Why are so many of the dancers on "Dancing with the Stars" Russian?

Question

Or so I'm guessing by last names. Is ballroom dancing something you have to learn there or something? Just curious, I find it interesting!

Answer 1

When I was groing up in Russia dancing was taught as a part of regular curriculum to pre-schoolers and sometimes in elementary schools too. Usually, they would teach either folk dance or sometimes ballroom. If you grasp the idea of moving to music at the age of 4-7 it just comes much more naturally to you if you later decide to dance seriously.
Also, it is customary to have some after-school activity, or else children are considered to have too much free time and their parents are considered to be not taking good care of them. Most often, it is music lessons. Often enough, it is ballroom dancing.
Dancing overall is a lot more popular activity in Russia. Pretty much every party including birthdays involves some dancing. TV programs include fair amont of dancing - like a full length ballet or a dance festival. If you keep watching that on TV you sort of get subliminal message that dancing is normal to humans. Once you take out sports like football, baseball, golf, lacross, squash which we didn't have in Russia you are left with a lot more potential for arts and olympic sports.

Answer 2

They aren't necessarily Russian. But they are from Eastern Europe. The reason ballroom dancing is being dominated in America by Eastern Europeans is two fold.

One, in Eastern Europe, there is NO stigma about men dancing, and, in fact, ballroom dancing is like any other sport in terms of government support. Prior to the fall of communism in the USSR, children would be taken from their homes and sent to boarding school where they would learn to dance (or gyymnastics or figure skating or what have you) as well as academics. This was their way of contributing to society. When I was 16 (that's a LONG time ago now) I was able to travel to the USSR and visit a dancing school for a cultural exchange. We saw local dance exhibitions as well as ballroom exhibitions. It was mindblowing to the majority of the kids on the trip that a guy could dance ballroom and still be macho/straight.

Secondly, many people emigrated here who were former pros/ams back "home" and began working here and starting families here and propogating the ethic of dance to their children. Think of the Evgamukov family or the Pilipenchuks. So another generation of American children with Eastern Euorpean surnames are "taking over" ballroom because it's just what they do. They dance.

Twenty years ago it was a British Invasion. ;-)

Twenty years from now it will be an Asian Invasion. It's cyclical.

Answer 3

Ballroom dance in the US is seeing a large influx of Russians and Ukrainians. I don't know, but I suspect there are a couple of good reasons. One is cultural. Dance has been encouraged over there. Compare to your average young man over here, who'd rather play ball and likely thinks dancing is "gay." Also cultural is the choice of ballroom (or ballet or other traditional forms) vs. Americans spending all their dance time on the latest popular dances (like hip-hop, currently). Another is economic. Dancers from elsewhere often wind up in the US simply because that's where the money is.

Answer 4

It's their passion!
They love dancing, singing, circus and anything that makes their lives much happier.
I have to admit, without dancing, life is boring and the music becomes less interesting without the appealing combination with dancing.

Answer 5

we Russians have the most dance culture in the world.

Answer 6

1

Answer 7

Because in Russia they train hard just to be a dancer and it is their life dream? Not trying to be racist, it is just a common ability.

Answer 8

russians are good at dancing?

Answer 9

No. My mom is a 79 year old invalid. She was never in Russia.

Answer 10

Sorry I don't know about this