Update on the Bradleys - Ballroom's Father-Daughter Duo

Background

The Beginning

Barbara was born as Varvara Mizyulchenkova in Kazan, Russia, on October 24, 1991. She started dancing at the age of 4 in her hometown of Naberezhnye Chelny at the STS dance studio. Varvara competed in the amateur division for the first five years while in Russia. She and her partners always placed in the finals, which in Russia is quite repectable, as there were usually greater than 30 competitors in any competition.

At the age of nine, Varvara immigrated to the United States, with her mother Amina, who later married Jim Bradley. Varvara joined the dance studio "Best of Ballroom" in Colorado Springs, and was immediately paired with the top boy in the studio. They won their first local competition, went on to the Emerald Ball in Los Angeles, and won there as well.

Varvara was adopted by Jim in 2004, and changed her name to Barbara. Because Jim's work as a consulting engineer takes him across the United States and around the world, and Amina and Barbara travel with him, it is difficult for Barbara to hold onto any dance partnerships. As a result, Barbara began to compete "Pro-Am" with instructors wherever they happened to find themselves.

Learning from, and getting used to the different styles of the different professionals has given Barbara a well-rounded education in dance. It has also provided a decent grounding in the dynamics of "lead-follow" techniques.

Pro-Am Days

In 2004, Barbara danced with two professionals: Tim Brown, and Nichy Vegas, in Cleveland, Ohio. Amina and Jim began taking international-style dance lessons themselves purely for their own enjoymentt. Jim thought that he might be a useful stand-in in case they ever found themselves without a pro partner for Barbara.

In 2005, the Bradleys found themselves in Tallahassee, Florida, without an international style instructor. It was at this point that Jim stepped in as a partner for Barbara, simply to keep her on track with her routines and figures. They attended weekly dances at the Women's Club in Tallahassee, where they were approached by Dr. Kay Picart to perform on the PBS show "Ballroom and Beyond", filmed at Florida State University on April 8, 2005. After the show, numerous requests came in for Barbara and Jim to perform showcases and do workshops for organizations like USABDA, Florida State University, and Kilearn Country Club.

In the Summer of 2005, the Bradleys found themselves back in their hometown of Colorado Springs. They re-joined "Best of Ballroom", and Barbara and Jim did several showcases around Colorado Springs that Summer for Senior Centers, with the Mac McNulty Orchestra, for the Pikes Peak chapter of USABDA, and for the "Best of Ballroom" studio.

In the Fall of 2005, Jim's work took them to New Jersey. There, the Bradleys joined the Starlight Dance Center. Barbara and Jim did showcases for Starlight Dance Center, Classic Ballroom, the Milford Music Festival, and several senior centers around New Jersey and Pennsylvania during 2005 and 2006. It was at Starlight Dance Center that the Bradleys met Olga Rodyonova and Paul Richardson.

An Intense Focus - back on the Competition Track

During 2005 and 2006, Barbara's training became the most intense. She became a regular student of Olga and Paul for her international Latin, and of Julia Yevlyeva and Igor Litvinov for her standard.

In June of 2006, Barbara entered the scholarships at Manahattan Dancesport with John Larsen as her pro partner. She won first place. Later that year, Barbara competed in the world pro-am standard championships, again with John Larsen, and placed 4th in the finals.

In September of 2007, with Paul Richardson as Barbara's pro partner, she won the USDC pro-am A1 Rising Star championship. This was her first appearance in the adult categories, and she caused quite an upset by winning. Since the retirement of Paul Richardson, Barbara has retained Illya Ifraimov as her new pro partner. She now has regular lessons with both Illya and Nadia. On March 15, 2008, Nadia and Illya had the grand opening of their new studio in Montville New Jersey, and asked Barbara and Jim to perform showcases for this event.

What the Future has in Store

Barbara is currently preparing for the Manhattan Dancesport Championships with Illya. She will be competing this year in the Manhattan Dancesport Championships, United States Dancesport Championships, and Ohio Star Ball. She will be competing in the A1 scholarship and championship categories with Illya as her professional Latin partner.

Since Barbara is still an amateur, she does not get paid for her performances. Barbara and Jim especially like to perform for charitable events, as those are free of charge if within 25 miles of their home, and are charged only travel for those further afield. Barbara and Jim are the only active "father-daughter" ballroom show dance team in the U.S. today. As such, they are often in demand, and usually quite busy.

More to Life Than Dancing?

In addition to her dance regimen, Barbara trains in martial arts under Jim's tutelege, excercises, plays piano and drums. Barbara is homeschooled, and is currently in the 10th grade level with Hewet Home School Resources.

Besides his dancing, Jim continues his engineering practice, plays the drums, and does martial arts. The Mac McNulty Orchestra released the CD "Mac Plays Old Favorites" on December 16, 2005 where Jim is featured on the drums.

Amina plays classical piano, homeschools Barbara, and does gardening in her spare time.

Barbara is very much into fashion, and she and Amina both joke that "Jim has no fashion sense". In everyday wear, Barbara tends toward a classic style. She subscribes to both Vogue and Elle, and while very concious of the current trends, does not follow them blindly. Barbara is definitely her own person when it comes to fashion, and this attitude is evident on the dance floor.

If she can't find something she likes, she'll have it designed.  At her last Latin competition, Barbara wore a Maria McGil original called "Teal Deco". For her standard competition, she wore a Chrisanne original. She has worn gowns from Designs by Lynn, and is currently eying a Latin dress by Bella. Her dance style is again classic.

Being 5'9" tall, Barbara has long legs and usually likes to wear dresses that fly outward during action, or have slits to excentuate her long lines. Barbara says that "Highly moveable fabric gets you noticed".

"Dance is my life", says Barbara. "My plans are to continue to make a competitive name for myself among the ammatures, then turn pro, hopefully continuing my competitive success, then open my own studio." Jim has always told Barbara that the key to real success is to work for yourself and no one else.

Barbara's biggest inspiration is Olga Rodyonova. Barbara says: "Olga is my idol, and I'm most thankful for having parents who support my dreams, and that I have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest dancers in the world."