Big Surprise: Justinas Duknauskas and Anna Melnikova split!!!!

NOTE: Rumor is that Anna Menikova and Nino Langella will be dancing together. They should be on fire! 


Wow just news that  Justinas Duknauskas and Anna Melnikova have split!

What a surprise! They were married and both intend to continue with new partners. A

Justinas and Anna at their wedding

All the content in this blog posts are property of Ballroom Dance Gossip. 

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!



Justinas and Ekaterina

Dance Legends in New York this weekend!

Hello dance lovers,

Just wanted to let you folks know that Dance Legends will be in New York this weekend!

If you are in New York or close by it should be a good show as there will be so many well-known dancers there, such as Yulia and Riccardo. I see it as kind of a Japan World Super Stars Dance Festival but in North American! 

If anyone ends up coming let me know how it goes! I think it's pretty exciting retired couple Mirko Gozzoli & Edita Daniute will be there. I heard they were going to perform last year, but couldn't make it after they broke up.

Here are the photos from last year's event:

Results for WDC World Championships- Riccardo and Yulia are up on top!

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! 

Internationals 2012: Very disappointing result for Franco and Olga; Riccardo and Yulia beat Michal and Joanna!

Riccardo and Yulia end up on top!!!

As I had predicted....results confirm that Franco Formica and Olga Muller-Omelchenko finished outside of the finals at the International Championships 2012. They 16th! For me that is absolutely shocking! Franco is undoubtedly one of the best eligible men on the dance floor and I am pretty sure he would be disappointed with this result. I will keep everyone updated on the status of their partnership, but with this result, I am predicting that they will part ways soon. With Olga's age, I can't foresee this partnership even lasting beyond another 2 years.

It seems that Oxana and Franco did the best paired up together...as Ilia and her also placed in the top 32nd. I was very sad with the end of that partnership 

I truly hope that Franco continues to compete nonetheless. I can see he is at his prime and with the right partner he will undoubtedly make the final again!

On other surprising note Riccardo and Yulia beat Michal and Joanna and finished in 1st place! I prefer the direction of Riccardo and Yulia, as I think they put more emphasis on the artistry of dance and are softer in their lines. I think the result is a fair one.

It seems that Maurzio and Andra are starting to consistently beat Andrej Skufca and Melinda as Maurizo and Andra finished in 4th and Andrej and Melinda finished in 5th. I have a feeling Andrej and Melinda will also be somewhat disappointing with that result.

I am very happy that Stefano Di Filippo & Dariya Chesnokova placed 6th overall! Very strong result for the pair and I have a feeling that in a few years Stefano will be in the top three. 

So it looks like age is starting to matter in the Professional ranks of dancesport. Olga's technique just cannot compete with girls half her age. From videos I have watched, it also looks like age is catching up with Andrej Skufca and perhaps this is why he was beaten by Maurizio and Andra (Andra is very young!). 

So what does everyone think? I think the results show a huge shake up in the rankings and age is definitely starting to matter. Though when I see Bryan Watson performing now, he is still amazing!! 

Professional latin results: Michal and Joanna emerge on top!

Blackpool winners: Michal and Joanna 

It was no surprise for me that Michal Malitowski and Joanna Leunis won Blackpool 2012! Congrats to the fabulous couple!

Also congrats to Riccardo Cocchi and Yulia Zagorouitchenko who placed second and Sergey Sourkov and Melia that were third! 

However there were some notable surprises. Where were Franco Formica and Olga? I was surprised they didn't compete. Hopefully that doesn't mean that Franco has decided to retire :S

Also, the Canadian pair, Maurzio Vescovo and Andra Vaidiliate  placed ahead of Andrej Skufca and Melinda Torokgyorgy for all five dances! Normally Andej and Melinda are always ahead!

What do you think of the results?

Exciting news: Franco Formica will be dancing with Olga Müller-Omeltchenko!

Such good news!

Credit: Dancesportinfo.net

So Franco Formica will be competing again with Olga Müller-Omeltchenko! Their first competition with be Blackpool 2012. Here is their new Dancesportinfo profile.

Special thanks to a kind reader who alerted me to this news!

This will certainly be an interesting partnership. Olga has not competed since 2000. She was a former Blackpool finalist with her husband, Ralf Muller. She is definitely a dancer from the golden era of ballroom and I am interested to see how she will fare against some of the younger ladies in the finals. Most professionals retire in their mid 30s; so certainly Franco and Olga will be quite a bit older than the rest. According to Wikipedia. Olga is currently 39 or 40 and I believe that Franco is in his mid 30s (correct me if I am wrong).

Here is a video of Olga dancing with Ralf in 2011. The video was shot pretty far away from the couple, but her dancing still looks pretty good!



Here is Olga in competition with Ralf:




I would definitely appreciate seeing some more traditional approaches to Latin dancing. I like the innovative shapes and styling that dancers such as  Michal and Joanna bring, but sometimes, I wonder if Latin dancesport is going into the "right" direction.

I miss the classical approach to Latin dancing Bryan and Carmen bought to the dance floor, so perhaps Franco and Olga will bring some of this back!

Btw, I l enjoy how Franco choses whoever he would like to dance with regardless of who is the "top" lady. He chose Oxana Lebedew when she was a unknown young talent and now is he going to be with a previously retired dancer.

I do hope that he doesn't make the mistake that Slavik Kryklyvyy did when Slavik picked Hanna Karttunen to dance with him. It was very clear that Hanna and Slavik didn't have much of a connection. In addition, it was also pretty obvious to me that her Latin technique was no longer what it used to be when she was with Paul Killick. I hope Olga still has the technique to compete with ladies such as Joanna and Yulia!

With their first Blackpool competition, I am predicting they will end up in the finals. If not the finals, then at least top 10.

I have always thought that Franco is a very special dancer. I have a feeling that Franco, like Slavik wouldn't be satisfied with any result other than being #1 (hence he split with Oxana, as the pair seemed stuck in a limbo). With dance politics, it will be very difficult for him to get to first place, but I definitely think that Franco's talent makes that a real possibility!

Why Andrei Zaitsev & Anna Kuzminskaya should have been at Blackpool

This couple is amazing.


Anna Kuzminskaya has the one of the best leg extensions I have ever seen. Can you think of any female Amateur Latin division that produces such clean leg lines? She's had some comparisons to the equally amazing Yulia Zagorouitchenko. This pair's precision is insane and they are so talented. 

I really hope that any political issues are resolved and we see this pair and some of the other top couples at all the major competitions in the future.

Maxim Kozhevnikov is back with Anastasia Grigorieva!

 Maxim and Anatasia

In an exciting interview with dancesport.ru, Maxim Kozhevnikov and Anatasia Grigoriev have a candid interview. Maxim is known for his choreography and his former partnership with current world champion, Yulia Zagorouitchenko.

He will be returning to competition with Anastasia Grigoriev in the Professional Latin category. 

Here are some of the tidbits from the interview:

On their first try-out: 

After just two training sessions in the same day, it all became clear. Everything came naturally like a sixth sense, which is what has always lead decisions in my life. You could say that I am glad to have found my “Star” !!!!!

He had some very nice things to say about his ex-partner and fiance, Yulia: 

For me Yulia is the best woman in Latin ballroom dancing now …. and not because she was part of my life. I danced with her, I brought her to America and I played a big role in her partnership with Ricardo at the beginning. As a professional, technically and emotionally, she is stronger now than she has ever been. With great respect for Joanna, and as a dancer and as a person, I prefer Yulia for justifiable reasons - her dancing. But my opinion (as you know), is very subjective in this. Honestly, I cannot say that as a couple Ricardo and Yulia are better than Michael and Joanna. In some areas I like one couple, and in other areas the other couple. 

On Slavik: 
I don’t believe it is enough to have naturally incredible talent, it takes more than that. An example of this is Slavik Kryklyvy. With all respect to his talent and spirit on the dance floor (and I am one of his biggest fans!), my opinion is that at the moment he has lost himself.

On Yulia choosing Riccardo over Slavik: 

I was right when I insisted to Yulia to choose Riccardo over Slavik, even though he tried hard to partner with her. Because as a team, Riccardo is better for many reasons which will help her achieve her dreams. I was right, and the results from this are that they are now World Champions. The lack of clearly structured work led to the failure of Slavik as an athlete. Many people know how much Kriklivyi deserves the title of Champion for his special abilities and talent. I am one of his fans who believe in him as a champion, however it never happened. He didn’t achieve the dreams others had for him to be a champion….

I am so happy that he has found a new partner to dance with and I look forward to seeing him compete soon. He sounds like a very nice person and I appreciate his honesty during the interview.

For the full English interview go here (thanks to Dancesportshow).

Here is their very cheeky cha cha:



Their Avatar interpretation:

Surprises at Blackpool 2011: Joanna and Michal win again and some notable couples are missing!

Sorry for being away for so long...was busy with real life.

I am going to write about how I honestly felt about the Blackpool results...sorry if this offends anyone, but these were my thoughts.

Michal and Joanna take first place in all six dances at Blackpool 2011

Photo credit: www.malitowskileunis.com

So the battle between Joanna Leunis and  Michal Malitowski and Yulia Zagorouitchenko and Riccardo Cocchi wasn't a tight race after all with Joanna and Michal placing first in all five dances. Last year, Yulia and Riccardo won the jive. I don't think any couple can come close to the Yulia and Riccardo's jive, so for me no doubt Joanna and Michal's unanimous victory leaves a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.

Personally, I prefer the way Yulia and Riccardo dance. They are a lot softer and I think Yulia dances with more feelings than Joanna does. In addition, it's very evident that Riccardo is technically superior to Michal.

Btw, interesting note at the World Championships, Michal and Joanna were clearly very disappointed and did not speak to Yulia and Riccardo when they were standing on the podium. It's around 6:18 minutes. Yulia and Riccardo only spoke to Sergey and Melia. Michal and Joanna did not stay to watch Yulia and Riccardo's honor dance.

Here is the video:



Looking at dance politics, when Slavik Kryklyvyy and Karina Smirnoff were in the finals with Bryan Watson and Carmen Vincelji, Slavik and Karina could never beat them. Will Michal and Joanna win every year at Blackpool even when Yulia and Riccardo are winning the World Championships?

In addition, I have to point out that Sergey Surkov and Melia, as usual placed third. Sergey is a great dancer, but Melia in all honesty, is technically worse than any of the ladies in the top 20. She lacks hip action in the samba, cha cha and rumba and her jive lacks any bounce action.

I know everyone says she dances with great expression and feeling, and I think she does and I do enjoy watching her dance,  but does someone this level of technique deserve to be third in the world beating out exceptional female dancers like Melinda?

If any of you readers are professional dancers please explain to me what makes her technique even comparable to the top ladies like Yulia, Joanna or Olga. I know they train with Donnie Burns, but I find it shocking that someone so technically inferior can be a world finalist. For me, an interesting situation would be if Yulia and Riccardo and Joanna and Michal retired. That would make Sergey and Melia first in the world...even with her being a worse dancer than any of the top 20 ladies!!

Couple to watch out for: Stefano di Filippo and Olga Urumova placed fifth in the Blackpool Professionals. He looks like he has the most fun out of all the finalists and his hip action, energy and his choreography brings an authentic Latin flavour to the final. Olga is very good as well and they are very compatible together.

Notable missing couples: Some of my favourites in the Latin Amateur division that didn't compete (I am guessing due to IDSF restrictions) include Andrei Zaitsev and Anna Kuzminskaya and Zoran Plohl & Tatsiana Lahvinovich making the Amateur competition seem a bit emptier than the past few years.

Alexei Silde and Anna Firstova also were absent from the Professional division, and we won't be seeing them at any WDC competitions competing with other top 6 pairs. Sad...they are both so good!

So what did you think of my assessments of Blackpool? If you disagree with anything I said please let me know, eager to listen to some other opinions as well!

WDC Latin Championship: Yulia are Riccardo beat Joanna and Michal, Sergey and Melia beat Franco and Oxana and Justinas and Anna debut

 Riccardo and Yulia are now the official champs! 

Photo credit: Thomas Morton 

So the King and Queen of Latin Ballroom are officially Riccardo Cocchi and Yulia Zagorouitchenko.

Riccardo and Yulia beat Michal Malitowski and Joanna Leunis at the WDC World Professional Latin Championship 2011 yesterday.

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.

So who do you think deserved to be first? 

Funniest World Super Star Dancing Parody!!!

 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.

Happy watching!

Michal Malitowski and Joanna Leunis beat Riccardo Cocchi and Yulia Zagoruitchenko!

Michal and Joanna at the UK Open 2011. They were the champions of the night.

Credit: Peter Suba

Yesterday at the UK Open 2011, Joanna Leunis and Michal Malitowski showed the world that they are the top pair once more.

I am surprised. A bit.

Am I excited? Yes.

Historically, the top Latin pair has stayed at the top...until they retire. Look at Donnie Burns and Gaynor Fairweather and Byran Watson and Carmen Vincelji.

This might make Professional Latin ballroom a little less predictable and a little bit more exciting. Last November, Ricccardo and Yulia were crowned the world champions. So this UK Open was absolutely essential in determining if Michal and Joanna were still at the top.

Riccardo and Yulia giving it their all this year at the UK 2011. They won the title last year.

Credit: Peter Suba

Last year, Riccardo and Yulia won, but Michal and Joanna didn't compete.

I wasn't there at the event, so I don't know how each couple danced, but Joanna and Michal beat them.

I really hope they finally changed their choreography and really added some other more creative elements to take the championship. They have been dancing the same routines for a several years now.

 Congrats to Michal and Joanna. May the best pair win every time.

Officially the best: Yulia and Riccardo are now the 2010 World Champions!

Been late with reporting this, but needed to say it anyways.

Yulia Zagorouitchenko and Riccardo Cocchi beat Joanna Leunis and Michal Malitowski at the WDC World Championships last month!

My opinion: Yulia and Riccardo are the deserving winners. I am watched them grow and progress to become one of the most mesmerizing couples of all time. For me, the diamond in the partnership is Yulia. I mean Riccardo is great, but Yulia is just perfection. She is strong, fierce, yet is very soft in her movement at the same time. They are a great pair.  In addition, every year, they come up with new routines at competitions, while Michal and Joanna have been dancing the same ones for years. I like couples that can take risks in their dancing.


The catch is...this year Yulia and Riccardo switched teachers. Riccardo had a romantic relationship with Shirley Ballas, but that ended this year. Yulia also broke with her ex-partner and long-time fiancé, Maxim Kozhevnikov. The rumour is that Riccardo and Yulia are dating.

Their new coach is Donnie Burns, who is also the head of the WDC (World Dance Council). Like I said, I think they deserve it, but politics is rampant in dancesport. I wonder if they wouldn't have won the title earlier if they had had Donnie as a coach earlier.

It will be interesting to see if they continue their winning strike to really overtake Michal and Joanna in the future. It does make dancesport less predictable and more exciting!