Volodymyr Zelenskiy takes first place at the popular TV show “Dances with Stars”
One of the most popular TV projects this autumn, “Tantsi Z Zirkamy” (“Dances with Stars”), shown on 1+1 channel, ended last Sunday with a gala concert. In the finale, comedian and showman Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and his dance partner Olena Shoptenko were announced Ukraine’s best dancing pair after receiving 728,000 of the viewers’ votes.
“Dances with Stars” first appeared on BBC in Great Britain and afterward the show’s idea was successfully copied in 16 countries, including the U.S. and Russia. In Ukraine, the project attracted more interest from the public than any other show has in a long time. For my part, I didn’t pay much attention to it at first – after all, most of the “stars” involved were too pop to interest me. However, I stumbled upon a broadcast once and was really impressed with its professionalism – every dance was a real staged performance, involving great choreography and costumes. Among the “stars” were ex Via Gra Nadiya Granovska-Meyher, actress Olha Sumska, TV presenter Anatoliy Borsyuk, singer Nataliya Mohylevska, and of course, Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Each of the stars was given a professional dance partner – always an internationally-renowned award winner – who also served as the choreographer for the “star.” After each dance performance, the pair was judged by a professional jury comprised of four recognized Ukrainian choreographers. However, the viewers got the final say and decided the “fate” of each pair, forcing some to quit the project and allowing others to continue and compete for the main prize – a trip to a carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Singer Mohylevska and showman Zelenskiy battled each other in the finals. Mohylevska and her partner Vladislav Yama earnestly played out a “romance” on the dance floor, and Mohylevska was often noted for her impressive dancing skills. However, as the final vote showed, the viewers were more impressed by Zelenskiy’s show than Mohylevska’s polished dance moves.
