Dance is not just skillful movements. The real beauty of dance is in harmony, which reflects the inner state of man. Is it easy to become a dancer? Choreographer Kateryna Yaromenko shared her answers to these questions and her own experience with Zhytomyr.Travel

«I’ve been dancing for as long as I can remember. Probably, 19 of my 26 years. I devoted a lot of time to it, although there were periods when I tried to draw, embroider, sing, but no matter what happened, life brought me back to dancing»

«My first experience of classes took place in kindergarten, where choreography lessons were held. Later, our choreographer gathered a small ensemble, and we performed various performances for the holidays. After the fourth grade, my mother told me to choose what I wanted to do: music or dance. I, like all girls, really wanted to play the piano, like a real princess. This is how I saw my future, so I chose to go to music school. However, about three years later I consciously decided that I just wanted to dance. Then I started attending a school club, where in the evening we studied ballroom dancing. That’s how life led me to dance, and from the eighth grade I stayed here for life»

«The starting point of choreography in my life is when in nineth grade I was asked where I would enter, who I wanted to be. To which I replied: «Choreographer.» My mother made me laugh a little, because I consciously didn’t dance for that long. However, after the 11th grade I applied for the specialty «Choreography», in addition, I went on a budget»

«I chose a ballroom dance for myself. Why? Difficult question. First of all, probably because fate itself always brought me back to it, although I also danced folk, modern, classical. Secondly, it’s just an indescribable thrill when you dance in pairs and feel this interaction. When one of the partners does not work out, it will not work out for the couple in general, but when all the puzzles are made up of the minimum, it’s just an incredible feeling»

«My parents sent me to the dance very late, so I could not fully feel the atmosphere of competitions. Now my biggest dream is to dance and take part in competitions and big tournaments»

«It’s hard to say about my favorite dance. It probably depends on what happens in a certain period of life, there are certain preferences associated with it. If there is a lot of intensity, holidays, fun, then it is cha-cha-cha or samba, if romance, then rumba and tango, if I want peace – it can be a waltz or foxtrot. It is very difficult to choose one favorite dance, but if you choose between the European program of ballroom dancing and Latin American, then I still lean more towards Latin American. After all, by nature I am very inflammatory, driving, and in this program there is more freedom and less framework to reveal. I like to express myself in these movements»

«The profession of a choreographer consists of opposites and interactions. Sometimes in working with children you need to be more active, sometimes calmer and show miracles of endurance. Sometimes you need to press somewhere, or, conversely, give way. Sometimes it is necessary to include a wild imagination or clear math. Choreography consists of such nuances. It is a profession of love and creativity»

«Among the dancers, I really like a couple who, unfortunately, no longer dance together. These are Slavik Kryklyvy and Anna Melnikova. They started their career together with performances in Japan and impressed the whole dance world. At the first competition in Orlando, they took second place. Already at the European Championship it became especially noticeable that there is more than one leader in this pair. They have excellent physical capabilities, elegant technology and such interaction between partners that it can be watched for hours. I really like seeing Anna catch the slightest movement of her partner, the impulse, as if reading thoughts. It’s really inspiring! When you look at their productions, it’s as if you’re reading a fascinating book, but in a dance. Of the couples who are currently dancing together, I would like to single out Riccardo Kokki and Yulia Zagoruychenko. Their dance is something worth seeing for yourself. I can’t put it into words… As a choreographer, I really like Radu Poclitar: when you watch his production, you start going into his plans, how he plays this or that movement. Elegant choreography, very beautiful graceful movements combined with the philosophy he lays in the dance. It’s just at the level of genius»

«I also had moments of frustration when I worked at a public school five years ago. There was a kind of conveyor belt: it was constantly necessary to come up with something, to adapt to children, because no one asked who exactly I wanted to involve in the production, what dancing abilities a child wants to dance or not. And a large number of magazines, reports, plans, and all this was «decorated» with a small salary. Then the desire to create disappeared. I didn’t want to do anything at the time, so I quit and worked at another job that had nothing to do with dancing. I needed this in order to «switch». And a year later I came back to what I love»
«Dance is an integral part of my life. This is my air… Dance is who I am. It evokes completely different feelings and is probably wonderful»

«For those who are just starting to dance, I advise you to look for pleasure in every movement, get high from every dance. Any routine can be fun if you understand all the processes and interactions, all the details. When what you work out for a long time turns out, it’s incredibly cool»

«I started teaching after the fourth year, that is, after receiving a bachelor’s degree. I worked with children from four to twelve years old. However, in the first year, at the request of the newlyweds, I staged their first wedding dance»

«Children’s dance must be age-appropriate. If it is a plot, it should be clear to children. If it is a technical statement, the movements must be age-appropriate. Now very often very young girls are made into «mannered ladies», but I think that it is not worth taking away childhood. Let the children remain children as long as they can be. The principle of gradualness is important: I always try to make the children master all the material step by step. It is always easier, more pleasant and easier to work, and for children to study. There is also a game principle, and I definitely try to turn each lesson into a small game, a small play, so that each of the little students was interested. I will not forget how my student first won the cup at the competition. I had such pride – more than for myself… Every achievement of my students is my achievement»

«My greatest achievement as a director is helping to create a composition for the officers’ ball. My classmate, who was studying at a military school, told me about this event and offered to dance with him. I thought it was a very interesting project, so I gladly agreed to take part. Part of the production was a moment where several couples who already know how to dance came out. Of course, I volunteered to dance among them. It all turned out so well that I met the main choreographer and later offered her my own small composition. She supported the idea, helped to give it the right shape. I am very glad to be heard. This was probably the best motivation to become a teacher later. As a result, our joint creation turned out very beautiful»

«Whatever it was, but for me personally, the greatest achievement is each of my students, in whom I invested a part of myself»