CYPRIOT salsa dancer Kikis Kakoullis and his partner will be joining the ten best couples in the world to compete in the International Las Vegas dancing competition in December.
Dancing champions of Bulgaria for two years running, 24-year-old Kakoullis and partner Elina Kostova, 16, beat hopefuls from all over the world in this year’s qualifying competition, securing a place in the most significant dancing competition of the year.
“Last year, we also qualified, but we didn’t feel prepared enough to go. This year we do”, Kakoullis told the Sunday Mail.
So is he feeling nervous? “Excited!” he enthused.
Each year, 20 qualifying competitions take place in various parts of the world, in which anyone from anywhere can take part. “And it all leads to Las Vegas,” explained Kakoullis. The competition that sent him on the road to fulfilling his dream took place in Sofia in May. “Dancers came from Italy, Germany, and England everywhere. And I won.”
Apart from winning the Bulgarian championships twice, Kakoullis has also entered a number of other international competitions. In July 2004, he came second in an international competition in Hamburg and in April of the same year, he entered another in Milan. “It was my first international competition. From 130 couples we came eighth.”
This encouraged the partners to begin training on a daily basis and achieve what they have achieved so far.
The pair have been dancing partners for the past three and a half years, Kostova being just 13 when they began. They are famed as being one of the quickest and most technical dancing duos in the world.
Kakoullis began dancing at just seven years old. “I started off with Greek and Cypriot dances, and then I did flamenco dancing for five years.” From a very young age, he knew that dancing was the path he wanted to follow.
When he turned 20, Kakoullis decided to go to Bulgaria and pursue his dancing dream. “You know, in Cyprus they have preconceptions and they wanted me to become a lawyer or a doctor. But that didn’t deter me; this is what I wanted to do.”
He was actually planning on going to England, but then he heard of the National Sport Academy in Sofia – the only dance academy that teaches dance coaching – through his friend, fellow Cypriot dance teacher and owner of one of the biggest dance academies in Bulgaria, Pambos Agapiou.
“I graduate this year, as a sport dance coach.”
When he arrived in Bulgaria four years back, Kakoullis enrolled as a dance teacher in Agapiou’s academy. “I spoke to Pambos and initially went as a sport dance teacher – teaching Cha Cha, Rumba and so on. But when I entered Pambos’ academy I liked salsa, and now it has been four years, salsa every day.”
There are two classes at Agapiou’s academy; one is taught by Agapiou and the other by Kakoullis. “Thank God, everything is going very well. But I am more interested in carving a career as a dancer first,” said Kakoullis. “Then I may create something of my own later. It’s still early.”
In 2003, Kakoullis, Agapiou, Kostova and Maria Agapiou created the Los Pambos Dance Company, which is now considered one of the best dance companies in the world.
Every weekend, the team visits a different country and puts on a show, followed by dancing lessons.
“It is me and Kostova who won the competition, but we are all a team,” says the salsa phenomenon.
Being of such international acclaim, it is surprising how Kakoullis is not that well known in Cyprus. “It’s because in Cyprus I haven’t really tried to promote myself, I only come over for 5-10 days every year and I only come for holidays.”
But surely being deemed one of the best ten international dancers for two years running should be enough to give him hero status on the small island?
“It’s nice in Cyprus, but society is still small,” explains Kakoullis. “They are still not ready for it; schools are trying to do something with salsa. I see that it may be developing, but it is still a long way away from being complete.”
And this is why returning to Cyprus is not in his plans for the immediate future.
“If I come here, I will be building a school. But it will be different from the other ones.”
