Ballroom Chat Podcast

Igor Litvinov discusses his amateur career and his journey becoming a dancer. Samantha and Igor also breakdown his professional show dances for Ohio Star Ball and why choosing music and something that suits your personality is so important to connecting to the audience. The pair also talk a little bit about his decision to switch from competitor to competition organizer, and why he decided to launch the Boxstep app.

Igor Litvinov is a highly decorated amateur and professional standard dancer and a three time Ohio Star Ball Showdance Champion. He is also a co-owner of the Ballroom Hub dance studio in New York and the co-owner of the Boxstep app, online festival and online camp. Igor is the co-organizer of the Philadelphia Dancesport Championships, The City's Dancesport Challenge, and the Poseidon Ball.

Oxana Kashkina discusses her journey, from amateur dancer to English Educator to professional ballroom instructor. Oxana and Samantha delve deep into topics surrounding body image, cross-training, teaching methodology, and telling your story on the dance floor.

Oxana Kashkina was an Amateur 10-dancer prior to moving to the United States. She is currently an Open Professional 9-dance finalist, Mambo National Finalist, and took 2nd in the World Salsa Championships.

Yuriy Kraveys discusses his journey from amateur to professional, from Ukraine to the United States and everything in between. Yuriy and Samantha analyze the structure of ballroom dance education in the US and in Europe, and chat about how instructors and pro-am students can approach the different levels of competitive dance.

Yuriy Kravets was awarded the Master of Sport of Ukraine from Lviv State University of Physical Culture for his performance in ballroom dancing as an amateur and then professional. After he turned professional, he represented Ukraine at the World and European championships for a number of years, and then eventually moved to the US and began his work as a professional dance instructor through Fred Astaire before going independent, He is currently teaching and competing with Pro-Am students based in Denver, Colorado, although he has students all across the country.

Chris Johnston discusses his early dance career and how music and organizing parties became his passion in the industry. Chris and Samantha discuss the ups and downs of building a career in ballroom dance, the importance of recording and remembering our history, and where he sees the future of dancesport heading.

Chris Johnston is the co-owner and founder of SuperShag dance studios and SuperShag video production. He's also a world-class adjudicator and the co-organizer for both the Caribbean Dancesport Classic and DBDC in Boston. He's a host for several different video programs as part of Dance Beat magazine, including Approach the Bar, Cheeky Chat, and Comp Crawl.

Megan Rund discusses her start in gymnastics, what happens when your plans suddenly change and your life has put on a completely different path, and the growing pains and culture shock of moving to Utah for college and for ballroom dance. Megan and Samantha also reflect on the interesting challenges of navigating the transition from amateur and student to professional and especially pro am instructor.

Megan Rund is a former Utah Valley University Tour Team member. She and her teammates won the Blackpool Standard Team Championship and as an Amateur, she and her partner became Ohio Star Ball Smooth Champions. She is now a Rising Star and Open Professional Finalist in the Smooth Category.

Jessica Mancini chats about growing up in the figure skating world, making the transition to ballroom dancing. Jessica and Samantha also discuss how to navigate the difficult balance between setting goals for your students and expectations while also encouraging them to remember the joy of the activity that they are doing.

Jessica Mancini is a five time US National Pro-Am champion in Rhythm, Smooth, and 9-Dance, as well as a Pro-Am Open Vice Champion in Rhythm and Smooth. She was also a former team USA figure skater, and current Professional competitor.

Christine Bar Noël discusses taking up the challenge of finding her own path to success in the ballroom dance industry. Christine and Samantha chat about dance entrepreneurship, and finding life-work balance. The two reflect on the importance of saying no, and explore ways to raise the ceiling for future dancers to flourish.

Christine Bar Noël is a former World Rhythm Champion as part of a Pro-Am father-daughter duo. She is now a certified life balance coach and the host of the Recovering Perfectionist podcast.

Sophia D'Angelo discusses finding herself in ballroom dance and the intersectionality between navigating relationships in ballroom dance and in the real world. Sophia and Samantha discuss her book, Dance and the Creative Couple, and how instructors and students can use the lessons within the book to have a greater understanding of how we communicate through dance.

Sophia practices psychotherapy in Washington, D.C. and has been a life-long dancer with training in multiple dance disciplines. She earned a Masters in Social Work at Catholic University and is a graduate of the International Psychotherapy Institute. She holds multiple United States titles in ballroom dancing.

Boyko Ivanov is a former youth 10-dancer, who started creating hair and make-up looks for ballroom dancers after moving to the United States. 15 years later, the name Boyko & Co. is synonomous with some of the top looks and trends for styling ballroom dancers. Boyko sits down to chat with Samantha about discovering his passion for dance and later hair and make-up. He discussing his pursuit of beauty, and why coping trends is only a short term solution to a long term problem.

Tristen Sosa discusses growing up in a dancing family in Utah, and his dance journey in both competitive ballroom and the performance industry. Tristen and Samantha debate the longevity of virtual dance instruction, and the struggles of building an inclusive and accessible community for all dancers.

Tristen Sosa is a 4 Time Youth Latin Champion. He appeared on So You Think You Can Dance and Paula Abdul's "Live to Dance". Tristen is currently the Ballroom Director at Summerlin Dance Academy in Las Vegas, is a choreographer for the Hallmark and Disney Channels, and is a principle dancer for the Donny and Marie Show in Las Vegas.