Dance was introduced to me at an early age. My mother would say, that I first started dancing in her womb while she was performing with my father. My parents were champion ballroom dancers, and they were not surprised when I was born with a independent spirit. As I grew, dancers got used to seeing me wheeling around in my toy car on my parent's dance studio lot. They couldn't help but fall in love with me. I was a natural.
My first dance performance was with my parents in one of their shows. I drove my toy car around the stage with a big charismatic smile, weaving through their carefully choreographed dance. Needless to say, my mom says,“I stole the show.” It was hard not to watch as I happily basked in the spotlights, blissfully unaware of the attention I was receiving. After seeing me on stage, my parents knew that I was destined to perform. So my father took it upon himself to train me, introducing me to their world of ballroom dance.
Starting at the age of 6, I went through rigorous training, always striving to excel. I was determined to be the best. Thanks to my champion ballroom coaches, and my father's dance training, it was hard to match my passion and energy on the dance floor. By the age of 12, I was awarded the title of Israeli 10 Dance Champion. The thrill of moving around the dance floor under the spotlights was so enticing! I could not get enough! I loved the adrenaline rush and ability to create an uniquely inspired performance for each event, show, and competition. I had found my life calling.
By the time I turned 22, I was ready to move out of Israel, having traveled and completed all around Europe, Canada, Israel, and the United States. This phase of my life lead me to a discover new and exciting venture as a dance instructor. So with very little English skills (my primary languages being Russian and Hebrew) and having mainly been a competitive dancer, I boldly shifted and taught myself the art of social dancing.
I found that I thrived. Not only did I love teaching, I loved watching my students' skill sets develop. They taught me new and interesting things each and every day through an unintentional mistake in a dance move or their personal dance style learning experience. Between my amusing English fumbles and my brilliant students, I found that all of my prior training and experiences as a competitive dancer served a profound purpose. I saw lives changed, with dancing being almost like a type of therapy. Ever since then, dance instruction has been the most rewarding thing in my life.
After spending time at a few other studios, both in Oregon and in New Jersey, I finally decided to create my own dance business. Poetic Motion is my culmination of over 20 years of dance knowledge and experience. I find myself just as excited as I once was when I lived to New York, except this time it is much better. I am an experienced instructor and I have my beautiful wife to share the journey with. I invite you to join me and change your life.