reason, but Winson was super relaxed and agreed to sit down with me later th...
2024-12-2728 minDance Sport & Life31: Harry Korner - The Creator of The German Open Championship (GOC) - The Top Ballroom and Latin Competition, How He Was Kicked Out of GOC, Dance Changing Over Time and What We Can Do BetterHarry started GOC in 1987 in Mannheim’s “Rosengarten”, wanting to create a better experience for dancers and started a revolution. We sat down with him to get an insight into what the future of ballroom and latin look like and how we can save it from the demise coming from within.
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2024-12-0524 minDance Sport & Life30: Andreea Matei: Becoming a Ballroom Champion and Choosing Dance Daily, 8-time Romanian Ballroom Champion, Silver Medalist World WDSF StandardAndreea Matei is an 8-time Romanian Ballroom Champion and recent Silver Medalist at the World Championship in Leipzig (Germany), alongside her partner Rares Cojoc. As they're fighting their way up to become #1 in the world, you'll hear what it takes to perform at this level, what Ada's life is like, her passion and love for dance and what makes her stand out from all other women in ballroom dance today.
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2024-11-1413 minDance Sport & Life29: Rares Cojoc: The Ballroom Comeback Kid, #1 ranked WDSF Ballroom, 22x Romanian Champion, 2nd in the World Championship on work ethic, 5am club, dancing for joy not resultsAlex sits down with Rares Cojoc, the #1 Ranked WDSF Ballroom Dancer, 22x Romanian Champion to dig deep into what was the catalyst that started his dance career, the teachers who "found" him and nurtured him (Catia and Giordano Vanone), what it feels like to quit the thing that brings you so much joy in life and more.
Alex spent a long weekend with Rares and his partner Andreea Matei (next episode) in Bucharest looking at their practice routine, family life, balancing dance, family and business in a healthy way.
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2024-10-1046 minDance Sport & LifeMassimo Arcolin & Laura Zmajkovicova: Practice & Having The Same GoalAbout our guests Massimo and Laura are finalists in Professional Latin at the WDC European Championship and semifinalists in all the top competitions from the WDC World such as Blackpool or the International Championship. You can follow them on Instagram Topics discussed in this episode Dance Amore Camp lectures Their dancing story Their best memories Personality differences The three main characteristics of a great dance couple You can watch our interview on YouTube. Would you love to learn choreographies, techn...
2020-07-0122 minDance Sport & LifePavel Zvychaynyy & Oxana Lebedew: Showdance, Connection & FamilyAbout our guests Pavel & Oxana are currently finalists in the WDC World Professional Latin and in the WDC European Professional Latin Championships. They grace us with their style of dance and in this interview, they share their story with us. You can follow them on Instagram Pavel Instagram Oxana Topics discussed in this episode Dance Amore Camp lectures Their dancing story The main characteristics of a great dance couple Showdance Support of the family Believing in your dreams You can watch our interview on YouTube. ...
2020-05-2724 minDance Sport & LifeMalthe Brinch Rohde & Sandra Sorensen: Interaction, Michael Jackson & ScheduleAbout our guests Malthe & Sandra are semifinalists in all the big competitions from the WDSF Latin world and Danish Champions. You can follow them on Instagram Malthe Instagram Sandra Topics discussed in this episode Their beginning Relationship & dancing Musicality Communication Inspiration Schedule Importance of dance camps Trusting yourself Would you love to learn choreographies, technical details, and different methods for improving your posture, style, and overall performance from the comfort of your home studio? Our online platform – Dancesportlife Academy – offers you a vast...
2020-05-0218 minDance Sport & LifePeter & Kristina Stokkebroe: Sharing the Artistry, Intensity and Summer DancecampAbout our guests Peter & Kristina Stokkebroe are one of the biggest names in the world of Latin-American dancing. They are multiple times Danish Champions, British Open Champions, European & World Champions. You can follow them on Summer Dancecamp website Instagram Kristina Instagram Peter Topics discussed in this episode Their dance history Magical moments Uniqueness Having the right teachers The continuous quest Life after competing The growth of knowledge About quick fixes Summer Dancecamp Dance Federations The viral video of little William Would you love to learn c...
2020-04-0135 minDance Sport & LifeMarco Cavacini: Team Diablo & The Importance of Personalized Training for DancersAbout our guest Marco Cavacini is the personal trainer of Team Diablo - one of the most well-known names in the WDSF world. He prepares personalized training sessions for champions like Gabriele Goffredo & Anna Matus and many others. You can follow him on Facebook Instagram Twitter Website Topics discussed in this episode Marco’s background in sport Learning to work with dancers The relation between a personal trainer and the dancers Names that went through Marco’s training program Sacrifices dancers make Dealing with injur...
2019-08-0223 minDance Sport & LifeAndrea Silvestri & Martina Varadi: Passion Expressed Through Music & Cuba As InspirationAbout our guests Andrea Silvestri & Martina Varadi are one of the top WDSF Amateur Latin couples. They are finalists in all the major events such as Grand Slams and World Championships. Andrea & Martina are very passionate and they tell us all you need to know about what inspires them. You can follow them on Facebook Martina’s Instagram / Andrea’s Instagram Topics discussed in this episode Their dance journey What they love about dancing Planning a busy schedule Maintaining a healthy relationship Finding inspiration Where they see themselves in 5 years A challenge for...
2019-06-1433 minDance Sport & LifeEmanuel Valeri & Tania Kehlet: Respect In A Dance Couple & Connection With Your TeacherAbout our guests Emanuel Valeri & Tania Kehlet are one of the most loved standard dancers. Their long career has been filed with great results both in Amateur and Professional division. Among their best results are titles like Blackpool Amateur champions and WDSF World and European Professional Standard champions - WDC & WDSF. They retired the competitive world at the PD World championship in Aarhus, Denmark in November 2016. You can follow them on Facebook Emanuel’s Instagram / Tania’s Instagram Twitter Topics discussed in this episode Beginning of their dancing career Schedule What is impo...
2019-05-0731 minDance Sport & LifeDr. Jerry Lynch: Being Fearless & Focusing On What You Can ControlAbout our guest Dr. Jerry Lynch is a coach, mentor, and teacher who guides and coaches athletes and parents to explore the meaning and purpose of sport. He has been recognized as one of the top five in his profession nationwide. He is the author of 13 books and amongst them is “Thinking Body, Dancing Mind”. You can follow him on Website LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Topics discussed in this episode What is Tao-Sport How to read “Thinking Body, Dancing Mind” Dealing with perfectionism Building confidence Recovering from injuries Our surprise guest “Win the day” W...
2019-03-2551 minDance Sport & LifePasha Pashkov & Daniella Karagach: Guiding Your Partner, Improvising Movements and Maintaining BalanceAbout our guests Pasha Pashkov & Daniella Karagach are one of the most popular dance couples at the moment, both for dancers and dance fans and they participated at the American show “World of Dance”. They are the winners of Blackpool (British Open) Rising Star Professional championship. They are smart, talented and charismatic, willing to share some of their secrets. You can follow them on Pasha Facebook/Instagram Daniella Facebook/Instagram Topics discussed in this episode The beginning of their story; The role of the man in the couple; Being in tune with your...
2019-01-2439 minDance Sport & LifeDr. Peter Lovatt: Communication, Self-esteem, Male Dancer Stigma & Scientific Benefits of DancingAbout our guest: Dr. Peter Lovatt is a Dance Psychologist. He set up the Dance Psychology Lab at the University of Hertfordshire and is currently a lecturer on Performance (Dance) Psychology at the Royal Ballet School. With his passion for dancing and psychology, he is making an impact in this industry by touching taboo subjects such as self-esteem on dancers and stereotypes of male dancers. Follow him on: Website Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Topics discussed in this episode: Dr. Peter Lovatt & his dancing career; Dancing as a language; Communication & emotion in ballroom...
2018-11-1341 minDance Sport & LifeCostin Glavan: Body Posture and Nutrition, the Secrets of High PerformanceAbout our guest: Costin Glavan is a Romanian physical trainer and nutritionist, certified by the C.H.E.K. Institute. He started karate when he was 17 years old, now reaching the high level of black belt - 3 dan. Costin is specialized in training people and athletes in how to have a good posture and perform better. His knowledge can be easily applied to the world of dancesport if you want to improve your performance and outlast any competition. Find out more about Costin Glavan and his course on his website. You can contact...
2018-07-0238 minDance Sport & LifeEspen Salberg - Togetherness, Beauty and FashionAbout our guest: Espen Salberg is a former ballroom and latin champion. As one of the best teachers in the world of dancesport he produced no less than 17 world champions. For Espen, the true value of a dance couple stands in the dialog and the togetherness between them. For the ladies it is important to have beautiful leg-action and for the men to be in control. The secrets gathered from dancesport competitions helped him create stretch couture and become one of the most talented designers. You can see the interview on YouTube.
2018-06-2821 minDance Sport & LifePaul Moldovan & Cristina Tatar: Two Bodies, One Vision, One MindsetAbout our guests: Hugely talented and hard-working Paul Moldovan and Cristina Tatar were the first Romanians to ever win a world champion title (Beijing, 2012). Since then they always aimed for the top of WDSF Latin ranking. For both of them, dancing is a way of life and they wouldn’t see themselves doing something else. In this podcast, they walked us through the best moments and the biggest challenges of their dance career. You can follow them on: Paul Moldovan & Cristina Tatar / Facebook Paul Moldovan/ Facebook/ Instagram Cristina Tatar / Facebook/ Instagram Topics discussed in...
2018-06-261h 10Dance Sport & LifeMarius Balan and Khrystyna Moshenska: Insights Into a Champion’s Mindset and Weekly ScheduleAbout our guests: Charismatic, fresh and ready to deliver high-standard performances every time. No description does justice to the greatness achieved by Marius Balan and Khrystyna Moshenska in the dancesport world. Constantly conquering the top of WDSF Adult Latin ranking, Marius and Khrystyna seek to continue working hard and to set high-quality standards for Latin routines. Through lots of traveling, training, trying to keep up with healthy behaviors, what keeps them going is the aspiration to put on a first-class act. Dancing as both body & soul experience. You can follow them on:
2018-06-2136 minDance Sport & LifeJay Olson: Psychology, Magic and The Power of SuggestionAbout our guest: Jay Olson, M.Sc. is a doctoral researcher at McGill University. He has also been a magician since he was 7 years old. Jay is known for his work as a consultant to reduce fatigue and improve the performance of business travelers and elite athletes. Jay Olson is interested in how psychology and magic can be combined and overlapped. In the podcast, you can find how the placebo effect and the power of suggestion can help you enhance your performance and reduce jet lag, along with tip and tricks concerning light exposure.
2018-06-1448 minDance Sport & LifeMadis Abel & Aleksandra Galkina: Partnership Secrets and Connection with Your TrainerAbout our guests: Young and highly determined to leave a mark in the dancesport world. Madis Abel and Aleksandra Galkina partnered up in 2012 and ever since they’ve been working hard and aiming for the stars in WDSF Standard division. Madis is a mountain of calmness and sharpness, while Aleksandra’s exuberant energy completes it perfectly and makes it a perfect pair. They get their inspiration from their trainer, Aleksander Makarov and together they brought Estonia on the #6 place in the world ranking. You can follow them on: Madis Abel & Aleksandra Galkina / Facebook/ Instagram Madi...
2018-06-0712 minDance Sport & LifeAnastasia Novikova and Winson Tam: Handling 10 dances, Doing the hard-work, Finding sources of inspirationAbout our guests: Young, fresh and up for great things. Those words describe Anastasia Novikova and Winson Tam, winners of the World Open Latin in Belgrade in 2017. They both started at an early age are working hard ever since. Winson is easy going and catches the moves fast. Anastasia is analytical and thinks every move through. A complementary pair. Through neverending trainings, practices, and routines what keeps them going is the feeling dancesport fires in them. You can follow them on: Anastasia Novikova/ Instagram, Facebook, Facebook for bddanceshoes Winsom Tam/ Instagram, Facebook...
2018-03-3047 min
Dance Sport & LifeBarbara Ambroz: Dancing as a Way of Life and the Cuban ExperienceAbout our guest: Born in Slovenia, Barbara already started to teach at the age of 18. Now, with more than 30 years of experience as an adjudicator and trainer, she has an open eye for every student and believes that dance is an opportunity to express life's values. Her educational project Cuban Experience in Havana, in cooperation with leading Cuban experts from Instituto Superior del Arte, was translated in the form of a short documentary called Back to the roots and in a book with the same name. Find more about the Cuban experience here. You...
2018-03-2323 min
Dance Sport & LifeMaximiliaan Winkelhuis: From Building Charisma to Dealing With Stress with Performance CoachingAbout the guest: In 1998 after giving some lectures convinced by his close friend Ruth Vermeij, Maximilian let go of his commercial years in advertising. Soon from a communication specialist in advertising, he turns to be a communication specialist in dance, a performance coach who loves finding the strengths that lie in the couples he works with. He decided to take his experience and put his knowledge in books to help dancers communicate better and find ways of relieving the stress and coping with it during tense times. You can find more on his workshops by fo...
2018-02-081h 05
Dance Sport & LifePeter Townsend: Teacher at 20, Team Amsterdam and the Importance of PlanningAbout the guest: Dance has been in the life of Peter Townsend since he was 7. For many years he danced competitively and he became a Professional at the age of 21. He studied not only ballroom and latin but also classical, contemporary and jazz ballet and contact improvisation. He was a founding member of Team Amsterdam and he finds that one can be highly motivated by different thoughts and ideas. His approach to teaching is quite unique as he believes dancers need to have conversations from within themselves and from within the partnership. Peter has worked with amateur...
2018-01-0548 min
Dance Sport & LifePietro Braga: Musicality, Biomechanics and Why Knowledge is ExperienceAbout our guest: Pietro Braga is a master of the art of dance. Starting from the early age of 16 years old, he teaches social dance and finishes working for the WDSF. He believes that although precise technique is an essential element of the aesthetics of the dancesport performance, the musicality of the movement must be met with the same diligence. Topics discussed in this episode Working on musicality; Knowing biomechanics; What do you look for in a couple as a judge; The mindset of a champion. Would you love to learn choreographies, technical...
2017-12-2115 min
Dance Sport & LifeWilliam Pino: An Early Connection to Dance, Musicality and the Importance of Being Real as a CoupleAbout the guest: William Pino found himself in a studio at a very young age. That was the start of a relatively short but intense and strong career. His dance partner, Alessandra Bucciarelli, was the one he'd marry. By 20 they were the only couple in the world that won all major competitions under 21: International, Blackpool, German Open etc. At 21 they were top 6 in the world, at 26 world champions, at 27 already professionals. And that's how you do it Italian style! Topics discussed in this episode The beginning of his dance career; His motivation to dance...
2017-12-1413 min
Dance Sport & LifeSiscu Perez: Coffee Machines, Freedom Above All and the Playfulness in DancingAbout our guest: Life has a strange way of playing out, and it is very unpredictable. Watching a tango lesson touched Siscu Perez so much that it put him on a career path very different from the one he imagined. From a shy reclusive child who wanted to grow to be a history teacher, he came to be one of the greatest teachers in dancesport and an adjudicator in competitions all over the world. Topics discussed in this episode His first impromptu encounter with dance The freedom dance brings Why did he choose teaching...
2017-12-0916 min
Dance Sport & LifeColin James: The Complexity of Becoming Great - Practice, Partnership, Motivation and MoreColin James is one of the world's most distinguished coaches holding the prestigious award "Teacher of the year". His name stands behind many champions and finalists around the globe. You might also know him from his long-lasting collaboration with Dancing with the Stars in Poland. Colin James is a Blackpool and UK Open Amateur Champion, and a second-time Grand Slam winner. He has been a finalist in every major international Professional Latin competition, including the World Professional Latin and European Professional Latin Championships from 1985 through 1990. We were honored to have Colin James on our podcast an...
2017-11-241h 18
Dance Sport & LifeDekatra Lapaeva: Full-on artistry and walking the line between performance and techniqueAbout our guest: Dekatra Lapaeva was a professional Latin-American dancer who has been a finalist in most major competitions and championships all around the World. Dekatra writes, creates, and innovates all the time. She is a multi-dimensional artist with 25 years of experience who weaves an imaginary bridge among movement and dance, visual arts and writing poetry. With a background in psychology and philosophy, Dekatra teaches her students not only to be amazing dancers but to be great people, who dance from a truly genuine and authentic place. Her teaching style allows dancers to strengthen their technique and d...
2017-11-1645 min
Dance Sport & LifePierre Dulaine: Social dance to a whole new level with the Dulaine teaching methodAbout our guestHow is it to have such an interesting life that you had a movie made after it? Pierre Dulaine surely knows. Along with his partner Yvonne Marceau, he won the Blackpool exhibition section four times. But even though he was a force in the professional dancer's community, he had a bigger call for teaching. He received the Americans for the Arts Award, the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the Carl Alan Award or the United Nations nomination as a Goodwill Ambassador for promoting peace. The Dulaine teaching method combines the love f...
2017-11-0833 min
Dance Sport & LifeAleksander Makarov: Back To Basics And The Role of The Teacher In Dancers' MindsetAbout the guest Aleksander Makarov became an iconic figure in dancesport, teaching champions like Madis Abel and Aleksandra Galkina. His last partner is also his actual wife and he had been dancing with her in the last 4-5 years of his dance career, which were the most successful. They won International Championships U21 and they’re second and third in Blackpool U21. Though he decided to stop dancing at a young age, for him this moment was the strongest push to start teaching because he wanted to prove everyone that he still wanted to achieve great things as...
2017-10-1946 min
Dance Sport & LifeDirk Heidemann: A lifetime of passion for dancesportFormer professional ballroom dancer, fashion model, now author, dancesport teacher and choreographer - Dirk Heidemann is the personification of Latin dancing: colorful, passionate and raw. After more than 30 years of training and preparing 40 champions of Germany, Europe, World Champions, Blackpool and German Open, he is considered one of the best ballroom dance coaches in the world. Topics discussed in this episode Life story and daily routines as a world-famous teacher How major differences of cultures can affect ballroom dance What are the 5 things he is looking as a judge in a couple Why technique is simply...
2017-09-3058 min