Fellow. USISTD

Dance Nerd

Musings on dance technique, by no means definitive.

Retirement

The Viennese Waltz of Saturday night’s Ohio Star Ball semi was our final dance as professional competitors.  We decided that Ohio would be our final competition, but we wanted to get back to the floor at something close to where we were before injury and the pandemic. Especially in the last year, so many dancers have not been as fortunate as we have, to be able to continue doing what they love and to have an equally committed and talented partner with whom to share the journey. 

We will both continue on in the dance world, just not as pro competitors. Michael will focus his efforts on his students, studio, examining, and judging. Viktoriya will continue her career with the Fred Astaire dance company as a trainer and as a business owner in the near future. It has been a special gift for us to be able dance and finish this portion of our careers on our own terms. 

Special thanks in our partnership goes to our many teachers, coaches, and mentors. Rufus Dustin who provided his knowledge, guidance, and a steadiness when the crazy started to come out. Marianne Nicole, Gumada! who was always so straightforward and practical. Sasha Perzhu has been there with us from the beginning, but in particular this past year as we tried to get back to the floor. Eddie Simon gave us a sense of ease and Olga Foraponova showed us how much we could push. Michael Chapman deserves a huge thank you for getting us over the hump of just having a tryout. 

Dawn Smart has provided unceasing support and beautiful dress after beautiful dress for Vika. We’ve never had to worry that her dress would be ready or that she would look less than amazing. While on the subject of great looks Boyko deserves great praise for always creating a unique look for Vika.

From Vika - 

The huge thank you goes to my amazing , irreplaceable FADS NJ regional directors Ilya and Nadia Ifraimov !!! Thank you for taking me under your wing and help me to continue my career with you. I deeply appreciate you and forever will be grateful to gave you in my life. For very short period of time you both became more than just mentors- you became my family. Thank you for your support, guidance, knowledge and encouragement. I am a very lucky girl!!!

And of course I would like to express my gratitude to the best team i possibly could ask for - FADS Montville : Ilya Abdullin fads pro, Anastasia Jerjomina, Viktoriia Iakusheva fads pro and Oleg Iakushev fads pro. Thank you for supporting me guys!!!

We’re not going anywhere, we just won’t be dancing on the pro floor anymore. We look forward to contributing to the dance community in new ways, and continuing our teaching and development of other dancers.

On a personal note I have several acknowledgments that I would like to make for those who have made me the professional competitor I was and who made my dancing possible. 

First, to all my students, you have my undying gratitude. You have supported me, cheered on my successes, and joined me in commiserating the disappointments. I always say how you all have so much more interesting lives than I do, and it’s one of the great joys as a professional that I get to learn from all of you too. 

Those who remember my early years as a professional may remember a very different sort of dancer. I moved to New York in my early 20s and was quite a bit behind the curve. There were a few people who gave me an opportunity to grow as a teacher and dancer, and who inspired me with their own examples of searching for authenticity in dance. Sandra Cameron, Tony Meredith, and Melanie LaPatin  gave me a dance home from which to grow, their knowledge and perspectives on dancing are truly unique. Charlotte Jorgensen took the time to give me a system for Ballroom. Edward Simon deserves the credit and blame for showing what an incredible style Smooth could be and is, and for starting me down that path. 

Whenever I see a dancer looking a little odd or ungainly I think back to the generosity those people showed me in my own awkward beginnings. I’ve been fortunate to have many other teachers and mentors over the years and for whatever distance I’ve seen it is as the saying goes: I’ve stood on the shoulders of giants.

My wife, Vanda, has been my greatest support for the past ten years. Every spouse of a dancer has to deal with them being absent whether for their training, travel, or competition. Vanda has been there for me through all of it and she has been a one woman cheering section; you know it when she’s in the ballroom rooting for you. She always had unfailing energy in her support, just as she had in her own dancing. We now move on to the next phase of our careers together; not as competitors, but by bringing up new dancers and bringing dancing back to NYC.

From my earliest days teaching I have valued an educated approach to teaching. Along with developing our studio and continuing to dance Pro/Am for a few more years I will be dedicating my professional energies towards training dancers to be better teachers. 

See you all on the dance floor.


Michael Choi