The dream of Viltė Šiaulytė from Alytiskė is coming true: she dances from the age of five and wins championships

13-year-old Viltė Šiaulytė from Alytis has been dancing ballroom dances for eight years. She started dancing at the age of five at the Alytus ballroom dance studio “Alemana”, and now she is training in the dance studio of dancer Edita Daniūtė in Kaunas. The girl and her partner Vincent are winning and dreaming of training in Italy. How does the mother evaluate her daughter’s choice? We interviewed Vilte’s mother Ingas Šiaulienė.

Vilte is the third child in the family – a little boy. Every September 1st is a special day for a girl, when she receives no less flowers than the teachers do from the students, marking the beginning of the school year. Viltė is celebrating her birthday – this September she will welcome her 14th!

Parents Inga and Svajūnas Šiauliai

Mother is the owner of “Ingel” hairdressing salon, father is a long-distance truck driver in Europe. Mom is happy and proud of Vilta. The daughter is responsible and motivated, so the family spares neither time nor money for her hobby. “It’s a sport for the rich. But we are not rich, we give up a lot just for the sake of the child’s dream: the house is not finished building, and we do not go on trips so that the child can improve”, notes I. Šiaulienė. When Viltė danced in the children’s category, preparing for the competition cost less. After joining the youth group, according to her mother, not only competition entry fees and clothing prices have increased, private dance lessons also cost extra, because without them it is impossible to properly prepare for competitions. Viltė’s entire family supports her, even her sister from England combines her return to Lithuania with Viltė’s championships. Maybe that’s why the girl wasn’t disappointed or changed her mind during those years that she didn’t need dancing, that she was tired.

The viewer often sees a beautiful dance, stretched dancers, colorful dresses, but how does the dancer feel and how much work needs to be put in? Mama Inga says frankly: “I had to give up my hobbies because of dancing. Even in elementary school, Vilte was very successful in acting in the theater studio of “Drevinukos” school, but this group overlapped with dance training, so she had to make a choice. Later, Viltė even tried to attend volleyball training, but she refused these as well. If you need to change into a dancer’s costume in the car, and leave the club early to get to dance practice on time, then you have to make a choice. After all, you really can’t do everything well.”

Start from 5 years old

Five-year-old Viltė went with her mother to a friends’ ballroom dance competition and became so fascinated by this activity that she immediately decided to dance herself. Soon, the girl started training at the Alytus ballroom dance studio “Alemana”, where she had excellent coaches. The beginning was easy and the load was light. Only he didn’t have a dance partner. The first dance teacher, Kęstutis Bernatavičius, who worked with Vilte in individual lessons, recommended the girl to dance with a partner. The latter appeared when Vilte turned six years old and started attending first grade. Mother I. Šiaulienė is grateful to the first coaches of Vilte, Kęstučius and Lilija Bernatavičiai, who instilled in her daughter an endless love for dance. Viltė also drew energy from the older dancers of “Alemanas”, who motivated her and were an indisputable role model. The girl said to herself: “One day I will dance like them.” And she keeps the promise she made to herself: she knows all 10 dances belonging to recreational dancers, including 5 Latin dances, 5 standard.

Trains in Kaunas

Viltė studies at Dzūkija primary school in Alytus. Since last year, she has been training at the dance studio of the famous dancer Edita Daniūtė in Kaunas, probably every day for 2-4 hours. Why did the girl change dance school? “Problems with ex-partner. After entering adolescence, her ex-partner lost the desire to dance, and Viltė says with tears in her eyes – I want to dance. We were looking for solutions and had to choose Kaunas”, says the mother about her daughter’s dream to dance. She notices that there are very few dancing couples, although there are quite a few single girls. Viltė and her partner Vincent are winning, they are the finalists of the competition. Mom is happy that Vincent is dedicated, motivated to dance and improve. The coaches promise them that together they can achieve great results.

Dance shapes the personality

The mother notices that dance shapes her daughter’s personality a lot. “Viltė’s friends are dancers and coaches who motivate you not to choose the easiest path, but to achieve your goal, maintain a strong will, and not give in to the harmful temptations that teenagers tend to try,” observes mother Inga. As a result, she is calm – her daughter is on the right path.

And now the girl maintains good relations with her first coaches Kęstučius and Lilija, if there is an opportunity, she dances for the Alytus club “Alemana”. And Vilte’s dream is training in Italy. That’s what we wish for the cool dancer and her partner Vincent. You are the makers of your own destiny!