Dance Sport & Life

About 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 and professional World Champions in Ballroom, Latin and Showdance.

You can find more on his workshops by following Team Amsterdam: http://www.dutchdancelab.com/workshops-2018.

Topics discussed in this episode

• Peter Townsend's dance story;
• Team Amsterdam;
• The difference between teaching and coaching;
• The traits of a great dance student;
• The illusion of effortless dancing;
• The importance of structuring practice.

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 library of courses and high-quality recordings of dance camps from all over the world at highly discounted prices.

About 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.

• 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 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 library of courses and high-quality recordings of dance camps from all over the world at highly discounted prices.

About 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!

• The beginning of his dance career;
• His motivation to dance;
• The role of music in ballroom dancing;
• The most important strength as a couple: realness;
• Looking like a ballroom dancer vs. Being a ballroom dancer
• 5 things that make a successful couple.

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 library of courses and high-quality recordings of dance camps from all over the world at highly discounted prices.

About 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.

• His first impromptu encounter with dance
• The freedom dance brings
• Why did he choose teaching over competing
• The relationship between the two partners in dance
• The teachers that influenced him the most

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 library of courses and high-quality recordings of dance camps from all over the world at highly discounted prices.

Colin 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 and discuss the hottest topics in dancesport: from having a healthy relationship with your dance partner to the preparation before the competition.

Topics discussed in this episode

• Having a relationship with your dance partner;
• The motivation behind the effort;
• What it takes to be a world champion;
• How much practice is enough practice?;
• Performing great at competitions;
• The routine before the competition;
• The physical, mental and the spiritual side of an extraordinary dancer.

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 library of courses and high-quality recordings of dance camps from all over the world at highly discounted prices.

About 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 dance ability while feeling completely supported and encouraged along the way. Our time spent talking with her was a blast. Dekatra has an ongoing art exhibition at Corza cafe:111 High Street, West Wickham BR4 0LT. Find more about her art on her Facebook Page and her Instagram.

Topics discussed in this episode: 

• The condition and meaning of an artist; 
• What it takes to have a great partnership; 
• Discussing the balance between performance and technique; 
• How to get ready for a competition;
• What are the elements that can help you improve your dancing; 
• The books that belong on every dancer's bookshelf.

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 library of courses and high-quality recordings of dance camps from all over the world at highly discounted prices.

About our guest

How 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 for humankind with the love for dance to give birth to a wonderful synergy between the two in projects such as Dancing Classrooms. He does more than teaching steps, he teaches touching a human being with grace and respect in face of segregation and prejudice. One small step in a dance class, one giant step for humanity.

You can find more about Dancing Classrooms here. His official website is http://www.pierredulaine.org.


Topics discussed in this podcast

• His life story: from professional dancer to dance teacher;
• The creation of the program Dancing Classrooms;
• Explaining the Dulaine Teaching Method and the need for it;
• What are the things that ballroom dancing builds in people;
• His mission for the years to come.

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 library of courses and high-quality recordings of dance camps from all over the world at highly discounted prices.

About 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 a teacher, not only as a dancer.

Topics discussed in this episode

• How important are the basics and technique in ballroom dancing in order to understand when to move forward with your performance
• The role of a teacher in building a strong mindset
• Going through tough times as a team and how important is to have the teacher’s support
• How important is it to have the dancing stamina and practicing for the competition on a daily basis
• How does he improve to become the best in his field

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 library of courses and high-quality recordings of dance camps from all over the world at highly discounted prices.

Former 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 an instrument to help dancers show off what's really important
• How the physical beauty in dancesport is a top priority
• What makes a great dancer and how much your talent means in ballroom dancing world

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 library of courses and high-quality recordings of dance camps from all over the world at highly discounted prices.