There's been a rumor swirling online that Nino Langella and Anna Melnikova will dance together! See here for my previous post about this story.
I wasn't entirely sure because so far Nino's partnership with Vera Bondareva has been successful, but if the rumors are true, it would be so exciting!
Nino is amazing. He's young, very talented and I believe he will be world championship in the WDC Professional level one day! I hope he can bring out the best from Anna if this is true!
Please keep me posted if this rumor doesn't end up happening. :)
His partnership with Khrystyna Moshenska was amazing!!
What a surprise! They were married and both intend to continue with new partners. A
Justinas and Anna at their wedding
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Could this mean they broke up in their professional life as well? I know they have a daughter together and I was wondering what happened to Justinas on Anna's instagram as there recently there have been very few pictures of him. None since 5 months ago anyways!
I am saddened by this and I hope they both continue their respective dance careers. Any thoughts on who they should partner next?
Should Slavik try again with her as a partner? I just watched Ballroom Dancer again and it really did seem like he loved her and then lost her to Justinas. He needs to be gentle with her though and dance with her and not do all the solos he does in a competition.
If Slavik wants to come back, I think that he should dance with Anna or any other amazing girl, but he should lower his expectations a bit initially. I think they could have been in the Top 3 if he had persevered and not been as hard on her. Sometimes winning is about waiting for the couples above you to retire...
I don't want to speculate, but I am guessing a rift might have been caused due to the fact that Anna and Justinas dance results were quite disappointing and they didn't seem to gel together as dance partners the way Anna used to with Slavik or Stefano or Justinas did with Ekaterina.
Comments are Youtube were always quite critical about this partnership and about the fact that Anna was simply more talented than Justinas. I don't necessarily agree with that that was the reason their partnership failed, as I just think that as a couple, Anna and Justinas' dance styles didn't match that well and it showed in their results.
For instance arguably, in the partnership of Sergey and Melia, Sergey is the better dancer; in the partnership of Yulia and Riccardo, Yulia is the better dancer; and in the partnership of Michal and Joanna, Joanna is the better dancer. However, these couples still shine because the individual styles in the partnership complement each other.
Anna's dancing became more subdued with Justinas, and Justinas is not grounded or intense enough for her in his movements and he seems to make a lot of extra movements. She needs a dancer that brings out her fierceness and is a very masculine figure to her. In her partnership with Justinas she almost became the masculine figure because her style is so different from his. I still like her the best with Stefano, but she was also great and developing well when she was with Slavik. Justinas looked fine with Ekaterina because she's a softer dancer and she does a lot of extra movement as well, so they actually complement each other. Watch the videos to see if you agree with me.
Please comment if you here of any other news!
Slavik and all his solo wwhile dancing with Anna
Slavik holding Anna closely at the end.
Stefano and Anna looking amazing at the World Champions!
Back after a long hiatus! Publishing some new posts :)
I know that all ballroom dance fanatics such as I have couples that they miss the most! I get very nostalgic trolling on Youtube and I thought I would share with you some of the most iconic couples that have broken up, yet have undoubtedly left a mark in the world of ballroom dancing!
1. Slavik Kryklyvyy and Karina Smirnff
They were young. They were hot. They were so talented!
Slavik and Karina were also in a private relationship while they danced together for four years.I remember reading in an interview that he had kissed her randomly when she was having a phone conversation and that was how their relationship began. The couple was known for their explosive dancing...and their rumoured explosive fights! I believe that their professional partnership was over when they broke up as romantic partners.
For me, their dancing was absolute perfection. Their chemistry, their technique....it just came across as very geniune and real!
I know Slavik has tried to find a partnership that could finally allow him to become the World Champion, but he has never been able to finding a partnership that lasted as long as his with Karina's
From watching the clips of Ballroom Dancer, it appears he is very much a perfectionist and this probably drove his former partners away.
Also with the release of Ballroom Dancer, we now know for certain that Slavik has retired. It is funny that if they had lasted another few years and continued to dance together after the retirement of Bryan Watson and Carmen Vincelji, they would have surely won Blackpool and become the World Champions.
Isn't this video cute? I have also posted their reunion videos. PLEASE continue to dance together, so I can make it to you show next near at Dance Legends!
2. Stefano di Fillipo and Anna Melnikova
This couple was smoulderingly hot! Stefano was a beast on the dance floor...and Anna was so gorgeous! They both still are amazing, but personally, I think they were the best together.
Like Slavik and Karina, Stefano and Anna entered into this partnership as a private couple. However, they soon broke up afterwards and Anna started to date Slavik. However, Stefano and Anna continued to partner each other and together they won the Amateur World Championships and Blackpool.
This couple just complemented each other so well. Stefano might not have the perfect refinement of Slavik, but he brings sheer masculinity and FUN to his dancing. At that point, I thought that Anna brought out the best of her herself. She was the most confident, sexy and dynamic in this partnership!
Although Stefano had a very successful partnership with Olga Urumova, their chemistry wasn't as natural. He is very solid at the moment with his wife Daria, but I miss the boldness he had as an amateur. I felt that Anna became less bold during her partnership with Slavik. With Justinas Duknauskas, she has really toned it down and become a more subtle dancer in my opinion. I think a lot of it has to do with the amount of energy she gets to feed on and also how comfortable she is in that partnership.
The rumour is that Anna Melnikova and Justinas Duknauskas are expecting a baby!
This was her Facebook message to her fans:
Dear all..
Me&Justinas we would like to share our great news.. letting you know that we will take a bit of the break in our dancing career:))..
the reason for that are very exciting family issues!;))
But surely,competitive dancing will always be our great passion!So we will be looking forward to see you all in 2014!!;)).. ...
Stay happy..stay real..stay sincere..Trust in everything what you do...
With love,
Justinas Duknauskas&Anna Melnikova
Congrats Anna and Justinas! I hope to see them back on the dance floor soon :)
Yulia Zagorouitchenko and Riccardo Cocchi are rising to the top!!! With their recent win at Internationals, I think they are solidly ranked as the best dancers in the world.
They were just crowned the new World Championships! Congratulations to them both!
Michael Malitowski and Joanna Leunis were second, Sergey Surkov and Melia were third,
Maurizio Vescovo and Andra Vaidilaite were fourth, Andrej Skufca and Melinda were fifth and Justinas Duknaukas and Anna Melnikova were sixth.
The general trend at the moment appears that Andrej and Melinda have dropped to fifth place and Maurizio and Andra have risen to fourth.
Franco Formica and Olga and Stefano di Filippo did and Daria did not compete in the World Championships!
Thank you very much for reader electricblue for directing me to the results for WDC World Championships! I look forward to hopefully catching this on Youtube!
I think everyone obsessed with latin dancing will find the new documentary called Ballroom Dancer an interesting examination of why the partnership of Slavik Kryklyvyy and Anna Melnikova failed.
Slavik and Anna were in a private relationship a few years before their partnership, and many speculated that this was the partnership that was going to bring Slavik back onto the top. However, as we all know, Slavik is now dating Daria Chesnokova and Anna is dancing with her husband, Justinas Duknauskas.
Slavik and Anna are undeniably one of the most popular dancesport dancers and watching the clips, you can see the intensity in their fights and their raw emotions.
Here is the movie trailer:
It looks so good! They were such a promising partnership! I will definitely watch it when it comes out. What do you think?
I feel like no matter, what Slavik and Anna would never have been first place within a year.
I almost feel sorry for Slavik in the documentary, as I have written before, I am afraid that Anna was Slavik's last hope for success and I think is professional career is over. In the film, it mentions that it was his last chance, so I am fairly sure we won't see Slavik on the dance floor anytime soon. The DVD for Ballroom Dancer will be available worldwide in the Spring.
Michal tweeted " Here we go again. We gave our best as always. Some things we can not
control. Thank You for your support. Means the most to us. Love. M&J"
The last competition that Michal and Joanna beat Riccardo and Yulia was the UK Open last January. Riccardo and Yulia beat Joanna and Michal for the first time at WDC World Professional Latin last November.
I am glad that Riccardo and Yulia are they new champs and I think they are more creative Michal and Joanna. I respect them for continuously coming up with new routines and I prefer the fluid nature of Yulia's dancing, over Joanna's more technical, but stiff movements. However, I am sure these two couple are the undisputed top pairs.
I am still curious to see if this will be the same result at Blackpool.
There were some other surprises as Sergey Sourkov and Melia beat Franco Formica and Oxana Lebedew. Personally I think that Franco and Oxana are a much stronger pair and should have been third.
It was also the first competition for Anna Melnikova and Justinas Duknauskas. The pair placed just outside of the finals and were 7th.
Anna Melnikova and her new husband, Justinas Duknauskas debuted a full out show with five dances in Hong Kong. Forgive the video for being pretty dark.
Anna's hair has gotten really long with extensions, so she actually looks a bit like Karina Smirnoff from far away. Her dancing and her style in the video reminded me a bit of Ekaterina Lapaeva, especially if you watch the cha cha portion. It appears she really wants to move on from her old partnership and create a unique style of her own with Justinas. She is still amazing and would deserve to be one of the top six ladies in the world.
Youtube comments were fairly harsh comparing Justinas to Slavik Kryklyvyy and Stefano di Fillipo. Of course, when you are being compared to the legendary Slavik, it will be hard to measure up on the first try.
Like I said before, Justinas is very young. They have potential. Will they make it into the finals in a major competition? Probably not yet with them being so new, but definitely in the top ten.
Looks like Slavik has moved on from his recent split from Anna with another beautiful lady.
His new love is Daria Chesnokova, a Ukraine dancer. She has been in an amateur partnership with Valentin Chmerkovskiy, the younger brother of Maxim Chmerkovskiy since 2008. The pair placed 3rd this year in the UK Open and are consistently finalists at major competitions.
Let's hope that Slavik doesn't break up this successful partnership and he finds a partner of his own.
Wish the pair well and we will see if Slavik will continue competing.
After spending hours on youtube...I came across this gem.
It's a parody of some of the World Super Star dancers. They nail dead-on Melia's bad foot actions (and dramatic poses), Slavik's love of dancing solo, Bryan's enthusiastic jive and finally Michal and Joanna's abstract shapes during their techno music performances. Missing noticeably are Riccardo and Yulia....but you will still laugh so hard.
It is very funny, but as a warning only dancers who have watched the WSS videos one too many times will get the performances.
Slavik Kryklyvyy has the reputation for dating and losing his dance partners.
The latest rumor from is that Slavik will get back with Karina Smirnoff...but only for shows. Dancesport.ru reported that Slavik said this at the Rhythm 2010 tournament, but he says this is still undecided.
Which brings us to the question: is competition over for Slavik?
Slavik is now 34. Bryan Watson, former world champion was 39 when he retired.
It didn't seem like too long ago when he was ranked second in the world with Karina Smirnoff and ranked third Elena Khvorova.He had a brief partnership with Hanna Karttenen, but you could just see in they had no connection on the dance floor.
His latest partnership with Anna Melnikova was by far the most promising after Karina.
They had chemistry, she's a good height for him, and she's also very talented.
Yet, Slavik's reputation for losing his partners remained when they broke up after only a year of dancing.
Slavik is known for difficult to partner. Elena has said this and there were constant rumors of fighting between him and Karina.
I've noticed that his choreography has also really changed. With Karina, the figures were more connected and there is less separation.
In his samba with Anna in the UK, you can see the use of more solo choreography.
Personally, I think Slavik could not break into the top 4 because of the choreography, not because of his or Anna's technique.
For Slavik to make it, he needs a lady that is good and a partnership that will last. The top 6 ladies are now all taken and in fairly stable relationships. The closest single top lady is Ekaterina Lapaeva, who recently spilt from Justinas Duknauskas.
Slavik could do what Franco Formica did and dance with his best student and make her his partner. Oxana Lebedew is now a star.
Hopefully it isn't over for this brilliant dancer, but his odds aren't looking great at the moment.
A much anticipated video of Anna Melnikova and Justinas Duknauskas dancing a rumba to
Vittorio - All In Love Is Fair (Se l'amore c'è) has finally appeared on youtube.
Anna is still fantastic, she has a way of giving everything when she dances like Karina Smirnoff. However, her style is very different and she dances softer like Yulia Zagoruychenko. She also has some of the best facial expressions.
Comments on it have been somewhat critical about Justinas and their choreography. Of course Justinas is not yet near the caliber of Slavik Kryklyvyy yet, but only time will tell of how far he will go. Remember Justinas is only 24, while Slavik is 34. Justinas has 10 years less dance experience than Slavik.
I remember when Slavik first broke up with Karina Smirnoff and started dancing with Elena Khvorova. The comments were very harsh and makes me believe it attributed to their break-up.
I think Anna and Justinas will only get better. Best of luck to this engaged couple.
The F.I.D.S. has banned it's dancers from competing in most elite Professional competitions in the world to accomodate Olympic entries for Dancesport. This means, no U.K, British and International Championships. Those competitions are under the World Dance Council.
The point is, the Stefano wants to be able to compete with the very best in the world, which would undoubtedly help him grow as a dancer.
His press release is here. Some of the points he makes are:
Recently I have been pressured not to dance in U.K. Competitions, and when on one occasion Olga and I were allowed to dance in England from our Federation, we found we have to suffer financial consequences after dancing !!??!!
It is with a heavy heart I find myself out of F.I.D.S. and i will not return back until my freedom and the general goodwill and fairness returns to the Italian dance system. This is not just about me, I believe in a fair open system which is for all of us, in every country and every federation!
I want to thank a reader who had commented on a previous post writing that Stefano is likely unable to compete with elite competitors, like Anna and Justinas due to restrictions on dancers imposed by F.I.D.S.
I also want to thank Donovan, who let me know that Stefano did not specify in press release that he was retiring. His press release also didn't say explicitly whether he would be dancing with the WDC.
Hopefully we will see him on the dance floor soon.
I have met him and he is brilliant and way too young to retire.
Here is Stefano after winning his first Amateur Championship with Anna Melnikova in 2008. I think this honour dance is one of the best showcases of his talent.
Although Dancesportinfo.net has not reported of their partnership yet, acccording to her facebook photos, we can see that she did a show with Justinas Duknauskas. According to her status they are also now engaged.
Looking at how incredibly beautiful she is and how insanely talented she is, it is no surprise how quickly she moved on from Slavik Kryklyvyy.
They were ranked top 5 in the world and it seemed that Slavik Kryklyvyy had
finally found someone he actually looked very good with post Karina. Although he had higher results with Elena, Anna and him had this unbelievable chemistry!
But the impending split looked real, if you look at the World Super Stars rumba from this year. The song choice, Micheal Buble's "Always on your mind" is a break up tone and Anna doesn't appear to even want to go near Slavik. Towards the end...and you can just see that at 5:16, Slavik doesn't want to let this beautiful woman go.
They were dating they began dancing together. Slavik has a history of dating his partners-from Karina to Elena to Anna. So does Anna. Anna dated Stefano di Fillipo and Slavik and now is rumoured to be dating Justinas Duknauskas!
Slavik is rumoured to be dancing again with Karina Smirnoff! Let's all hope that it's true...or I can't see Slavik making the top 3 with anyone else. I hope that Karina will stop wasting her talent on Dancing with the Stars and finally be crowned winner in Blackpool.
Meanwhile, since Justinas and Ekaterina split up around the same time and Anna is rumoured to be dating Justinas, my bet is that we will see them on the dancefloor together very soon!
