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Our reporters have managed to meet with Vibeke Toft in N.Y and asked several questions.

It is worth reminding that this dancer reached the popularity while dancing

with  Allаn Tornsberg (see interview).

Here are some of their results at Professional World Championships:

Vibeke was and is not only a glamorous dancer but also a living picture of feminity. While her dance career and teaching she has a lot of fans admiring her way of dancing.

Video: Allan Tornsberg & Vibeke Toft (1993)!       

         - Why did you decided to relocate to USA and to live in New York?

It wasn’t well thought-out .. I just decided to visit a friend of mine .. some kind of a month tour. But it was nothing to do with dancing. It was rather spontaneous.  I always knew that I want to live in N.Y. That was some point in my life because I always liked and like this city.  Moreover it was some experience of living in Manhattan in N.Y.

        - We know that there are as many points of view as the amount of people. It is some kind of a standard question and quite ordinary but nevertheless, what are your main criteria for judging?

Of cause there are a lot of them. I think I am not surprise you if I say that the main one that goes on the first palace is musicality. I think that goes without saying not only for me but for all judges, coaches and dancers themselves whatever the age is. Through great understanding of music you can quickly see the level of the couple’s dancing .. if a couple has this understanding or not. That is initially important. The second is the character of a certain dance that the couple can show through music again and show understanding of its structure in every step.  That is some kind of the first category I judge whether it is a good couple or not so good. The second place of the category I would single out the technical characteristics of a couple with help of which they can show the origin of a dance it peculiarities and character….. and of cause the dynamic and speed while dancing that is impossibly without different kinds of technical abilities of both partners. The higher level of a couple is the more dominating role plays the appearance. It is also important the way they look as well as separately and together .. it is very difficult to describe but you definitely see the harmony in a couple. What’s then…I think the next category I name is so called partnering. How a lady fallows a partner and understands him.

- I think that the whole dance world discusses the problems of politics in DANCE. It is very difficult to keep out of this question. But… What is you attitude to al that has happened recently?

I think that there always was politics in dancing …to some extend. Now politics is very aggressive. I think that is because the dancers themselves. They work with the certain numbers of teachers who has some influence. It is very delicate question. The problem is that for now we don’t have the absolute strong organization because the competition has become very tough. A lot of ex-champions has move to their own countries and have numbers of talented young dancers. We also have to pay attention to the progress in dancesport in Asia.  All that influences the situation and the dance world. When we danced we had more possibilities to dance … not compete at any price… that spoils the impression of a dance and the passion… but I truly believe that I would be less politics and they come to agreement and let dancers do what they suppose to do and like… to DANCE.

What do you think of the situation between professional and amateurs?

If you come back to the history there always was some kind of a fight. Before to support one thing or another you have to decide and make a choice. I’m the professional dance teacher and I belong to this organization. I also judge the amateur competition and I’m the part of it. 

What can you say about the recent development in dance sport today? What trends do you like or dislike?

I believe that dancing has developed much from the competitive point of view and actually it should be so. We can see a lot of talented dancer. The grate difference between the time when we danced is that we were more concerned about the partnering. People believed in grate strength of partnering. Nowadays a lot of selfish dancers tend to change the partner every year because they are concerned to get the better dancer. So they are more concerned about the individual dancing but not developing the partnering the development of the dancing within a couple. That doesn’t mean that we were better or worth. There are a lot of talented dancers but I truly believe that the dancer should be more concerned about partnering but not individual dancing.

What country would you name as the leading one in the dance sport?

That is very hard to say. Obviously each nation has talented people. What we can see today there are a lot of artistic people from the Eastern Europe countries. They are very artistic and passionate about the dancing. Of cause we can see a lot of champions from Western Europe like Germany, Italy and Scandinavian countries as they have strong traditions. Of cause Russia has grate influence on the situation. Perhaps the matter is because of the area. If we compare with the other European countries Russia has a great potential. But….. if you look at the amount of champions from Denmark for example. It depends on situation. Moreover, there are a lot of talented people that we don’t actually see. It is really difficult to answer this question. That is the matter of style. The more artistic nation would have a success in Latin the more controlled and traditional in Ballroom.

Who would you single out as a perfect dancer?

To be quite honest there is only one couple who is professionals right now. I like a polish couple..of cause if we are talking about the dancers who are in the finals. There are a lot of gifted dancers who are not in the final.  We are talking of cause about my personal opinion, I thing because they have a definite style and grate understanding the partnering that can be shown through the sense of musicality. Their dance is different they don’t put the movement to a dance. As for the male I personally like Bryan I think he is the perfect dancer but I would say that he is a dancer of a previous generation. He is amazing handsome dancer and couldn’t be compared with anyone nowadays in the field of sophistication, level of dancing. As for the amateurs couples.. for me it is very difficult to say as I have seen much of them. I was in England last year there were a lot of them who have a very high level like Peter and Kristina. They are very classic and controlled. The American champions are very good: the body movements, control and musicality and dynamic. But it mostly depends on what you are looking for.   The matter is that I don’t try to find the individual dancing within a couple.

What would you change in your life if you had such a possibility?

I don’t think I would change too much. As for the Alan and I we were very close to win but we fed up we spited.  We needed a new challenge .. a new challenge in dancing. It didn’t mean that we didn’t like each other. We never danced to win. We danced to develop our dance.  We needed to try something new. Maybe we wouldn’t split up if we started right now as we knew what we were fed up. I don’t think it was a mistake at that time. I don’t think that I meat a wrong people….  our teachers  Donny Burns and our main coach Walter Laierd. I’m quite happy with the choice I made I wouldn’t say I had changed too much.

And the last question what would you advise the ladies to be a good partner? Perhaps to be more sexual and sensual. And what is your key to success?

I thing…. that is the matter of what  I ‘m looking for in a couple….. partnering! You’ll never be sexual and sensual without a partner. It comes from the connection with a man, touch of his hand when he is handling a woman not only physically but mentally …. and again the grate understanding of music. A lot of today’s girls look very talented and powerful and dynamic. I don’t think that a woman instinctively want to be powerful and dynamic that is some kind of a man’s part that is a man’s instinct. The female’s instinct is to be sensual .. to be more sophisticated in the way as she moves.   The speed and dynamic is the part of a msn.. so we don’t create the picture of a man or a woman.. That is the harmony and each of these parts has its own role to create an impression.

As for the success….I really think that is the matter of luck.. if we are talking about winning… to be at the right place at the right time. But  truly success is when you do what you like and you live it. That is  successful life. But if we are talking about the competition it is .. for sure.. LUCK. There is no doubt that you have to have LUCK. None could win without luck. Then you have to have the natural talent that a lot of people have. But the most important of cause is that you must work hard what ever it takes to achieve the goals that you have set for you. I never forget the story that Donny Burns told me when they practice, they slept in the car they and never came back home after the practice to train two hours more that their competitors. That is why I think they were more successful  than the rest of the couple as they worked more that the rest one.