Why IDC is different — through Serhiy's eyes

Serhiy Banko joined IDC in the summer of 2022 — at a point when work as a choreographer simply was not happening for him in Kyiv, where he had moved. We asked what changed his mind back then, and what he sees at IDC that he did not see at other studios.

"People talk to you as a professional"

Before IDC, Serhiy was sending his CV all over Kyiv with no result: "Nobody needs choreography, not even the theatres." Then IDC's founder Kateryna Badikova wrote to him — directly, with a specific offer.

What changed everything was not the offer itself but its tone. As Serhiy puts it, a typical invitation in the dance industry sounds like this: "Come along, we'll have a look at you and see whether you suit us." At IDC the conversation was different: "People talk to you as a specialist. You're being invited, not vetted."

Atmosphere and cleanliness are not small things

Asked what sets IDC's approach to teaching apart from the studios he worked at before, Serhiy names not a methodology but something simpler: how people and the space are treated.

"We treat everyone equally well — the people who work here, the clients and the children. Everyone is ready to listen, and ready to listen to you in return." The second thing looks trivial at first glance: clean studios, changing rooms and toilets, the quality of the fit-out. But for Serhiy this is not trivial, it is an indicator: "The way a studio treats its premises is the way it treats everything else. It's one thing when a studio has just opened and is trying. It's another when it's 20 years old and nothing changes."

What makes a teacher good

Serhiy is the reigning All Stars Our Jam 2026 champion in Breaking Pro 18+ and is in the TOP 10 of World of Dance Ukraine. But asked directly whether the champion's title changes him as a teacher, he answers without any grandeur: "You can raise champions without being one. Being a champion gives you a name and experience — and you can share experience with your students. But not every champion is a good coach, and not every good coach is a great performer himself."

The highest level of coaching, Serhiy says, is not demonstrating movements with your own body but seeing someone else's and being able to explain it in words: "A good coach isn't the one who shows and does, it's the one who sees and can explain without laying a hand on you. I can't do that yet," he admits — even though he has been teaching for several years and takes students to national-level battles.

"Don't hesitate, give it a try"

When we asked Serhiy what he would say to a dancer or teacher hesitating over whether to come and work at IDC, the answer was short and came without hesitation: "A great team" — and the whole explanation, in his words, is right there. His direct recommendation: "Don't hesitate, give it a try. You'll like it — I guarantee it."

This is not only his personal view. According to Serhiy, every fellow dancer and teacher who came to IDC on a one-off basis — to run a masterclass or cover a class — noted the same thing independently of each other: the welcoming atmosphere and the friendly team and management. Guests cannot judge the teaching process in a single visit, Serhiy says, but they feel the atmosphere immediately, and it is the first thing they mention.

The red line

Asked what he would never forgive himself as a teacher, Serhiy answers without hesitation: "Even seriously considering it — raising a hand to a child. I would leave teaching altogether after that." And what he would not forgive a student is not mistakes or mischief ("they all mess about") but hypocrisy: when someone has been given a great deal and says the opposite in public behind your back. Even then, Serhiy says, the decision is simple — let the student go, without conflict.

This matches what IDC has already put into words as a value: mutual respect — for teachers, staff, students and parents — matters more than any individual talent or result.