Dance of all kinds is vital to Ukrainian culture. From folk dances to more modern styles, it has long been a source of pride and connection for the Ukrainian people. Considered as important to the region as sports is to the United States, ballroom dancing, in particular, captures the imagination of children all over Eastern Europe. One such child was Anton Skaskiv.
Born in Kharkiv in 1987, Anton has dedicated his life to the joy of ballroom dancing. At the age of 9, he studied under such luminaries as Sergey Franzen, head coach of TSK Sputnik. His success in his competitions revealed his path when he was paired with Polina Skaskiv (nee Kobzeva) in 2007. Together, they competed first in the amateur Latin American program, winning a trophy case full of awards in their 3 years at that level. They became finalists in Ukrainian competitions and took second place in The All England Championship.
By 2010, Anton and Polina had married and had a son, Matviy. They decided to take the leap and become professional Latin ballroom dancers, spending the next ten years participating in the biggest tournaments worldwide. With that came more accolades, like the Fred Astaire Cup for Rising Stars Latin in Paris and a fifth-place finish in the Imperial Championship in London.
This included 14th place in the WDC World Championship (2019), 4th place in the DPA European Championship (2018) and the Dutch Open. The couple were also finalists at the UK and International championships.
All this success didn’t go unnoticed, as many fellow dancers asked the Skaskivs to teach their students. It only made sense to open their first dance studio, Respect Dance Hall, in Kharkiv. Anton always believed in the power of good teachers being dancers themselves, and with Polina at his side, they became an outstanding pair. Under their caring guidance, they saw students thrive–including Kirill Zhurenko and Elizaveta Peregudova, who were crowned champions of the Blackpool Dance Festival in the Juvenile Latin category. Placing in the top three in several international championships, Igor Horobchenko and Sofia Skorobagach also brought acclaim to the Skaskivs’ studio.
With all of this success, Anton and Polina realized that it was too difficult to dance professionally and teach at the highest level simultaneously, so they chose to retire from dancing and focus on cultivating the bright young stars they had under their wings. They were quickly tapped to conduct private lessons and group seminars throughout Ukraine and were invited to join the national, international, and World-level judges’ panels.
In 2022, the Skaskiv family moved to the United States. Currently, they live in Greensboro, North Carolina, and teach at Fred Astaire Dance Studios. There, they found a supportive community of international dancers familiar with their expertise and reputation to help them acclimate as they built their new roster of students.
Already a member of the National Dance Council of America as a professional dancer, Anton is preparing to take his judicial license exams. His son Mativy, with his partner Yelizaveta Bondarenko, is following in his footsteps into the world of competitive ballroom dancing. With a bright future ahead for the entire family, Anton and Polina Skaskiv are excited to see what comes next.
