Embassy Ballroom Championships

Who To Watch At Embassy Ball

Who To Watch At Embassy Ball

What couples to watch at the 2017 Embassy Ballroom Championships.

Aug 30, 2017 by Jennell Lewis
Who To Watch At Embassy Ball
Some of the best dancers in the world are on their way to Irvine, California, this week to compete at the Embassy Ballroom Championships. For those dancing in the Professional American Smooth, Rhythm, and Pro/Am categories, it is an especially big weekend, as they will be competing for the title of world champion in their respective divisions.

While there will be no shortage of talented dancers traversing the ballroom, the four couples listed below will be hard to take your eyes off of when they hit the floor Friday and Saturday night.

Riccardo Cocchi and Yulia Zagoruychenko

Riccardo Cocchi and Yulia Zagoruychenko are arguably the best-known Latin dance couple in the world today. Together, they have won eight straight world championships, including last year's Blackpool Dance Competitions in both London and China. Ranked No. 1 in the world and in the U.S. in the professional Latin category, the reigning champions are in pursuit of another win at this week's Embassy Ball.




Nick Cheremukhin and Viktorija

Nick and Viktorija are the current world and U.S. American Smooth champions and will be dancing to defend their titles this year at the Embassy Ball. Both began dancing as youth in their respective home countires, Viktorija hailing from Lithuania and Nick from Russia. Through dance they eventually found their way to the United Sates and their way to each other. The creativity, emotion, and grace that this couple dances with is unparalleled. When they dance, they are nothing short of captivating.




Arunas Bizokas and Katusha Demidova

Both began ballroom dancing at the age of 7 years old. Bizokas and Demidova registered as a couple in October 2007 and have been nearly unstoppable ever since. Just a month into their partnership, they claimed the Ohio Star Ball Championship and soon after placed second at United Kingdom Open Championships. Two years later, Bizokas and Demidova made an even bigger splash when they took first at the 2009 World Championships. As a couple, they have held the No.1 position in the world and U.S., off and on, but are never far from that No.1 position.




Nazar Norov and Irina Kudryashova

Both began their love affair with dance when they were 5 years old in Siberia, Russia. Norov and Kudryashova danced throughout their youth with different partners but joined together in 2006. After deciding to move to Florida in 2007, they turned professional and were ready to compete. Among their titles in the International Latin division, they have been named North American Rising Star champions, Grand National champions, and Ohio Star Ball Rising Star champions as well as U.S. National and Open to The World Rising Star winners.

After switching in March 2013 to American Rhythm, they proved they belonged in the new division by winning every single Rising Star event they participated at, including the 2013 U.S. National Professional Rising Star Championship. They are currently the U.S. National Professional American and World American Rhythm Professional champions and will be looking to defend that title this Saturday at Embassy.