Written by: Lydia Petrigova on FRIDAY, JAN 5, 2024
The dream stands right in front of me—the girl whose dancing I admire for countless qualities and her uniqueness. The beauty, the achiever, the mysterious woman… Viktoria Kharchenko.
While moving to Dubai, I sought extraordinary opportunities and reasons to embrace the city’s charm. Valuing experiences over possessions, character over status, and quality over prestige, meeting Viktoria became one of my inspiring desires. Not instantly I was able to meet Viktoria, but I am grateful for the delay. During the transformative period between desire and its realization, a delightful journey unfolded—meeting new people, discovering a lovely studio, and being introduced to Viktoria in an unimaginably special way. I am grateful.
Introduced by a lovely dancer named Anton, my conversation with Viktoria began, and from the start, I sensed warmth, positive energy, humbleness, and natural beauty radiating from her. This initial impression affirmed what I had observed in her dancing—a true character, uniquely capable of elevating her performance precisely when it matters most. On stage, champions display unmatched resilience, becoming tougher than their petite frames project in real life. This ability stems from channeling the accumulated trials of past challenges into a single, powerful performance that is unmatched. Believe it or not, but all this information is available when you stand before any high achiever. And that is a gift, an opportunity, a chance, a moment, a blessing—whatever you want to call it.
We agreed to meet and dance together the next day, January 4th, 2024. It is marked in my dance journal as a special day.
As we started to dance, the revelation of why her style resonates with me and why we effortlessly synchronize became clear. It’s the shared body structure, spine flexibility, and the elegant curves that bind us. Following Viktoria’s lines is a delight, with each of her movements seamlessly intertwining with mine, devoid of any friction. The experience is pure joy and freedom—my body naturally gravitating to precisely where her movements guide. The connection between these emotions, joy and freedom, is unmistakable. Freedom, standing tall on the emotional scale, signifies, ‘this is what I want to do, this is how I want to dance.’ It’s not a conscious thought but a profound feeling, an undeniable sense of liberation. Following Viktoria, mirroring her movements, capturing her expressions—this is how my body yearns to express itself, a sentiment I deeply resonate with.
Key takeaways:
- Use your back; it’s amazing. It goes in all directions: up, down, forward, back, it lifts and lowers, it circles… Use it more. Give your back more power and responsibility.
- Soften your stomach. The dance starts in your stomach, in creating space in your gut. She notices my six-pack and compliments it as super powerful (thanks Viktoria:-), but she asks me to let my guards off and release the tension in my abdominal muscles. And wow… isn’t it an awesome sensational feeling… and the back gains suddenly its magic powers.
- The movement through the sides, the gravity force added to shoulders make beautiful lines breathtaking. There are no limits to how much you can train, improve, challenge, and transform your body.
We both finish our dancing time on the highest emotional scale: FEELING GOOD.
And we will see each other again. Dance connection is inspiring.
If you’re a Latin/Rhythm dancer, an explorer unbound by rules and beliefs, I invite you to explore Viktoria’s advice. It worked as a magical elixir of joyful exploration for me, and it might do the same for you. Learn with someone inspiring, explore dance together, keep inspiration in sight if possible, work hard on your dancing, and elevate your experience through mimicking. Why not?
Rumba tips from Viktoria:
Inhale, exhale a little, and continue exhaling through the body. The exhale through the lungs is short, yet through the body, it can be as long as you wish. Keep your stomach empty and shape your movement freely.
One of Viktoria’s signature skills involves three simultaneous actions: Rib moves towards the back, shoulders stay over the ribs, and the stomach is soft and completely free.
Viktoria’s inspiring discovery for enjoying rumba walks more: The leg moves in and then out, creating a subtle curve.
If you wonder where Viktoria gets her intention and power for a simple step, here’s another tip: The back leg controls and directs the front hip.
Thank you, Viktoria, for the amazing teaching and learning opportunity.
Learning is amazing; teaching is incredible. When teaching, you learn about movement, others’ abilities, your body, and yourself. In turn, learning teaches you discipline, freedom, joy, and the abundance of potential within your body and the world. With hard work, your dreams will come to life.
A good teacher can guide a student to their ultimate potential, fostering the right mindset for their best performance. A good teacher challenges and nurtures you. Keep learning; never stop being a student. You can always be your own teacher, challenging and nurturing yourself to reach your own high standards.
