We met and talked to Igor Reznik and Mariya Polischuk, the winners of Amateur Rising Star Ballroom at the UK Open 2015. Igor and Mariya started dancing with each other only recently and UK Open was their first big competition. They were very surprised, but pleasantly, with the win!.
...I like competitions. I like the build-up of pressure, I like the fight
Congratulations, fantastic result, very much deserved.
[Both] Thank you!
Tell us how it all started for you? When did you start dancing?
[Igor] I started dancing when I was five years old. Now I am 17. I come from Ukraine, from Odessa and that’s where I started dancing. Three years ago I moved to Kiyv.
Did you dance Ballroom only at the start?
[Igor] No, I danced both styles and decided to concentrate on Ballroom only three months ago.
Did you do any other styles of dancing before, like ballet or hip-hop or national dances?
[Igor] No, just Latin and Ballroom.
Why did you start?
[Igor] I don’t know really. My parents saw it somewhere and decided they wanted me to do this. They are not dancers themselves, they just really liked watching it.
Who was your first partner?
[Igor] Before Mariya I had quite a number of partners. She is my eight I think.
What about you, Mariya?
[Mariya] I started dancing when I was six. It was ten years ago. My mother seen a dance show in the concert hall and wanted me to do something like this. I am from a small town of Lugansk in Ukraine. I moved to Kyiv about eight months ago and also danced both Latin and Ballroom. And in Kyiv I met Igor.
How did you meet?
[Igor] We are from the same dance club and that’s where we met. Once day we tried together and it worked.
Who came up with the idea?
[Mariya] Our dance coach. And it worked for us very well. We had a try-out in the end of summer and we felt comfortable together from the very first day.
[Igor] We only started two months ago really. UK Open is our first competition.
It is really fantastic! You started with winning a big competition; do you feel there will be a pressure next time? Are you coming to Blackpool?
[Mariya] Yes, we are. We hope it will be also good for us (laughing)
What do you like about dancing?
[Igor] Actually I don’t like practising, I like competitions. I like the build-up of pressure, I like the fight.
What about you, Mariya?
[Mariya] I like all of it, I like the dresses, I like the good music, I like the feeling when we are on the floor.
What do you like about your partner?
[Mariya] I like him because he is fun, I like him as a person (laughing). Generally he is a good guy.
[Igor] I like everything about Mariya as well (laughing). I like that she is determined and I like when she pushes me to try harder.
Now you tell me what you don’t like about each other?
[Mariya] I know what Igor doesn’t like about me. He doesn’t like when I worry about things, he thinks I worry too much. He gets annoyed with it.
[Igor] For her everything is awful, we are always awful…
[Mariya] No, for him everything is awful all the time! I don’t like that about him.
[Igor] Even yesterday when we were called to the final everything was awful for Mariya. She worried our dancing was awful! (laughing)
And you won the competition! If that means awful dancing, I don’t know what good dancing is! (laughing). And you are only sixteen and seventeen years old.
[Mariya] Next time you will see us in Blackpool and you will see if we improved (laughing)
OK, what do you like to do outside of dancing?
[Igor] I like tennis. But I don’t have time for anything else really
Do you have time for friends, for parties?
[Mariya] No, not really, no parties, not yet (laughing)
You must do something outside of dancing!
[Mariya] Well, I like to go for a walk or we go to the cinema with friends. Sometimes I go with my girl friends shopping, just a normal stuff what the other teenagers do as well.
Do you have the same friends? Do you go to the same school?
[Mariya] We have many same friends, from the dance club. Igor started the University now. I have two more years in school.
Igor, what do you study?
[Igor] It is the first year of Physical Education, specialising in dancing.
[Mariya] I will maybe do the Business Studies. It is what my Mum wants me to do (laughing).
Are you parents here in Bournemouth?
[Mariya] My Mum is, yes.
Igor’s parents did not expect such a good result I guess (laughing) so they did not come, right? I could see yesterday that you were very very happy about your result.
[Igor] It was a shock. When I called my parents they couldn’t believe it either.
Dancing is very expensive, are you parents supporting you financially?
[Igor] Yes, they are paying for everything, for clothes, shoes, for dance lessons, for travel.
Do you have any dance lessons outside of your dance club?
[Igor] Not yet.
You must have very talented teachers in Kyiv then!
[Igor] We would like to say thank you to the best teachers Stanislav Portanenko and Nataliya Kolyada, Maksym Bulanyy and Kateryna Spasitel.
They must be proud!
[Mariya] They are here and they were very happy for us. We are really thankful to them for all they did for us.
What did they say after the competition?
[Igor] They did not say we were awful (laughing)
[Mariya] They were very very happy and also shocked.
What did you expect when you came here?
[Igor] I hoped for the quarterfinal I think.
You are both very young and already winning UK Open. What are you plans for the future?
[Igor] We plan to do the same tomorrow at the Amateur Ballroom event (laughing)
I wish you the same result!
[Igor] We are hoping for the top 48 tomorrow. We will see. Next few months it will be preparation for Blackpool and for the European Championships.
Do you follow any special diet?
[Igor] I eat everything
[Mariya] Just before the competition I eat things like bananas and nuts for energy
By everything you mean things like fast food as well? You are both very slim and fit, how do you manage?
[Mariya] We were both always like this. I try not to eat everything, but sometimes it is hard (laughing).
What is the most interesting place you have ever been to?
[Mariya] I have not been there but I would like to go to Australia one day. I like surfing.
[Igor] I would like to go and see Las Vegas. Need more money though (laughing).
How are you coping with the current situation in Ukraine?
[Mariya] It is really awful, we are luck we are not affected and our families are safe as well.
That’s good to hear. Thank you and see you next in Blackpool.
