23/09/2026
🌟 Teacher Spotlight – Vlad Litvinov 🌟
You may have seen him behind the bar. You may have spotted him occasionally on the dance floor. But there is something you might not know about Vlad... The person making your coffee or pouring your glass of w**e has been dancing competitively almost his entire life.
Today, at just 20 years old, Vlad is a professional dancer and one of the newest teachers beginning his teaching journey at QuickSteps. And in many ways, it seems he was destined for a life in dance.
Born in Prague into a family of professional dancers, Vlad was surrounded by Ballroom and Latin dancing from his very first days. His parents, Alex and Natalia, are professional dancers and teachers. His older brother is also a professional dancer and teacher and now owns his own dance studio in the United States.
So perhaps Vlad never really stood a chance of escaping the dance world! In fact, Vlad's first appearance at a ballroom event happened when he was just 11 days old. At the time, his parents were running their own dance studio in Prague and were hosting one of their regular studio Balls. Both Alex and Natalia had to be there — organising the event, performing and looking after their students. And with an 11-day-old baby at home, there was only one solution...
Vlad came to the Ball with them — in his pram.
So long before he could walk, talk or even understand what dancing was, Vlad was already spending his evenings in a ballroom surrounded by music, dancers and the atmosphere of a dance studio.
You could say that ballroom dancing wasn't something Vlad discovered later in life... He was quite literally born into it.
A few years later, at just four and a half years old, Vlad stepped onto the floor for his first dance competition. And he has been competing ever since. But Vlad's dance journey has been anything but ordinary. Because his parents lived, worked and taught around the world, his childhood unfolded across different countries, cultures and dance communities.
And every move meant another challenge.
New country.
New school.
New dance studio.
And often...
A new dance partner.
Over the years, Vlad has trained and competed with partners in the Czech Republic, South Africa, Russia, the Philippines and Australia. Each partnership was different, each country had its own dance environment. And each new beginning taught him something about adapting, learning and connecting with another person on the dance floor. Through it all, Ballroom and Latin dancing remained one of the constants in his life.
Today, Vlad continues to develop as a professional dancer while taking his first steps into another part of the family profession:
Teaching.
At the moment, you may see him behind the QuickSteps bar more often than teaching on the floor. But don't let the bar apron fool you! Behind it is a dancer with around fifteen years of competitive experience and a lifetime spent surrounded by some very serious dancing.
So next time you order a coffee or a glass of w**e from Vlad, perhaps ask him a dance question as well.
You never know...
He might have a minute to give you a useful tip about technique.
He might help you understand your lead or follow.
He might show you a new figure.
Or perhaps even a whole combination.
Although, if you're planning on asking for the whole combination...
You'd probably better book a private lesson. 😉
After all, your next dance teacher might already be standing right in front of you...
Making your coffee. ☕💃🕺
