Anastasia Zelena from Ternopil triumphed at the World Dance Championship in Spain. She won the gold medal in contemporary and added silver in duet to her achievements. In general, the athlete performed in several nominations and once again confirmed the high level of the Ukrainian dance school. Her victory became a vivid example of the talent and perseverance of the young generation.
This was reported by Dance World Cup.
Anastasia studies at Ternopil School-Lyceum No. 6 named after Nazariy Yaremchuk and studies at the Wonder jazz studio under the guidance of Maria Golod. In the final of the championship, she represented Ukraine for the third time. In 2021, the athlete won five gold medals in group compositions and a silver for a solo performance, when the competitions were held online due to the pandemic.
This year in Burgos, Anastasia, together with her partner Sofia Stelmakh, received a silver medal for a duet performance. She also presented compositions in lyrical and jazz styles, and won gold in a solo number in the contemporary category.
“This composition is called “Passerby”, which means “Passerby”. In October 2021, choreographer-director Volodymyr Rakov staged it for me. We created this number to go to the championships with him. And then I promised Volodymyr that one day I would win gold with “Passerby”. Finally, it happened, but Volodymyr, unfortunately, is no longer with us. He died on January 6 of this year, performing a combat mission. He became an example for me, my inspiration, he opened the door to the world of dance for me. If it weren’t for him, I don’t know if I would be dancing now,” she said.
According to the dancer, Rakov was an example not only in choreography, but also in patriotism. The choreographer, a native of Crimea and the winner of the sixth season of the show “Everybody Dance!”, returned to Ukraine after the start of the full-scale invasion and volunteered to defend the state. He served in the second rifle battalion of the 24th brigade named after King Danylo Halytsky. During his holidays, he met with students and held master classes.
“For me, Volodymyr will forever remain a person I will look up to. So I dedicate this victory of mine to him,” Anastasia added.
The winning number “Passerby”, according to the dancer, tells “about a girl who lives in a big city, where people are constantly in a hurry, live at a frantic pace, do not notice anything around her. And in the midst of this bustle, she seeks to stop for a moment to feel the taste of life, enjoy the moment and keep it in her memory”.
In total, Anastasia Zelena has 82 medals in her arsenal. She has been dancing since the age of seven, and before that she devoted four years to gymnastics. Today, the girl not only trains, but also works with children, plans a professional future in choreography and dreams of entering two universities at once. According to her, in her success “20% is talent, and 80% is hard work”.
Author: Danylo Pievchev