‘There was a girl in my class at high school who didn’t have a partner in dance sport, which was just starting to develop,’ he said. ‘I used to like her, and because I was ashamed to say no, I said OK, I’m going. And after a few lessons I thought it was not that difficult.’
Today, Dragos is the one who hopes to inspire children to dance. As a teacher with the Smooth Moves Dance School, he is leading classes in half a dozen Island schools and hopes one day that there will be enough children taking it up that he can organise competitions.
He came to Jersey as a professional dancer, teacher and entrepreneur in dance sport (ballroom and Latin dances) with international experience.
‘In the early days, when you are learning the principles, it can be a little boring to children in Reception Class and Year One, so I make it look like a game, but they do have to learn properly.
‘For example, in slow waltz we might find a name for each leg, so the left leg could be Superman and the right leg is Batman. So Superman goes forward, and Batman goes to the side, and then we start to count. It’s a very nice feeling when you see the children make progress and see them dancing.’
Dragos has been teaching adults and children to dance socially and professionally since 1999. He has a Batchelor of Arts degree in teaching PE and sport from the Ecological University of Bucharest, where he was born and brought up. His parents were factory workers.
‘It was a different time, before the revolution in December 1989, there was Communism and everything was controlled, but my childhood was happy,’ he said.
In the competitive world of dance, Dragos was doing well, reaching the finals of dance championships, but he stopped in 2004, which was when he opened his own dancing school for children, Generatia 9, one of the first private professional dancing schools in Romania.
He trained more than 1,500 students, many of whom were professional dancing pairs who went on to win competitions around Europe. For nearly ten years he also instigated and organised the Generatia 9 Cup, an international competition involving more than 500 pairs of professional dancers from Romania and all over Europe.
‘For Romania I was a good dancer, but what I didn’t accomplish as a dancer I managed to accomplish as a trainer – I had national champions and vice-champions,’ he said, naming Dan Salaru and Diana Geru, who won the South European Championship in 2007, and Obreja Tudor and Anghel Ramona, who were national champions in ballroom and Latin at the age of nine.
‘I remember their parents brought Obreja and Anghel to dancing when they were five years old, and they said they had a lot of energy, just try to make them tired!’
His move to Jersey came after he had been here on holiday to see his two best friends. ‘I went home, something happened in my personal life and I decided to change my life, to take everything from the beginning, and I decided to come back here,’ he said.
He arrived at Christmas 2012. Initially he found life here difficult – he did not yet have a licence to work and he could only volunteer.
He was on the verge of returning to Romania when he met two people who were to change his life. The first was Oana Rusu, a hairdresser, who is also from Romania – now his fiancée. The couple, who are living at Havre des Pas, hope to marry later this year. ‘I like Jersey and this is our home now,’ he said.
The second person was Sharon Harmeston, who coincidentally in the same month that he arrived had launched Smooth Moves Dance School. ‘I am very thankful to her,’ he said. One suspects that she too is grateful to him. She had set up the dance school to teach rock ‘n’ roll and ballroom in her spare time but with the addition of a professional teacher the school quickly grew far beyond what she had envisaged.
In a short space of time Dragos also got stuck in to community projects and in 2013 he took part in two high-profile events. He helped the Parish of Trinity with choreography for their Rock Around the Clock float in the Battle of Flowers, which helped them win the trophy for the best carnival atmosphere in both parades. And later that year he was one of the professional dancers in the BBC’s Strictly Jersey nights held in aid of Children in Need. Dragos (36) partnered the Medical Officer of Health, Dr Susan Turnbull.
‘We did the slow waltz and the tango,’ he said. ‘It’s not so easy for someone who has no dancing experience and it can be difficult in such a short time, but we had lots of fun.’
Indeed, the slow waltz is one of his favourite dances, along with the foxtrot and the cha-cha. For adults learning to dance, it is, as much as anything, about having a good time, he says. ‘As long as you’re having fun, it’s OK. Many beginners who ask about lessons say they have two left feet. That’s OK, I say – I have another two right feet for you! They’re not going to find it that difficult.
‘We have wedding couples wanting to learn a dance in two months – and that’s good. You can learn a very nice routine for the Viennese waltz in three or four lessons, though practice is everything.’
Today Dragos teaches every age from four to 74. ‘I’m doing what I love, and I love being this busy,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t have it any other way.’
Social evenings, where people can practise what they have learned in class, are held every fortnight at Trinity Parish Hall. With the adults, he might not be looking for the next Vincent and Flavia, but he hopes that one day there might be enough talented youngsters to make a competition locally.
At the moment, he chooses his best dancers to perform in public events, which gives them something to work towards. Twice a year the dance school holds a dance festival weekend at the Town Hall, and he is hoping that some will take part in a rock ‘n’ roll routine for Liberation Day.
‘When I’m dancing, I’m forgetting about everything else,’ he said. ‘And now when I’m dancing it brings back a lot of memories from when I used to compete – it’s gives me a very good feeling. You just feel free, especially with the Latin dances. The best I can describe dance is joy – joy and freedom.’
You can find out more about the dance school here
