REVIA Magazine Issue #11

WHEN YOU FIRST SET EYES ON EDYTA ŚLIWIŃSKA, YOU CAN’T HELP BUT
BE AWESTRUCK BY HER NATURAL AND SOPHISTICATED BEAUTY, AND
HER DANCING, WHICH FLOWS CALMLY AND EFFORTLESSLY. EDYTA’S
POSITIVE ENERGY CAN LIGHT UP A ROOM AND HER POSITIVITY IS SIMPLY
INFECTIOUS. YOU MAY RECOGNIZE EDYTA FROM HER 10 MEMORABLE
SEASONS ON DANCING WITH THE STARS, WHERE SHE UNVEILED TO THE
WORLD HER SWEET AND FIERCE PERSONALITY, FLAWLESS DANCING, AND
SUPERB COACHING SKILLS. I FIRST MET EDYTA IN 2011 WHEN SHE WAS
INVITED TO COACH AT A STUDIO WHERE I REGULARLY DANCED, HERE
IN CHICAGO. TO ME, SHE IS AN INSPIRATIONAL BALLROOM DANCER
– AND WOMAN – AND I WAS TRULY HONORED TO LEARN HER STORY
ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MOM, BALLROOM DANCE ICON, AND
ENCOURAGING ROLE MODEL TO WOMEN EVERYWHERE.
REVIA: Where are you originally from
in Poland, and how did you eventually
come to the States?
EDYTA ŚLIWIŃSKA: I was born in
Warsaw, and spent the first 20 years
of my life there. Before coming to
the US, I was dancing and traveling
to big competitions like Blackpool
in England – the biggest ballroom
dance competition in the world. I
was looking for a partner at the time
because I had just split up with my
long-term partner and eventually…
I met Alec! We had a little try-out,
and Alec and I clicked from the
start. So I decided to give it a try and
moved to San Francisco for a couple
months and thought, Let’s just see
how it goes. It’s a common practice
in the ballroom world to try out with
someone from a different region
because when you’re at a certain
level, there aren’t many people in
your own country to choose from. It
was summer time then, and I could
easily take time off from school, so
it was perfect timing. And it actually
went really well. We went to our first
competition, got great results and,
well, I just never moved back [Softly
Laughs].
But, it’s not like I desperately
wanted to move to America. I was
very happy at home, very close to my
family, but I knew dancing with Alec
was a once in a lifetime opportunity,
especially because it’s very difficult
to find a partner compatible with
your style, ability and personality. It
was a difficult decision, but I knew I
loved dancing. So when I met Alec,
I thought, THIS is the opportunity
to do what I love… and I want to
continue doing it. At the time, I
obviously didn’t foresee the career
I would have. I just went with my
intuition.
REVIA: How did you first meet Alec?
EDYTA ŚLIWIŃSKA: Well we both
had mutual friends. The ballroom
I always
loved
dancing and
performing,
and as a
girl I would
perform in
front of my
family and
friends.
world is huge, but at the same time,
very tight-knit, so you know people
from all over the world, and everyone
meets every once in a while at these
international competitions. I had
a friend, British ballroom dancer,
James Jordan, who asked me to
dance with him at the time. But I
wasn’t keen on moving to England
because the conditions weren’t so
great. James was on Strictly Come
Dancing, the British version of
Dancing with the Stars. Eventually
James introduced me to Alec. One
of the main reasons I moved to the
US, besides that I loved dancing with
Alec, was that I could still continue
my studies. Alec and his brother ran
a dance school in San Francisco,
where I was able to work. I knew that
if I moved to England I would have
to ditch my studies and work as a
waitress or maid to support myself
while dancing. And I just didn’t want
to do that.
REVIA: You said you’re close to your
family. Do they live in the States too?
EDYTA ŚLIWIŃSKA: No, my whole
family is in Poland; my parents,
brother, Adrian, and two sisters,
Renata and Magda. Both sisters
have their own families now. No
one moved here, except me, and I
don’t think they plan to. It would
be difficult for them to leave behind
everything they built in Poland. But
my husband’s family is here. Alec was
born in Gomel, Belarus and moved to
the US with his family when he was
12, so he went to high school, college,
and got his Master’s Degree in the
U.S.
It was very difficult for my parents
to let me go across the ocean alone
to America, but they understood my
decision because they knew I love
dancing. From the beginning they
were extremely supportive, and from
both an emotional and material
point-of-view, they were always there
for me. Dancing is expensive and
my parents are not wealthy people,
but they did everything to make sure
I can continue my passion, from
driving me to competitions across
the country, to paying for lessons and
costumes. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for
them.
REVIA: I know you recently had a baby.
Has being a mom changed your life in
any surprising way?
EDYTA ŚLIWIŃSKA: Yes! I had my son
in 2014, so he’s a year and half now.
There are so many new surprises
as a mom! Everyone tells you how
incredible it having children, but
you don’t get it until you have a child
yourself. I mean I knew the logistics
of having kids, like never having
time for yourself, how you can’t plan
anything, and how everything is
dependent on your child’s schedule.
When you have kids, it gets tricky.
You definitely have to shift your
priorities. When you’re responsible
for yourself, that’s one thing, but
when you have a child, suddenly
everything is out of your control.
But the most surprising thing is
that a child gives you a new sense
of purpose in life. It’s like suddenly
you understand what it’s all about.
People wonder what the meaning of
life is, and I think it’s to pass down
your legacy, accomplishments, and
of course your love, to your children.
I don’t want to get too philosophical
[Laughs], but I think that’s our
#11, #10, 2015 reviamagazine.com revia 21