Two sisters were light on their feet at the Canadian Ballroom Dance Championships in Quebec last month.
Asenia Plaksina, 15, and Vika Galas, 9, came home from the National Dance Council of Canada event with top 10 finishes in their solo events.
Galas clinched fifth in her age category and Plaksina sixth in jive dance.
The girls got their start in ballroom dancing before moving to Canada last summer. Since then, they’ve been on the hunt for more advanced competitions to take part in, culminating in this most recent national dance-off.
“I love ballroom dancing—it’s my life,” said Plaksina, sharing she competes in both European and Latin dances. “I can’t imagine my life without ballroom dancing.”
She trained at a professional studio back home and currently studies at DanceWorks in Morden in addition to her online classes.
Plaksina puts in countless hours a week training.
“I practice every day,” she said, gesturing to the hardwood floor in the living room her family has transformed into an impromptu studio for her and her sister to dance on. “I wake up at six o’clock to dance before school.”
She has high hopes for a future in the field.
“I dream of becoming a champion in ballroom dancing and working as a coach.”
Her younger sister isn’t looking that far ahead just yet, but she, too, enjoys kicking up her heels. She had fun at the national competition, Galas said, but admits it was the road trip east (it was the family’s first time exploring other parts of Canada) and the especially the hotel amenities that really stood out for her.
Proud parents Iurii Galas and Iuliia Plaksina see dance as a perfect sport for their kids.
“We wanted to find a sport the children would like,” said Iuliia, noting they tried everything from swimming to yoga to gymnastics before finding ballroom dancing the best fit.
It’s a real community feeling at these events, she observed.
“We meet a lot of children, a lot of parents there,” Iuliia said. “It’s a special atmosphere, community.”
They’d love to see an organized ballroom dance association start up in Manitoba to provide dancers of all ages with more opportunities.
“Competition is most important in sport because it’s a big motivation,” Iuliia said.
Win or lose, though, seeing the girls dance makes all the family sacrifices—the long hours of practice, travel to competitions—well worth it, noted Iurii.
“They are on the stage, they are confident—it’s all about confidence,” he said.
The girls’ success shows that anyone, if they work hard enough, can succeed, Iuliia added.
“It shows what is possible even without a lot of resources,” she said. “I think that passion can break barriers and open doors to new opportunities. It is an example for other students who are afraid, who think, ‘I can’t do it’ because I live there instead of there. It’s an example of what is all possible.”
The family hopes to find the girls dance partners so they can begin to train and compete in couples ballroom dancing in the years ahead.
“We are always looking for opportunities for them to grow,” Iurii said. “We live in this community, we like it here … and we would like to continue [their training] somehow here better.”
If you’re interested in connecting with the family to talk ballroom dancing, you can email them at yurygalas@gmail.com.
