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In most of Europe, the dance halls are bursting with ballroom dancers at high international level. However, if you want to make it to the top, it’s all about having the perfect partner. And in the small country of Denmark, this sounds easier than it is.

In recent years, dancers are increasingly being brought in from Russia and other Eastern European countries to form the ideal dance couple. Filmmaker Katrine Philp, a former dancer herself, was at a ballroom dancing competition in Denmark when she noticed a young couple who were exceptionally dynamic and competent, but were obviously a new partnership still learning to understand and work with one another. Intrigued, she arranged to document their dream to achieve a high ranking in Denmark.

Her 78-minute film, called “Dance For Me” and available on YouTube, provides an insightful look at the intensity of a competitive dancer’s life. The film follows fifteen year-old Russian dancer Egor Kondratenko and his fourteen year-old partner Mie Lincke Funch. Egor has left his home to live in Denmark while he continues to study in between his dancing. The young dancers seem perfect together, yet the road to success is paved with hardships and immense pressure as Egor and Mie get used to each other as they train day in and day out to be the best.

Egor and Mie don’t want to be just good, they want to be legends. Can their strong ambition for success lead them to victory?

Dance For Me is a wonderful documentary film about two young and deeply passionate dancers where the ambition of success overshadows everything else. Well worth the time. Looks great streamed to your TV with Apple TV or using Airplay.
 

If you’re wondering how Egor and Mie are doing these days, they stopped dancing together in August 2013. Egor is now partnered with Evangeline Norgaard. The two, while still a brand new partnership, won the Youth category Latin Championship in Denmark in November 2013 and are currently ranked 8th in Adult Latin in that country. Mie is currently partnered with Pablo Otero Falcon. The two, as a brand new partnership, finished third in the Under 21 category Latin Championship in Denmark in November 2013 and an impressive 6th place in the Danish Adult Latin Championship that same year. It will be interesting to see how they continue to progress as these former partners now find themselves battling against each other.

George Pytlik

Author George Pytlik

Before turning pro, George achieved impressive results as an amateur competitor, holding the Senior (30+) Latin championship in BC, Canada for 7 consecutive years with his wife Wendy. The couple twice achieved a top-3 Canadian ranking in Senior Latin as well as a 3rd place Canadian ranking in 30+ Ten Dance. Today, George and Wendy are professional teachers with a vision of growing a strong dance community in Delta near Vancouver, BC.

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