Vladyslav Mykolaiovych Yama, popularly known as Vlad Yama, is a Ukrainian dancer, educator, and a judge in the “Everybody Dance,” and the Ukrainian versions “Got Talent,” and “Dancing With The Stars.” Starting dancing at a young age, Vlad joined various dance groups, harnessed his skills, advanced his education, and soon cemented his place as a renowned TV personality, choreographer, and dancer.
Family and Early Life
Vlad Yama was born on July 10, 1982, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Her parents were both educators, Nikolai Petrovich Yama, his mother was a teacher-historian, while Nikolaevna Shevtsova, his father, was a gymnast teacher. His only and older brother, Dmitry, born in 1975, was a talented lawyer, and successfully worked as a judge in Odessa.
At the age of 5, Vlad was introduced into the art of dancing, after witnessing a performance of USSR ballroom dancing partnerships. He was so fascinated, and the young Vlad refused to leave the hall, staying there for about five hours.
Two years later, he made his debut in the dance group, “Krok,” which was spearheaded by Yuri Alekseevich Zagumenko. Vlad then moved to “Fiesta” club seven years after. Vlad then studied at the Zaporizhzhia National University, where he earned his degree in physical education.
First Steps
In 2001, Vlad transferred to the capital city, Kyiv, and got a job from the dance school managed by Yana and Yuri Vasyutyak. He then participated in different tournaments, winning both first places in Ukraine’s National Cup in the same year, and in the ballroom dancing Open Championship for amateurs in London in 2002, alongside partner, Marta Bakay. Vlad was able to pull up those victories despite undergoing an operation for his knee injury in 2001.
After winning, Vlad remained in London to have his internship course. From there, he received training from world-famous dancers and coaches, such as Richard Porter, Karen Hardy, Kenny Welsh, and Sergey Surkov. He then worked as a choreographer in the ballet show, “Freedom,” of Elene Kolyadenko.
In 2005, he returned to Kyiv and became a dance teacher at the Kiev University of Culture. Vlad is also a gifted educator. At a young age, he began conducting lessons for first-graders, and not long enough, was able to teach all ages, and soon managed various dance studios in Ukraine.
However, he suffered another injury and went under the knife. But, with his sheer talent, ability to work, and dedication, he managed to reclaim the flexibility and strengths of his joints, through the help of swimming.
Gaining Tempo
In 2006, Vlad Yama joined “Tanci z zirkamy,” the Ukrainian adaptation of Dancing With The Stars, and partnered with Natalia Mogilevskaya, a singer, actress, and TV presenter. The pair finished second place in the project, only losing to Vladimir Zelensky and Alena Shoptenko.
After the said stint, people have been more enticed with Vlad’s dancing biography, and he was seen in many projects. He toured with Lolita Milyavskaya’s concert group, did another tour with her former partner Natalya Mogilevskaya, and became Elena Shoptenko’s partner in “Pa,” a musical dance show they performed in Kyiv.
Soon, Vlad continued to gain tempo, as he was chosen to be one of the judges of the dance “Everybody Dance” in 2008. Vlad was only the member of the jury, who appeared in all episodes of the competition, which lasted for nine seasons. A year after, he served again as a judge, this time on the Ukrainian version of “Got Talent.”
Vlad continued to be prominent, appearing in “Tanci z zirkamy” with an honorable place in the jury of its fifth season in 2017, and participating in other TV projects, such as “Model XL Project” 1 + 1 TV channel.
Conclusion
Vlad Yama proved to be a successful dancer, educator, and TV personality. After being exposed to dancing at age, he never ceased to improved his craft, and while there were setbacks along the way, his sheer talent and dedication triumphed, bringing him to where he is now today.
