INTERVIEW
Andrzej Sadecki & Karina Nawrot
Adam Socik                 

        Andrzej Sadecki and Karina Nawrot - from Zielona Gora. They are top Polish dancers in standard and hold the 17th place in the world IDSF ranking list as for January 1, 2004; the second couple of the Polish Championships in 2003, the winners in standard dances of the final Polish Grand Prix tournament in 2003. They often compete in the world IDSF tournaments, where they proudly represent Poland.

    Both have been dancing since childhood. Karina started dancing due to her uncle's persuasion. Andrzej did it against his will being enrolled for a dance course by his father.

    For a very long time they danced with different partners in Social Dance Club "Jacek" - currently Dance School "Gracja" - in Zielona Gora. They are Alicja Gorska's and Wojciech Olszak's students.

    They have been dancing together for four years. At the moment they represent the "Contra" Club in Zielona Gora and Marek Chojnacki is their coach. In their opinion: "Our coach is someone we can trust, who will help us in every situation and who looks after our dance development and who always has a good piece of advice for us."

    The interview took place, as customary for the Net service, through the Internet, on Saturday 27 December, 2003.
          What does dance mean to you? Is it a passion, hobby, profession or a way of spending free time?
At first it was a hobby. Then it became a passion. Today it is already a profession and something we love.

          Both of you study preparing for a different job than a dancer. Are you, in spite of it, going to sacrifice yourselves to dance by becoming coaches?
We are going to link our future with dance, become coaches , perhaps judges, but we are really keen on education. You never know what the future may bring for us, so we'd rather take some precautions.

          You both take day courses. You, Andrzej, at the University of Zielona Gora but Karina studies in Warsaw. So, where do you meet to practise?
Well, that's a good question!
Thanks to our achievements we managed to get idividual courses of studying and, so it's easier for us to get excused for frequent absences.
We practise in Warsaw, Zielona Gora, Olsztyn, London.

          Are you top students just as you're top dancers?
We have some problems with sitting the exams during their due time but so far everything has been done with the dean's consent.

          How often do you practice and does it take place in a group or rather individually?
It certainly is an individual practice.

          I understand that despite moving places your practice is regular.
We try to practice every day but if it fails we double it the next day. We try to fit our studies into our practice hours and workshops and not the other way around.

          Who creates your choreography?
Our coaches in Londyn.

          Are there many of them or only one?
There are only Marcus and Karen Hilton but a few other teachers send us their choreographical solutions. One of them is Hubert de Maesschalck.

          What do you focus on most on your practice? Is it, for example, the technic or choreography?
The main stress is on the Basic and then on the choreographical solutions.

          What music do you like? Slower or quicker? With the vocals or instrumental? The sound of small bands or rather large orchestras?
We very much enjoy instrumental music but a good vocal is also nice. Andrzej is a fan of Blackpool music.

          During your practice do you pay attention to the musical interpretation and does any of your coaches stress this aspect of dance and practice?
It's a very important element of dance and it's rather impossible to dance well on tournaments without it. Thus, we devote a lot of time to it, and so our coaches Marcus and Karen Hilton plus Hubert de Maesschalck.

          In your December interview for the Super Dance Magazine you name among your coaches Dorota & Krzysztof Tretowski and Marcus & Karen Hilton. You also take lessons from British celebrities like Bill and Bobbi Irvine or Janet and Richard Gleave. It seems that you prefer the English school of dance. However, it's the Italians who are on the top as far as standard dances are concerned. Haven't you thought about taking some lessons from the Italian coaches?
We have already tried very good Italian coaches and we still make use of their knowledge and experience. We believe that everyone wants to train the couples in the best way they can. The only thing that differs is the method. We all meet the Italian pairs anyway on our London practice.

          You often take part in tournaments in Europe and all over the world placing at the top. In March 2003 you competed on the tournaments in Singapore and Indonesia. Such trips probably cost a lot. Who covers the costs of these trips? Who is your sponsor if you have one? Do you get any support from PTT (Polish Dance Association)?
Such prestigious and oriental tournaments are sponsored by the organizers. Sometimes we get some support from our sponsors i.e. our parents. We are also very much helped by the firms: Marabo and Supadance whose ambassadors we are. As far as PTT is concerned, they only cover the costs of the World Championships. We pay ourselves for European Championships and other international tournaments.

          On many tournaments we can see you close to Wiktor Kiszka and Małgorzata Garlicka, usually separated by one place. When I look at the results of many tournaments it seems very nice. Also in IDSF ranking you are very close to each other. Are you friends or rivals?
We are friends. We respect each other and our dance. Although we represent two different schools of dancing, we have a lot of respect for each other and we don't forget that we are rivals only on the dance floors. We are very happy that there is in Poland a pair we can compete with, which motivates us even more on our practice. When we are in London we often live, eat breakfast, practise and sometimes even sleep in one bed together. Ha, ha!

          What do you think of your chances on the Polish Championships in Wrocław in March 2004? Except fot the favourites and defending champions - Wiktor and Gosia - can there be a surprise? If so, who can it be?
We will certainly do our best. We have been preparing for this tournament all year and we treat it very seriously. All pairs dancing on the Polish Championships get the chance to compete with the best and win the title. Will they take this opportunity? They have had a whole year to prepare. Also, I hope that the level of Polish standard dance will get higher and higher.

          You have been on the top lots of times. Which tournament do you recall with the greatest pleasure?
Our first amateur final in Polish Championships in Warsaw after 4 months of practicing together.

          Your favourite - periodic - tournament where you always go with pleasure, is . . .
Blackpool, Tropicana Cup, Open Czech Championships.

          Which couple do you regard as a model?
Luca & Loraine Baricci, Marcus & Karen Hilton and Augusto Schiavo.

          Your favourite Latin pair is . . .
Eugene Katsevman & Maria Manusova and Paul Killick & Hanna Karttunen.

Thank you very much for the interview and I wish you a lot of success on the world and Polish dance floors.
We also thank you and we would like to say hallo to all dancers and readers of Twist Service.
Adam SOCIK
27 December 2003.

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