Exclusive Q&A With Marat and Alina, BADC 2017 Show Couple!
We are so excited to bring you this Q&A with Marat and Alina, who will be performing Saturday night at 7 pm! Get your tickets here: https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pe/10221486 or from the Ticket Information Center (TIC) in the 2nd floor campus lobby of Lerner Hall! If you ordered online, be sure to pick up your physical ticket from the TIC! And without further ado, Marat and Alina:
When did you start dancing? Marat in 1987 in Moscow, Soviet Union, and Alina when she was 9 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg)
How did you meet? We were at the same dance club with the same coaches in Moscow, Russia.
What do you love most about ballroom dancing? We love dancing to good music, the interaction with another person rather than dancing alone, and we love the stress of the competition day with all the adrenaline and endorphins running inside.
What do you love about Standard in particular? Unique flow, unique music, unique proximity between man and lady and therefore unique relationship between them. Extreme coordinational complexity that requires scientific approach in physics, geometry, anatomy, and psychology.
What is your favorite thing about your partner? Alina: Marat is strong, straightforward and honest (and this is what I love and actually hate about him). He dreams big and goes to his goal. He is passionate about the things he loves, and he cares. Marat: Alina is not a selfish person at all. She supports whatever happens. And whatever she does she dedicates herself completely.
What is your favorite dance and why? We don’t have a favorite dance. Often this depends on the day…
What has been your favorite competition to date? British Open, at Winter Gardens in Blackpool, UK, and “The International” at the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK.
What has been your proudest achievement as a partnership? So far we have had this journey in dancing that gave us so much and we hope we have already given something to other people.
What advice do you have for just-beginning dancers? Try your best every day, every practice, every attempt! Pay attention to your teacher’s every word and every move! Sincerely respect your teachers and your peers, especially those whom you compete against! Strong opponents bring the best out of us!
What advice do you have for more experienced dancers? Never forget why you are involved in dancing - the love for it. Multiply this love. Give yourself completely to the dance, and don’t wait for anything in return. Work as hard as you can. Work till you can’t feel your body. Have no excuses. Sacrifice yourself to the dance. Be patient. Never lose faith. Dream and believe you can achieve it.
Can't wait to see their performance on Saturday!