Inhumanely beautiful, flexible, delicate, graceful—you might not have known that Iceland is killing it in the dance world, but what else would you expect from a country known for bustling creativity?
Yes, every week, Icelanders are snatching up dance medals left and right. Seriously—there are so many notable victories that, were we to note all of them here, this article would just be a list of names, and who wants to read that? We’re a magazine, not the Luxor Obelisk.
Snatchin’ up titles
Therefore, we’re going to focus our pirouetting magnifying glass on two of Iceland’s most sparkle-clad stars, Kristinn Þór Sigurðsson and Lilja Rún Gísladóttir. The two twirlers, in the just the last few months, won the Under 21 Latin portion at the Eastern United States Dance Championships, the Milano Grand Ball, and the Champions of Tomorrow competition in Blackpool. And that’s not to mention the stunning victories they’ve earned over the past few years.
The two met in May 2016 and competed together for the first time only one month later. They had an instant dancing chemistry—much like ‘Center Stage’, but probably without the bizarre love triangle.
Overwhelming wins
According to Lilja, their most cherished win was at the International Championships as Juniors in 2016. That was just their second time competing together and the contest is one of the three major worldwide competitions. “It was really an overwhelming feeling to win,” Lilja said to the Grapevine. “A mix of a lot of emotions.”
Their next competition will be here in Iceland in March and afterwards, they will make an appearance at the April European Championships. When asked what inspires her to keep competing, Lilja simply quoted athlete Bo Jackson, “Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there.”
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