Stories
Our students’ path — from the first class to the world stage
Real stories of IDC families: how it started, what happened between the wins and what it took.
Students and families
Dublin from the inside: three golds through the choreographer's eyes
Yuniia Furman on what Liza did not have at the start, on knees giving way in the wings, on the anthem she cried to, and on what turned out to be hardest of all — and it was not the rehearsals.
The biggest picture in Dublin: the world final's backstage through a mother's eyes
A prop 1.8 by 2 metres that travelled halfway across Europe, dressing rooms where groups from all over Ukraine hug each other, and an honest conversation about winning — backstage at Dance World Cup 2026.
"I want the Ukrainian anthem to play so badly": the dream that led Liza to three golds
Six months before the world final, Liza told her mother what she really wanted: for the Ukrainian anthem to play on that stage. The story of a dream you cannot see in the Dance World Cup 2026 score sheets.
"I compete only with myself": where seven-year-old Liza's inner backbone comes from
Tears after a poor performance, and then a video analysis. Liza's mother Anna on her daughter's inner backbone, honest conversations instead of pressure, and why a strong child has to be taught to say "I can't".
"You must be raising a ballerina": how Liza's road really began
This summer seven-year-old Liza Sahalai brought home three Dance World Cup gold medals from Dublin. Her mother Anna tells the story of how it really started — and why the beginning looked nothing like the story of a future champion.
The student Serhiy is proudest of: Maksym's story
Not about trophies and wins — about the student breaking teacher Serhiy Banko singles out as the hardest worker in all his years of teaching.
Our people
"Choose with your heart": a long interview with IDC's founder
Music school in Tokmak, ballroom dancing in Dnipro, the Ukrainian championship — and a choice she still thinks about. For the first time, Kateryna Badikova talks not about the studio but about herself: why IDC teaches children to choose with their hearts.
"You can teach anything — except loving children": who gets onto the IDC team
Every IDC teacher is interviewed by our senior teacher. What she looks for, who she will not hire even with a wall of accolades — and what she says to someone who is hesitating.
Why Yuniia stayed at IDC: on managers who do more than run a business
Yuniia Furman was looking for any job at all — and definitely not a teaching one. The story of how a chance advert on Work.ua and human relationships turned her into IDC's senior teacher.
Senior teacher: the work parents never see
Communicating with coaches, routing families, writing concert scripts, calling parents every morning. What IDC senior teacher Yuniia Furman's job actually consists of — and why a team works with every child.
Yuniia's road: when you know your calling from childhood
Yuniia Furman, IDC's senior teacher, never went looking for herself — she knew "from earliest childhood" that dance and teaching were her calling. A folk-dance training, a show ballet abroad, and the moment she almost left dance.
Why IDC is different — through Serhiy's eyes
Breaking teacher Serhiy Banko on what sets IDC apart, why being a champion does not make you a good coach, and where his red line lies.
A teaching tandem: how Serhiy and Yuniia turned "The Samurai" into champions
A case study: how a tandem of two teachers — Serhiy Banko and Yuniia Furman — takes the children's project "The Samurai" to first place.
Serhiy's road: from Kherson to world-level battles
Breaking teacher Serhiy Banko on teaching himself breaking in Kherson, show ballets, theatre, and how he ended up at IDC.