WORLD CHAMPIONS!!

On the morning of Saturday, July 18, 2025, 110 couples from 22 countries, spanning four continents, gathered in the on-deck area of the World DanceSport (WDSF) Federation Senior III Latin World Championships.  The site was the Vienna Dance Concourse in Vienna, Austria. 

Among these competitors were three couples from the United States – Anatoliy Shvarts and Tatiana Keegan, Michael Murphy and Christine Lys, and Carmine Rucco and Maria Bolyard.  Little did they know that at the end of the day, one of these couples was destined to be the United States’ first WDSF World Champions.

Brooklyn, New York-based Anatoliy Shvarts and Tatiana Keegan have been dancing for seven years.  The partnership came together in 2018, when Anatoliy, with a little (maybe not so little) nudge from his wife, Renata, decided he needed to exercise.  A native of Moldova, he had stopped dancing at the age of 25 to start another career, however… “At about 45, I realized that I had gained a lot of weight, and my blood pressure was skyrocketing…I tried different things like weightlifting and running, but it was not fully helping.”  He felt that dancing might be the answer, and Renata agreed. 

The right moment changes everything!  Around that time, partner-less Tatiana Keegan (a former Olympic rhythmic gymnast from Russia with 40 years of dance experience) walked through the doors of the Ballroom Hub dance studio in hopes of a teaching position.  Instead, studio owner Renata offered her a partnership with an unsuspecting Anatoliy.  Tatiana agreed and called to schedule the tryout the following week.  Anatoliy went out to buy a pair of dance shoes. 

Even though Renata had warned her, Tatiana was not quite prepared for what happened next.  “He walks in and I am thinking, ‘Whoa, that’s not how I remembered him.’  The last time I saw him, he had long black hair, very slim and gorgeous, and now he walks in and I’m thinking, ‘Oh, we are nine months pregnant!’” 

However, the two proceeded with the tryout.  After a minute, Anatoliy was out of breath, a little dizzy, and “turning yellow, blue, and red,” Tatiana admitted.  However, she recognized something strong and comfortable in their physical connection.  It was a good start, and the partnership was born.

Seven years of hard work and practice, many local and regional competitions, eight National Titles, and six World Championship bouts later, they found themselves as a recently aged-up Senior III (55 and over) couple at their fourth WDSF World Championships.  The year before, 2024, they had come so close at the Senior II Latin World Championships, where they made the final and podium, claiming the silver medal. 

WDSF is the largest and primary global governing body for Amateur DanceSport, with over 90 national federations, including USA Dance. 

The morning of the July 18 competition arrived, and neither Anatoliy nor Tatiana slept well the night before.  “I was up at 3:00 in the morning, eating yogurt!” she laughed.

The unasked question on their minds was, could this be their year?  “I was thinking, will it happen? Will it actually happen?  It could happen!” admitted Anatoliy.  “But you try not to think about it… You don’t want to focus on that.” 

They arrived early at the beautiful Vienna Dance Concourse, a hall known for its elegant archways and exquisite chandeliers.  However, despite the best efforts, sometimes things don’t quite go as planned.  The event was due to start at 1:45 p.m.  Anatoliy was fully dressed and ready to go, but Tatiana, with a late-running 11:50 a.m. hair and makeup appointment, was still in the chair.  “There were three people doing my hair and makeup at the same time,” she explained.  “There were six arms” trying to ensure her competition-worthy look.  However, everything turned out.  The couple rolled out ready to go at 1:40 p.m., and even had a moment to collect themselves as the competition started 10 minutes late.

The electricity of the event was intense as all the slicked-up gentlemen and fringed-out ladies gathered, but Anatoliy and Tatiana didn’t miss a beat getting into competition mode.  “I personally get quieter…take my time to focus…and listen to very peaceful music… I also try not to talk to people,” noted Anatoliy, who admitted that he generally doesn’t even talk much to Tatiana before such an event.

“There’s nothing to talk about!  We practiced before.  We go through the routines, and then we’re getting ready, and that’s it!” agreed Tatiana.  “I never look at who is on the floor… Whenever you look at others, you always think that they are better than you are, and you start doubting yourself.  You want to be very contained.  Focus on you and your partner so you create a bubble.  And that’s it!”

“I also stay very calm, and I don’t explode myself around,” explained Tatiana thoughtfully.  “I contain all my energy, collect it, and then when I go to the floor, I can let it explode.”

“There is one thing we do together,” noted Anatoliy.  “We always try to find a theme, which is one or maybe two words.”  They do not discuss certain parts, “or remember this or that.  We find one keyword (or phrase) that we agree on, and that is what we are going to go after.”

In this competition, that phrase was “Action Reaction,” meaning that anything they did was initiated by one and prompted a reaction from the other. 

The couple took to the floor, alongside their USA Dance teammates and began their ascent through five rounds.  The first round alone required 11 grueling heats to get through the 110 couples.  The United States had a strong showing, with all three couples advancing past the first round.  Carmine and Maria, with Maria in an asymmetric red dress with feathers, danced two rounds, claiming 57^th place.  Michael Murphy and Christine Lys, with Christine in a daring white laced number and Michael in his famous red trousers, rose two more rounds to the quarter finals, tying for 19^th place.

Anatoliy and Tatiana were in it for the long haul, taking the competition one dance at a time. “We were getting a reaction right away from the first dance,” noted Anatoliy, “and that’s important to us!”

Semi-finals of 13 couples from 10 different countries led to a final of six couples from five countries.  Heart rates rose as the couples took to the floor for an engaged audience.  Tatiana changed from her red sequined dress and was now dressed in gold, and Anatoliy had swapped his attire for a sheer-fabric shirt.  They had been dancing all afternoon, and it was nearly midnight.  Five dances to go.  What would happen? 

They danced their hearts out for the first four dances and started their Jive in front of the audience on the short side.  “By the end, they were standing up and clapping!” said Anatoliy. “Being able to raise the people from their seats…that was golden to me!”  They had performed to the best of their ability, and now, at midnight, it was up to the nine stalwart WDSF judges.

The results came one by one: two Italian couples took sixth and fifth place, and Slovakia secured fourth. The podium was waiting. In third place were Herbert & Beatrix Schoepf from Austria. This left two couples: the 2024 Senior III Bronze medalists from Finland, Petri & Ulla Jarvinen, and Anatoliy & Tatiana. Then it happened — Finland won the Silver, and for the first time in WDSF history, the United States was on top! World Champions!!!

“It’s Surreal,” said Tatiana. “As soon as they announced us, I started crying. Then they tried to take a picture, and we had (teary) faces.  Then, of course, when the anthem came, I couldn’t stop, because it’s overwhelming and feels impossible…I still cannot believe it!”

“When I was dancing in my youth, I remember thinking, ‘Will this ever happen to me, or not?’  You always want to be standing there with the flag and the National Anthem” agreed Anatoliy. “… To happen at 50, it does feel surreal.  I saw that Tatiana was tearing up, and I was still processing it.  You can’t imagine this…It happened in a second.   That’s it!  The anthem played, and I couldn’t even get emotional.”

So, what do World Champions do?  “Another World Championship!” they both exclaimed.

This extraordinary couple plans to represent the United States at the WDSF Senior II Latin World Championships in Vagos, Portugal, on September 28.  Who knows, maybe they will make another first for the United States – two World Championships in one year.  “We were just the youngest…as this was our first year in Senior III,” said Anatoliy, “and now we will be one of the oldest in Senior II (45 and over).”

Both agreed, “We’re going for it!”

Congratulations to Anatoliy Shvarts and Tatiana Keegan, United States’ WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!  The USA Dance community will all be watching and rooting for you in September!