Scene from the movie
“Take The Lead”
Dance with Katya Virshilas
"First-time director Liz Friedlander wisely lets Banderas tango with Katya Virshilas, who'd make anyone sign up for lessons. They're mad hot."
- Peter Travers/ Rolling Stone Magazine Review
Katya's focus is to introduce the wonders of dance to every age in a fun, safe learning environment.
Whether you're a stay-at-home mom looking to get in shape, a student wanting to learn some salsa moves, a parent looking to introduce their child to something different, or a couple making their wedding dance dream come true, the world of dance has something to offer everyone and Katya is the key to unlocking that world.
Katya was born in Lithuania in 1983. Age six marked two very important events in her life: her family moved to Israel, and Katya started to dance, training in jazz, ballet, and modern dance. At 13 years of age, Katya and her family moved to Vancouver, Canada, which marked her discovery of ballroom dancing. It was love at first sight!
"I remember watching Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin (four-time North American Latin Champions) in a competition. Melanie was wearing this beautiful sequin gown and the costumes and glamour took my breath away. My mother took me to my first class where I was wildly intimidated because everyone was so good. Add to that, since I was about three years older than the other kids, the instructor told me I was too old and would never accomplish anything." Katya vowed she would never go back to ballroom class, but armed with a $50 bribe from her mother to try again and the challenge to prove the instructor wrong, she did return.
Almost immediately Katya competed in and won numerous championships, including being the youngest-ever British Columbian Latin Dance Champion at the age of 16. In 2000 Katya won the Canadian Latin Championship, earning herself a place at the World Championships representing Canada in St. Petersburg, Russia. It was also in Russia that Katya first discovered her affinity to teaching; she began instructing dance to children and teens.
In 2003 Katya also pursued acting and established herself in that profession with a role in the dance drama, "Shall We Dance." Behind the scenes Katya made an impression with her dance talents, becoming the trainer for the film's stars, Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez.
Her next role, starring in the acclaimed drama "Take the Lead" began her foray into choreography, and rekindled Katya's passion for teaching and sharing her love of dance. She co-choreographed, trained, and danced in the iconic tango dance sequence with Antonio Banderas, from which the signature image of the movie was taken. "Critics continue to rank this tango as one of the top dance scenes of all time."
After watching Katya steal the show in that Hollywood film, top Bollywood choreographer, Shiamak Davar, scouted her to conduct latin dance workshops across India. Katya taught salsa, cha-cha, and jive classes in such cities as Bombay, Delhi, and Chennai. She also performed in Shiamak Davar's acclaimed stage production, "I Believe," which drew more than 60,000 spectators; and had a guest appearance on "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa" (India's version of "Strictly Been Dancing/ Dancing with the Stars").