The dancers' website

Italiano

Przemek Lowicki and Jana Pokrovskaya

Wiktor Kiszka and Malgorzata Garlicka

from Poland

We met the four of them in the foyer of the Bournemouth International Centre during the UK Open 2004 when Wiktor and Malgorzata were preparing for the Amateur Standard competition and Przemek with Jana were there to support them, recovering from the previous day of competition.

Who are they?

Przemek Lowicki [from Poland]
Jana Pokrovskaya [from Russia]

Przemek and Jana are Amateur Latin dancers. In the UK Open 2004 they were placed 14 (in the quarter final round) in the Amateur Latin event. Przemek with his ex-partner Kinga Jurecka won the Amateur Rising Star Latin two years ago at the UK Open 2002. Jana with her previous partner Benedetto Ferruggia were the World Cup 10 Dance winners in 2002 and the IDSF European 10 Dance champions. Przemek and Jana represent Poland - see their results page

Wiktor Kiszka [from Poland]
Malgorzata Garlicka [from Poland]

Wiktor and Malgorzata are Polish Amateur Standard champions. Recently they were placed 4th in the Copenhagen Open 2004 and reached the semi final of the Amateur Rising Star Standard at the UK Open 2004 - see their results page

When did you start dancing?

Przemek: "I started dancing ballroom and latin fifteen years ago when I was seven"
Jana: "I started with ballet when I was six"
Wiktor: "I started dancing when I started school, I was eight then"
Malgorzata: "I can't remember [laughs]. How old are you when you were in your fourth year in school? Ten? I was ten when I started dancing then"
Wiktor : "Sorry! I forgot, I did Polish folk dance for two years."
Malgorzata: "OK, I have to admit that I did too"
Przemek: "And me! For the first year we did krakoviaks and polkas!"
[all laugh]

How did you get together?

Malgorzata : "Me and Wiktor come from the same small town in Poland - Stalowa Wola. And first time we met was in kindergarten! And I have to stress here that there is more than one kindergarten in Stalowa Wola!! We kept on bumping into each other ever since [laughs]. So we've known each other for ages. But seriously, we started dancing together in 1996 or 1997. It was the summer holidays. Oh, I just cannot believe we are already seven years together!!"
Wiktor: "It was 1996"
Malgorzata: "Yes, 1996. But he had many partners before me - he travelled half the world for them [both laughing]"
Wiktor: "Malgorzata didn't have a partner for three months then. We met at her place and somehow decided to give it a try together. I still had a partner then, we split up the next day after I asked Malgorzata!"
Przemek: "We met each other on a 'casting' like a boys band [laughs]. It was all carefully prepared, we both knew each other's results, we have seen each other on the floor and we knew each other's expectations. They were very similar so it made sense to get together then."
Jana: "It was like this really! We knew each other's successes and we just decided to have a try-out"
Przemek: "After we decided to dance together we learned that there are more similarities between us! We come from similar backgrounds, we were raised the same way, we have similar education, interests, sense of humour and even our parents are very similar! But my parents are cooler!!! [Przemek and Jana laughing]"
Jana: "No, mine are!!"

So who arranged your try-out?

Jana: "I arranged our try-out, it was the next day after Przemek danced Blackpool last year"
Przemek: "I knew then for some time that my previous partnership was not working and I made up my mind already to talk to Yulia [his previous partner was Yulia Rogozina -Ed.] about a split"
Jana: "And I was without a partner then for two or three months already. I came to Blackpool to search for a partner"
Przemek: "No, you didn't!! [laughs]. You just came for holidays!"
Jana: "I worked then in Moscow, very hard, eleven hours a day [Przemek: she was only working for the money!] and I needed a break!! And then I found Przemek"

Opinions, views....

How does your personal relationship relate to dancing?

Przemek and Jana: "We try not to mix our private life and dance. We are the best of friends, we go to the cinema, we like watching films together but on the dance floor we are just dance partners. Jana had bad experiences in the past with mixing these two lives"
Wiktor and Malgorzata: "It helps us that we are together. We know each other so well"
Malgorzata : "I often know what he wants to say, what he wants to do when we are practising. We have no problem with communication whatsoever"

What is in your opinion the best country to dance?

Malgorzata : "England and Norway. You get the beautiful studios there. In Norway we dance on the best floor ever, it's made from oak. And we have the best coach in the world: Tor Floysvik. His studio is the best for us now. Competitons? Everywhere you can get good ones. I haven't got a favourite.... Maybe Blackpool"
Jana: "England and Poland for training and practice. Blackpool is my favourite competition"
Przemek: "I must say that the best conditions for us for practice and training are in Poland. We can do everything we want there! We have the floor and music for ourselves. Poland is also the best for me for competitons, I have the greatest and most supporting audience there!"
Wiktor: "Blackpool for competition, Norway for training - we have the best and the largest floor for our disposal! It's even bigger than Blackpool"
Malgorzata : "Once, when practicing in Blackpool, we had to move surrounding chairs because our routine was prepared for the bigger floor!!"

What would you like to do if were not dancing?

Malgorzata: "I would definitely finish my education! I could be an astronaut... [laughs ]"
Wiktor : "I would probably play tennis if I couldn't dance. I would probably go to University and read International Relations Studies or something similar like Political Studies"

Personality....

What is your favourite dance, ballroom and latin?

Przemek: "I am not sure.... Rumba, I think. It very much depends on how good I am and the 'level of competence' and how much I practiced. I just like to dance my best! Recently it's Samba and Jive because somehow I feel it very well, I can feel my body dancing it! But Rumba is very special for me, it was always the favourite, the easiest, I can dance it every day, morning or night. I am waiting now for Paso Doble"
Jana: "Unlike Przemek, I can dance Paso! [laughs]"
Wiktor: "My favourite is Foxtrot and the Waltz, in latin is Samba"
Malgorzata: "The Waltz or the Quickstep. But I like them all. Cha-cha and Rumba are my favourite latin dances. I could never dance Samba or Tango, I was always too skinny, now I put up some weight and got better in it [laughs]"
Przemek: "If we are talking about ballroom it's the Waltz"
Malgorzata: "Bravo Przemek, I though you'd say Tango"
Jana: "For me it's the Waltz and the Tango!"

What is your biggest dream?

Malgorzata: "I think that every dancer has the same dream. I would like everything work out as I planned. That's if we are talking about dancing"
Wiktor: "To reach the highest level of dancing, the highest possible level. Also having good results would be nice" [laughing]
Jana: "Be happy. I want to be happy in whatever I am doing, in dancing and in life"
Przemek: "I would like to be able to dance in such a way that my body tells the story and the music is not needed anymore! This is what matters to me now, I realise that I don't think about anything more serious like starting a family just yet. However, I am afraid that if my dream doesn't come true I can end up alone and bitter and disappointed....
But dancing is the most important thing for me right now."

What is your biggest nightmare?

Jana: "Hmmmm...." [All laughing. Come on Jana, say it in Russian if you must, we will understand]
Malgorzata: "I had this dream several times that I am in the changing room, no make-up, no hair dance and not ready for the competition. Everyone else is on the floor, the music starts and I am totally unprepared!"
Jana: "Me too!! Exactly the same! Or another nightmare that someone I love dies... Terrible"
[boys are thinking hard....]
Przemek: "The biggest nightmare is to lose loved ones, like Mum or Dad. But honestly, not being able to do make-up on time...."
Malgorzata:"I swear I had a dream like that!! And it feels awfull, all that stress. Sorry boys, maybe we women are a bit shallow [laughing ]. Hold on, Wiktor didn't answer that!! I bet he is now thinking of how to dance Foxtrot rather than about this interview!!."

What are you afraid of?

Przemek: "Retirement! I know that one day we will have to finish our dancing and I am afraid that people will forget about us. One day it will happen, when I am sixty or seventy"
Jana: "To put on weight!"
Przemek: "True. Jana has this obsession about it just like her mom. Jana would pay all the money if she thought she needed to lose weight! In fact she did it one day, she had this treatment, they wrapped her in sheets, made her sweat and all that. It costed fortune, but I must say the effect was very good [Jana laughing ]. Or she is more afraid of her mom!"
Malgorzata: "I am always afraid of losing someone I love. I know that one day my parents will die and I am really afraid of this day. Because dancing means so much to me I am always afraid of any injury which would stop my dancing career. It happened to me once, it was a serious injury and everyone feared that I may end up on a wheelchair. There was a desision my parents had to make, do I have an operation or not. The nerves could get damaged. But it all ended up well"
Wiktor : "I am afraid of being alone"

Your favourite food?

Jana: "Italian, American and Chinese"
Przemek : "No, no I'll tell you Jana's favourite dish: Italian pasta with tuna and tomato sauce, it's called pasta al tonno. And mozarella, tomato and basil salad. I'll tell you how she likes it: the tuna must be freshly prepared and .... "[Stop, stop, how do you spell it? - Ed.]
Malgorzata: "I bet she eats it every other day in Poland!!" [laughs]
Przemek: "Yes, Jana eats it every other day in Poland!! And kebab in London!! My favourite food is all dairy products: milk, yoghurt, cheese. I always liked them, even as a child. Do you know this cream skin on milk? Everybody but me in my kindergarten hated it!! Yummy!! [everyone is disgusted - Ed. ]"
Malgorzata: "What do I like? I like everything, I like all sorts of meat products, I like Italian pastas, vegetables... "
Wiktor: "Polish food e.g. bigos [A Polish dish consisting of layers of sauerkraut with cooked meats such as venison, chicken, duck, ham or sausages. The layers are buttered, stock is poured over all and the casserole is baked slowly to allow the flavors to mingle. Tradition says that bigos should be made several days in advance because it is best when reheated - Ed. ]"

Any food you hate?

Przemek: "English food. Just simply awful, especially breakfast. I can't eat sausages, baked beans and scrambled eggs for breakfast" [All laughing. Stop here Przemek, we're publishing it all! - Ed.]
Jana: "Rice and seafood"
Przemek: "And she doesn't like cooked vegetables. So in the restaurant she gives them to me, I like them."
Malgorzata: "I don't like liver, seafood and milk! I like dairy products, drinking chocolate, cocoa but I hate milk. We live in Norway but I don't like their food"
Przemek : "What's Norwegian food?"
Malgorzata: "Fish. No salt, no spices just pure fish"
Wiktor: "I don't like fruit soups [Malgorzata - me neither!!]. Just the smell of it is a killer for me. Awful"

What is your favourite pet?

Jana : "Dogs"
Przemek: "Big dogs. You can relate to them, you can talk to them"
Malgorzata: "I like animals but never had any pets. I prefer others to have pets"
Wiktor: "The only pet I ever had was a canary bird. But I like big dogs and I hope I will have one in a future"

What is your favourite hobby?

Jana: "We just don't have time for one"
Przemek: "I like drawing, but now I don't have time. I was always the best in drawing and painting in school, I was always the fastest and I had good grades"
Wiktor: "I like watching films, going to the cinema. I also like running"
Przemek: "Is it normal to want to get sweaty?! If I want to sweat I'll go to the sauna!" [All laughing]
Wiktor: "Look, if I don't dance for three days I really feel my muscles aching! I need physical activity"
Malgorzata: "I like running when I have time. I like to spend free time actively if I can. I like watching TV"
Wiktor: "Yes, watching TV is very active! [all laughing] Using your remote control..."
Jana: "We like going to the cinema if we have time, me and Przemek like watching good films"

Your nicest memory?

Przemek: "Visit to Indonesia. It was really great, I stayed on the Lombok island, much less known part of the country, you cannot find it on a map. Tourists rarely get there, they usually visit Bali or something like that. It was brilliant, we swam in the ocean, saw the coral reefs.... great. We lived in a beach hut for a week and had a colonial-era shower: a hollowed calebassa fruit filled with water, you just had to pull the plug and you had a shower!"
Jana: "When I was a student.... being with all the friends from University in Moscow"
Malgorzata and Wiktor: "We will always remember the day we first won the Polish championships"
Jana: "I will remember winning the German Open in 1996"
Przemek: "Jana danced for Russia then. The Germans played the Soviet Union national anthem, instead of the Russian, by mistake!! But Soviet Union hadn't existed then for six years! Jana was laughing but her mom cried"

Partnership....

What is your partner's biggest virtue and biggest flaw?

Jana : "Przemek is very intelligent, he is a real gentleman and such a nice and likable person, but quite impatient"
Przemek: "Jana is very patient, she doesn't let problems affect her. And she is a very experienced partner. But at the same time she is too nice, it's her flaw, she doesn't fight with me for what she wants [laughs]"
Malgorzata: "My partner Wiktor can work hard and he is very determined to achieve his goals. But at the same time he is modest. He cooks very well too!"
Wiktor : "You're a hard worker as well! And she's very honest, so honest that it hurts sometimes! But it's good. She is strong and it helps us to get through all our problems. But one thing I really hate about her is that she is so messy"
Malgorzata : "And your problem is you're never on time!"

What is your biggest virtue and biggest flaw?

Malgorzata: "I don't like to talk about myself!! OK, I admit that I am very honest and determined to achieve my goals. Just like Wiktor."
Jana: "I think I am very patient and I respect other people! [that's why she doesn't argue with you Przemek - Ed.]"
Malgorzata: "I don't believe in me - that's my problem"
Wiktor: "I admit that it's true what Malgorzata said about me, that I am never on time. My big problem is that I often forget about such things... But when I work, I work very hard"
Przemek: "I am very artistic person and have a good taste for art and music [all laughing], my problem is that I am impatient and sometimes an egoist [but charming! ]"

Passion....

What was your biggest argument about?

Jana: "We only argue about dancing!"
Przemek: "The better we are, the less we argue! We haven't argued for the past three weeks! [laughs]"

Do you fight often?

Przemek: "Less and less, because we are getting better in dancing!"
Witek : "We have sometimes silly arguments about dancing, but we make sure that it doesn't affect our private life, our relationship"

Friendship....

What is most important for you in friendship?

Malgorzata: "The most important is honesty and trust"
Wiktor : "I agree 100%"
Jana : "For me too, I have two close friends"
Przemek: "I always had a lot of friends but I never could describe them as close friends. I think that it is difficult to get very close to someone because of our life style. We just never have time to commit to friends"

Have you got a time for friends and activities other than dancing?

Malgorzata : "Not really, no time"
Jana : "We know lots of people but I wouldn't call them friends. I have three very close girl friends and that's all. They understand if I cannot spend as much time with them as I like. But when we meet it is just like time stopped!"
Malgorzata : "My best friends are my parents, I have very good contacts with them. But I just have no time for other friends. In a friendship you have to commit yourself and I know I cannot do it because my dancing is more important"
Wiktor : "Me and Malgorzata are best friends and we spend all the time with each other"
Przemek: "Me and Jana share the same sense of humour and it keeps us together"

Are your best friends dancers as well?

Wiktor: "I think it is difficult to have good friends amongst the dancers of the same category, the same style"
Jana: "...or the similar level"
Malgorzata: "Well, it is hard enough to find good friends within dancers of a different category! I am afraid that there is always an element of jelousy..."
Przemek: "For four of us it is OK because we live so far from each other [all lauging] and we don't know each other that well. Wiktor and Malgorzata live in Norway, we travel between Russia, Poland and England, we meet each other very rarely. I have some friends still amongst dancers, we text each other, we greet each other on the competitons"
Malgorzata: "OK. But is it friendship?"
Przemek: "Well, not the close friendship but still something"
Malgorzata: "It is sad, isn't it? Dancing is such a beautiful sport but there is a lot of dirt as well. Some people smile to you but you know that they wish you all the worst! They hope you won't reach that next round. Maybe it is natural, because if we lose they can win!"
Przemek: "Sometimes you know you deserve to win and sometimes you know you deserve to lose. You don't have to wish your competitors the worst! Just dance your best."
Jana: "And you can be genuinely happy when others win if you feel they deserve it"

Fun, holidays, relaxation....

What is your favourite book or film?

Malgorzata : "'A Beautiful Mind' is my favourite"
Wiktor : "'Life is Beautiful' by Roberto Benigni"

Could you describe your dream holiday?

Jana: "I would like to see Cuba one day. To see the country where the Rumba originates from [laughs]. Another choice is Russia - I love my country and love spending holidays in there"
Przemek: "Jana is very patriotic"
Malgorzata: "I never had any real holidays, there was always either a money problem or dancing. But if I didn't have any of these problems I would like to go some place nice, with someone I love or like very much. It is difficult to choose a place really because I have been to many countries but I have seen only the dance halls and airports there! I would like to be able to relax for a week or two and forget about all my problems and worries!"
Jana: "I always wanted to see Niagara but I am afraid that I won't find time to see it before I am sixty!"
Malgorzata : "One is always lacking time or money to do it. I must admit that if I had enough money to just go and buy a ticket to fly to USA and see Niagara I would probably choose to spend it on more dancing lessons [all laughing - lack of time is an excuse, admit it, it is just a matter of choice! - Ed.]"
Przemek: "We travel the world so much but we never see anything. I think I would like to visit these places again but not because of dancing. I would like to learn more and see more of them"
Malgorzata : "I agree. We were so many times in England, in London but never got to see Big Ben!"
Przemek: "I have seen Big Ben, but it was quite funny for the first time. We got off the tube station and first thing we saw was the Big Ben tower and I was so dissapointed because it wasn't that big at all! I imagined it to be much taller [All laughing. Przemek: maybe it wasn't Big Ben at all? - Ed. ]. I am sure it was the famous one, next to the Parliament buildings and Westminster Abbey! The place I would like to go to is Mazury [Polish lake district - Ed.], all these places I went to as a child with my parents. I love the lakes, the forest, it's really beautiful there."
Wiktor: "I would like to see as many places in the world as possible with someone close. I would also like to visit my sister in USA who I haven't seen for two years"
Jana: "Oh, that's sad"

Have you got time for holidays?

Malgorzata : "Good question!"
Przemek : "Well, we dance so much that we cannot afford a break. Hence we never have time for holidays. So about a half a year ago I came to the conclusion that either I treat my whole life as holiday or don't have holidays at all. Now whenever and wherever we go dancing we try to use it as holidays. So I have constant holidays now!"
Malgorzata: "Unfortunately me and Wiktor have to work as well"
Przemek: "OK, true. I have to take breaks for earning some money. Obviously it's not holidays then"
Malgorzata: "We work all the time. It feels like 24 hours a day. Seriously, it's at least 12 hours. And then we practise dancing. We work to earn money to be able to pay for our dancing. We need holidays but...."
Wiktor: "We plan to take some time off this summer"
Malgorzata: "We had some holidays last year for the first time, five days in Hungary. We loved it. And this year we plan to put some money aside and do it again."

You compete abroad a lot � do you try to make a holiday out of it?

Przemek : "Always. As much as we can"
Malgorzata: "But so often it's just an airport, hotel and dance floor. In our free time we sit in a coffee shop and give an interview! [laughing]"
[OK, but, say, here in the seaside town of Bournemouth, did you find for instance some time to go and visit the beaches or cliffs? - Ed.]
Przemek: "I have seen the cliffs of Bournemouth two years ago!"
Wiktor: "For us it is usually just dancing and straight after the competition we go back to Oslo [they live and train in Norway - Ed.]"
Malgorzata: "And straight from the airport we go back to work"
Przemek: "But don't you agree that sometimes you really can organise some free time, sometimes it is just a matter of a little bit of effort?"
Malgorzata: "We really can't. It's the type of work we do, we just cannot take too many breaks. Taking time off for competitions is enough. We are just in this kind of situation now. Last year in Barcelona [European championships - Ed.] most dancers arrived early or stayed couple of days more for holidays. For us it was work until late night on Thursday, flight in the morning on Friday, dancing on Saturday and back in Norway on Sunday"

Are you happy to try foreign, exotic food?

Przemek: "It's a question for Jana. And the answer is: No! She just eats pasta al tonno [laughs]"
Jana: "I know! I really like tuna"
Przemek: "I like to try new things, everyday something new. Once in Croatia, I have eaten a whole calamari, and I mean whole, with eyes and head [all laughing]. It just tastes like rubber!"
Malgorzata : "I am usually very careful. I watch Wiktor and if he says that the food tastes good I try it then. Sometimes it's not as good as he says!! And I like the food to look good, it must look tasty to me"
Jana: "Me too!"
Malgorzata: "If something doesn't quite look tasty I just won't try it!"
Wiktor: "I like to try new tastes!"
Malgorzata: "And many times you were so disappointed [all laughing]"
Przemek: "Once in a Hong Kong I was just hungry and decided to buy something off the street, it looked like some body parts fried on a stick. Jana didn't want it, she was waiting for a proper restaurant! But it was so good, and I didn't know what I had"

Future...

Plans for the future?

Malgorzata : "I would like to achieve a really high level in dancing, be happy and content with myself. Results will come with it"
Wiktor: "I would hate to end up bitter and alone, like so many dancers who didn't quite reached the top. I would like to have family but somehow connected to dancing"
Malgorzata: "I would like a family and a child one day [laughs]. But if we talking about work, I would like to become a judge and a teacher."
Jana: "I am happy now with the way my dancing career progresses. I would like to continue it"
Przemek : "I think that it is important to do what makes you happy. I am happy now dancing and I want to find even more pleasure in it and in all these little things that make the difference!"

Thank you very much and good luck for the future!