From Russia, With Love: An Interview with Vadim Safonov & Alina Safonova

January 14, 2021
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We had the great pleasure of sitting down with American Smooth champions, Vadim & Alina. Vadim and Alina originally came from Russia, where they began dancing at a young age, though they did not meet until much later. Together they worked for the Russian dance company “Ural” that specialized in traditional Russian dances, and later embarked on an adventure with “Carnival” and “Princess Cruises” cruise lines as part of the dance company on board. This gave them the opportunity to make a living through dance and also to travel the world.

Eventually they immigrated to Canada, where Vadim got a job at Arthur Murray Montreal and Alina found work at Daniel Heroux’s Arthur Murray West Island. In 2011, they became owners of Arthur Murray Ottawa and haven’t looked back. Together they run the studio, raise a family, and even compete! They have won the Professional American Smooth Rising Star at La Classique Du Quebec 2018, Niagara Falls 2018, Dancesport Montreal 2016, and were winners of Professional American Smooth at the Rocky Mountain DanceSport Grand Prix 2017. Just to name a few. So without further ado, let’s meet Vadim and Alina!