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Ukraine native Dmytro Pankov, 36, decided at the age of 14 that he wanted to be a professional dancer.
This was 22 years ago.
The Pankov family. Contributed
Since then, he has achieved several accolades in ballroom dancing, from becoming a national champion in both Ukraine and Hong Kong, to winning third place in the Blackpool Dance Festival, a prestigious dance contest in England. He also serves as a judge for the World Dance Council, he said.
“We all have some passions in life, and for me, for my wife, it’s something that was our passion,” Pankov said. “I think at the age of 14, I already kind of knew that this is going to be something I would love to do and of course, together with the success we had with that dancing career, it was only growing stronger.”
Dmytro and Olesia Pankov. Contributed
Most recently, Pankov’s career has taken him to New Canaan, where he moved with his wife, Olesia, and three kids last year to share his talents at The Metropolitan Dance Center in neighboring Stamford.
Prior to coming to the United States as a skilled worker in ballroom dance instruction, Pankov had lived for nine years in Hong Kong. His parents still live in Ukraine. Asked for his thoughts about the war with Russia, Pankov said in a follow-up email to NewCanaanite.com that “it is a big subject.”
“It’s actually a very sensitive and painful subject for us and we are deeply saddened by what is happening in our country, and it actually taught us that we have to treasure every moment in life,” he said. “And we are very grateful to USA people for the support and help to our country.”
Pankov ran a dance program for children in Ukraine and, later, while in Hong Kong, he founded the first dance school run completely by foreign nationals.
Though he received several offers from dance schools across the United States, mainly from places near California, Pankov said he ultimately decided to move to New Canaan to continue educating people of all ages about the art of ballroom dance.
The Pankov family. Contributed
They also chose New Canaan for its “good schools,” he said.
“And then also we were looking for a place where there would be four seasons—back in Hong Kong it was summer all the time so we wanted to have some snow,” Pankov said. “We also wanted to be somewhere close to a big city, like New York, we wanted to still be able to feel the city life. When we moved first to the United States we stayed here for a month in Stamford, and were checking out the areas like New Canaan, Greenwich, Darien, as well as all the neighboring towns, and New Canaan felt like the best for us. It’s a lovely community, and just from the first time we came here on the train, walking down the main street, we felt like this was where we wanted to be.”
Dmytro and Olesia Pankov. Contributed
While Pankov and his wife—also a professional ballroom dancer—currently teach out of Met Dance, they’re also open to teaching out of New Canaan-based studios, he said.
“We want to bring the program also to New Canaan to give to the people here,” he said.
Pankov added, “New Canaan already has quite strong established dance studios. It’s not ballroom dance studios, but they’re still dance studios. I think maybe some people overlook that we have a different thing to offer.”
In addition to providing dance lessons, Pankov and his family are actively participating in the community, having performed at Mill River Park, as well as the World Culture Festival week at Ferguson Library, both in Stamford. The couple also does charity dance classes for children as well as adults.
“In general we just love to continue sharing our knowledge, and sharing our passion,” he said. “It’s something in our life that we feel we can give to the people, and give to the community, and therefore, being able to do it in New Canaan, and the United States is our next stop, our next goal. I would like to somehow, let everyone know, especially in New Canaan, that this is a great thing to do, and let people try it. This is something that could become a big passion for any grown up and any child, it’s a very fulfilling activity. I know in the U.K., a couple of European countries, doctors would even suggest dance classes for people to relieve the stress. Some people will even have it as a prescription in early stages of Parkinson’s and dementia. The coordination and moving to the music helps people build new neural connections, stimulate new brain cells, all of that together makes it a fabulous thing to do.”
[Note: This article has been updated with a quote from Dmytro Pankov regarding his thoughts on the Ukraine’s war with Russia.]