Triumph for Tanya Charon
Miami, FL – October 30, 2023
The Grand National Dance Championships took place in Miami this past weekend. Congratulations to Tanya (Tatiana) Charon and Maksim (Max) Sharkov, who swept the competition with a first-place win in the Solo Exhibition Showcase and five first-place wins in the International Ballroom Championships.
Tanya and her partner took First in each of their five dances: the Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz, and Quickstep. They placed First in the single dance events, as well as in the Open Dancesport Series Int’l Ballroom, Adult Open Int’l Ballroom, and Open Scholarship Int’l Ballroom Championships.
Of the categories that the Grand National Championship focuses on, the Solo Exhibition showcase was an emotionally rewarding event for viewers. The showcase is a staged performance with choreography and is separately evaluated by the jury. Tanya and her partner performed their choreography to Mozart’s “Requiem”, a stirring piece that wrestles with beauty and life. Their first-place win reflects Tanya’s ability to convey the character’s tragedy through dance in a complicated and beautiful way.
Tanya has seen consistent success in dance since she began earnestly competing in 2021. She isn’t new to dance, nor to competitions. Starting at the age of 7, Tanya began dancing and competing in her home country of Russia, where she won the Moscow Championships at the age of 16. At 17, Tanya put her heels away in favor of pursuing an education and, later, a career. Two decades later, after moving to the US, Tanya is back to dancing, and her awards continue to stack up. In June 2021, she took Gold in the Ft. Lauderdale Classic Championship. Tanya was awarded Gold and Silver that same month and received a Grand Finalist trophy and the Millennium Competition. The next month, she won Gold at the Florida Classic Series. In September 2021, Tanya took Gold, Silver, and Bronze at the United States Dance Championship, and in October took Gold and a first-place trophy at the Grand National Dancesport Championship. Tanya was awarded the Gold Honor Award in waltz, tango, and foxtrot at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in West Palm Beach.
In 2022, Tanya received her Intermediate Open Level in International Standard at the Trophy Ball Event. The Free Miami Vibe DanceSport Competition in April 2022 saw her winning Gold. She took Bronze at the United States Dance Championships in September 2022 and another Gold at the South Open DaceSport in December 2022.
Her first-place wins at the Grand Nationals in Miami are well-earned and add to her growing list of awards and achievements. Our congratulations to the talented Tanya Charon on her wins at the Grand National Championships in Miami last weekend: First in Int’l Waltz, First in Int’l Tango, First in Int’l Foxtrot, First in Int’l Viennese Waltz, First in Int’l Quickstep, and First in Solo Exhibition Showcase.
About the Author
Claire Boyd is an avid lover of dance, favoring West Coast Swing herself. She covers the arts and entertainment in dance.
