– Anna, where did you live before you moved to Austin and what did you do?
Moscow. I’m a professional choreographer, a dancer and a ballroom dancing teacher.
– Why did you move to Austin?
To continue my professional tournament career, I moved to Austin in September this year at the invitation of my ballroom dance partner, Alexander Romanov. At the moment Alexander and I are getting ready for a series of tournaments in the Professional American Smooth category, as well as working on an interesting dance project together.
– What do you do here in Austin?
I give dance lessons to local kids and adults and teach ballroom dancing; I continue my work on projects in Russia. At the moment, I am open to opportunities and projects in Austin too.
World Cup Professional American Smooth
– Have you had difficulty adapting to the new place?
I can’t say I have fully adapted to it yet, I have had difficulties, but these difficulties are common when you move to another country, culture, etc. By virtue of my profession, I have traveled to many countries, and each country has its own nuances).
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
– Are you staying connected to your home country?
I still have a very strong connection to Russia, I’m working on many projects remotely, many students are still taking lessons with me. We just switched to a different format – online.
World Cup Professional American Smooth
– What do you wish were different in Austin to make you feel more comfortable and more like home?
This is a very good question. I want adequate public transportation and an easy access to all destinations! For those who have never driven a car because they didn’t need to. After Moscow, this is hell! Everything else is easy to get used to).
– How has your lifestyle changed since you moved to Texas?
The lifestyle of a professional dancer is always the same: day after day, weekend or holiday, rain or shine: rehearsals, tournaments, lessons and new challenging projects).
– Tell us about your new projects.
We are about to launch our Open Air with Alex & Anna project – Alexander and I are preparing an outdoor event in the parks of Austin, we are inviting everyone who wants to learn to move beautifully to the fiery rhythms of the Cha-cha-cha and to master the basic moves of the equally beautiful and passionate Tango. Follow the updates on our Facebook and Instagram pages – Alexander Romanov and Anna Blagodyreva.
– Tell us about your hobbies.
I ‘collect’ beautiful places of the world and experiences (landscapes, nature, architecture of old cities). I do yoga and learn about the mechanics of the human body. I read a lot, mostly classics, science fiction, psychology, etc.
Blackpool Dance Festival. Shanghai, China
Contact information:
Email: annablagodyreva2805@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100001735718923
Instagram: @annablagodyreva
Interviewer: Dmitriy Ovcharenko
Editor: Olga Adler
Publisher: Russian Cultural Center