Behind every talented junior dancer, is a team consisting of coaches and parents who work tirelessly behind the scenes providing not only moral but also financial support.  Meet Jhanna Volynets, whose daughter Nicole and son Teddy, participate in competitive DanceSport at the highest levels.  Just as anyone can chose to stand by the wall simply to watch or join in at a dance, Jhanna's choice was to take an active role in promoting Dance and providing financial opportunities for up-and-coming young dancers through Dance Team USA, an organization that she co-founded with Sasha (Alex) Chmerskovskiy of the Rising Stars Dance Academy.


How did you and your children first become involved in Ballroom dancing? When did Maksim Chmerkovskiy become their dance instructor?
Four years ago my daughter Nicole, and my son, Teddy, were introduced to Ballroom Dancing in Long Island. I will never forget the look on their faces as they watched all of the couples at the Amateur Championships. They were completely inspired by the winning couple, so I said to them, "Why don't you go over and introduce yourselves." They managed to do so and this was their, as well as my, very first time meeting Maksim (Maks) Chmerkovskiy from the Rising Stars Dance Academy.

It was from that moment on that all my two children wanted to do most was dance. I have never admired anything more than the passion that my children have for life - the constant excitement in their eyes - and this is what inspired me. It inspired me to help keep my children's passion for life going, so I decided to sign them up for dance classes and give up the business that I had started in order to have the time to take the long drive from Long Island to New Jersey so that my children could attend the Academy.

What was the experience like for your children?
My children learned time management and sacrificed a lot of other things in their life in order to dance. Often they would even give up their social life in order to succeed in school, while having the ability to fulfill their passion for dance.

What makes your children love taking dance lessons from Maks?
Maks is truly an amazing dance teacher because of his dedication and passion. He motivates students by cutting to the chase. He always puts the student's needs before his own and will offer whatever he and his family can the students. He cares for all of his students as if they are his family. He cares greatly about their health and well-being. Sasha will e

ven give vitamins to the students during the dance camp. They truly give everything they have to the children.

The entire family - Maks, Val, Sasha and Laura - are each filled with so much passion! When I think of them, I think of platinum. They are strong spiritually and maintain very high morals. There are not many families like that on earth. You truly cannot find anything negative about them.

What is your perspective on Ballroom Dancing?
I don't think that enough people understand or appreciate the effort and discipline that goes into Ballroom Dancing. Unless you are in it, you cannot understand it. Ballroom Dancing requires both expression and the skill of the athlete. It is about truly being able to understand the levels of physical expression - it is your heart and soul meeting your physical body.

What is your goal with Ballroom Dancing?
One major challenge in Ballroom Dancing is the expense involved with becoming recognized - to be recognized and succeed you need to travel. That's where we, as the organizers of the Dance Team USA, are trying to increase awareness to the American dance population, which would hopefully increase the amount of financial support for dance in America.

We have already introduced ourselves to community colleges in the Bronx and are in the process of starting workshops there. We will also be involved in The Latina-American Festival in the Bronx on October 3rd this year. My children and other students from the Rising Stars Dance Academy will be performing on the streets of New York.

Please tell us more about Dance Team USA
Dance Team USA is dedicated to providing financial support to junior and young people, particularly in the United States.  It doesn't matter where they live or dance. We would like to select the best couples in Standard and Latin and provide them with assistance through scholarships or other awards.  Recently, we donated $1,000 to Zuzia Odziomek, a 9 year old dancer from Sulojowek, Poland who is suffering from a cancerous brain tumour.  We invite everyone to join us in support of Dance.

For more information about DanceTeam USA and events that they run, please visit www.DanceTeamUSA.com and www.GrandDanceSportCup.com.

Photo Credits: Vadim Lazarev