Can you imagine a country with no social dancing? That’s what we discovered when we went for a holiday to Russia in the beginning of September. Rock’n’Roll dancing is associated there with Sports Rock’n’Roll – couples train for competitions and it is more a sport rather than a dance.

Having discovered previously on the Internet a list for Russian Rock’n’Roll contacts, we spoke to some of them and we were privileged to see a training session of one of the teams. We were astounded by the incredible agility and professionalism of these dancers breathtakingly performing air-steps with complex footwork – some of them as young as 13! No wonder Russian couples win a lot of medals at competitions and are invited to teach this type of dance (or should we say sport?) all over the world!

Impressive as it may be, Sports Rock’n’Roll is not a social dance. After a long search, we did find one place for social dancing – the Moscow University. There you have a choice between a Hustle disco (a Ceroc type of dance that came from America in the late 70’s) and a small dance class where one can learn a mixture of Lindy and Boogie-Woogie moves.

The teachers, Vladimir and Kseniya used to take part in international Boogie-Woogie competitions and are now studying Lindy Hop which is virtually unknown in Russia. Their original worm-up and professional teaching technique made this class a memorable experience for us, especially since we had a chance to have a dance with them afterwards and compare our styles.

Facing the lack of social dancing as a concept in Russia and the economic situation which makes it impossible to organise dance classes or parties on a big scale, Vladimir and Kseniya are still determined to bring this dance to Russian people. We thoroughly enjoyed our dancing experience in Moscow and would recommend anyone visiting Russia to investigate the local Rock’n’Roll scene over there.