Richard Lifshitz

Richard was born in Montreal, into a Ukrainian household. After spending a few years dancing and training in England during his teenage years, he decided to move back to his beloved country and now resides in Toronto. This cultural background makes him able to fluently communicate in English, French and Russian.

Richard began his dance training at the École Supérieure de Ballet du Quebec at the age of 7. From that moment on, he knew he wanted to train professionally and pursue a dancing career. Not long after starting ballet, figure skating and Ballroom & Latin dancing became a part of his daily dancing life as well. At the age of 14, Richard and his dedicated family moved across the country to find a suitable dancing partner and extremely promising dance coaches. He went on to win the Junior Blackpool dance festival that same year. While continuing his studies in other forms of dance, Richard started to find real success in his favourite Latin American style of dance. In the next few years, he went on to win the World Championships in both under 19 and under 21 divisions. He also won the Blackpool Dance Festival again, this time in the Under 21 category. After successfully competing in the Adult amateur division and placing amongst the 24 best couples in the world, Richard decided to leave the amateur scene and turn professional at the early age of 19. With his new, and current partner, Laura Robinson, he went on to win the International Professional Rising Star Championships and continues to dance at the very highest level in the Latin American category. Since turning professional, Richard has completed his professional exams and is a licensed international adjudicator. He now also competes in Pro-Am divisions with students all over the world. Richard has over 8 years of teaching and coaching experience, and he loves to share his knowledge, understanding and love of dance. “I enjoy teaching people how to better enjoy themselves”.