This is the story of how a little boy from Ukraine who loved Taekwondo ended up on the other side of the world teaching Tango.
In this month’s Spotlight article, we decided to return to our teachers and feature our wonderful, amazing, talented, and sweet new member to our team, Marat Kazarov. We say new, but in actual fact Marat has been with us for a year already. It’s hard to imagine that our one-year anniversary of Marat’s arrival in the United States is only 20 days away! He has been such a joy to have in the studio; from his playful personality to his quick wit and his emerging understanding of American humor, every day has us laughing and enjoying every moment with him.
So we thought it would be fun to shine our spotlight on Marat this month, and help you all get to know him a little better.
Marat was born in Zaporozhets, an industrial city in Ukraine. He describes his childhood as bright and active, always going somewhere or doing something, and always engaged in sports. Unlike many top level ballroom dancers, Marat did not start dancing at a terribly young age. His main sport of choice throughout his childhood was Taekwondo. He spoke fondly about the amount of time and energy his mother devoted to him and developing his future.
“Whenever I think about my childhood,” he says, “it only brings me joy and happiness.”
But then, at the age of 10, he quit Taekwondo. He didn’t have anything else to replace it, and so he sat around for a year without any athletic pursuit. After a year, his mother had had enough. She signed him up for a dance class and pressured him into going, promising that he could quit at any time, but he should at least give it a try.
A young Marat very focused on his Foxtrot.
At that point, “I mostly saw it as a social circle at school,” he explained. “I started because of my mother’s wishes. I really did not want to…. But, I went. To my surprise,” he added with excitement, “I loved it!”
Marat’s eyes have a way of sparkling when he gets excited about something. His sparkled just that way as he described those first few dance experiences.
“After I found a dance partner and started to train, my teacher told me I needed to compete.” It seemed a natural pathway for a boy who was so athletically inclined as Marat. “At my first competition,” he continued, “I saw how the older and more mature couples danced, and I wanted to be just like them.”
That was that. Marat was hooked.
We asked Marat when he knew he wanted to make ballroom dancing his profession. He confessed that he made that decision at a relatively young age.
“At the age of 14,” he said, “I realized that I loved dancing more than anything. Then came the day that I started teaching children, and I realized I found my passion. I had to understand where my career was taking me, and I knew I was to become a professional ballroom dancer.
“It was at that moment,” he added, “that I realized I had to focus on one style to gain success. I chose International Standard because, as a child, I was always impatient and too active. International Standard taught me how to behave and learn patience.”
Marat and his partner dancing the Tango.
Once he decided to focus on International Standard, his quickly began amassing titles. He was a finalist at the prestigious Autumn Moscow Cup, the Polish Open Championships, the Championships of Egypt, and the National Championships of Ukraine. He also placed in the Top 15 of the WDC World Championships and Top 12 of the International Championships in England, one of the most prestigious competitions in the world.
Dancing taught him a lot of his values, and he sees the values that competitive ballroom dancing as the true reward of his training, not the titles.
“Hard work, patience, and learning how to win and lose,” he said. “Those are the achievements I truly value. How to be determined and goal oriented, and how to become a better version of yourself through dance. Those are the true rewards of competitive dance.”
We asked him what his favorite and least favorite dances were. To be honest, the answers didn’t surprise us!
“My favorite dance is Quickstep,” he laughed. “I was always very active as a child and teenager, and I loved the feeling of speed! Also my height,” he added with a sheepish grin. “I’m not very tall, so it was a lot easier for me, and more fun, to dance Quickstep.”
And his least favorite dance?
“My least favorite dance would have to be the Slow Waltz!” he confessed. “This is because I would easily get bored in the Slow Waltz, and as I child I felt there were too many rules in that dance.”
He does have interests outside of ballroom dancing, which he hopes to begin pursuing again now that he feels more settled here in the States. “I enjoy boxing in my free time,” he said, “since as I child I participated in Taekwondo. It gave me a starting point for my boxing now. Back in Ukraine,” he continued, “I used to go karaoke singing with my friends almost every Saturday night for 2 years straight! I also enjoy nature and I love spending time outside in forests and next to lakes. So it seems I chose to move to the right place.”
When it comes to teaching, Marat has a truly pure motivation.
“I love teaching because I feel I’m helping them attain their goals, and I believe I have the ability to make my students happy.” Once again his eyes sparkled with that characteristic glimmer as he spoke about his passion to help others through the medium of dance. “I love seeing people’s faces light up as they achieve a higher level with each lesson. It’s really fulfilling.”
Marat and his perfect frame.
We asked him what his goals are for the near future.
“In the next five years, I would love to gain more students to support throughout their dance journeys and careers,” he explained. “As of right now, I love working with my current set of students. From a materialistic perspective, I would like to be able to buy a house in 5 years. Of course,” he added with a laugh, “the first goals helps with the second!
“And finally, I would like to challenge myself to push my English to perfection.”
It seems to us that his progress in that last goal is progressing just fine!
Finally, we asked him if he had a funny story to tell us about his time as a competitor.
“Yes,” he admitted. “When I was 11 years old, I was at a competition and I realized I had to use the bathroom. We were in between rounds and I thought I had enough time. So I went to the bathroom, and when I came back, I realized I missed my entire heat! Immediately, my mother, trainer, and partner yelled at me. I learned my lesson!”
Although Marat has the bulk of his training in International Standard, he is also trained in the American Smooth, International Latin, and American Rhythm syllabi, and can teach anything with confidence and a deep knowledge of the sport. He loves seeing his students improve, their improvement drives him.
Want to try a lesson with Marat? Request a lesson right here! He’d love to see what he can do for your dancing.
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