Today we’d like to introduce you to Viktoriya Statska.
Hi Viktoriya, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Dance has always been a big part of my life. I started over 10 years ago and quickly fell in love with the way movement can transform both the body and the mind. My journey took me through different countries—Ukraine, Brazil, the UK—each adding to my experience and perspective. I trained, competed, and eventually began teaching, which helped me realize how powerful dance can be for building confidence and community.
After moving to Charleston, I started teaching and taking classes and quickly realized how restrictive the environment could feel. Many students didn’t feel at home—they felt judged, tense, and unable to fully express themselves. I also saw instructors struggling to find and embrace their own style. That’s when I knew I wanted to create something different. A space where people could feel free to be themselves, where they could walk in with any mood and still feel supported, safe, and welcomed. Dance Your Life Studio was born from that vision—like a second home, where everyone is free to move, grow, and just be.
Today, I run the studio full time, offering a range of classes like pole dance, high heels, stretching, chair dance, barre, and full body workout. We’re also launching twerk classes starting in May. The goal is to keep creating a space where everyone feels supported, seen, and inspired to move.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. When I first moved to Charleston—just six months after arriving in the U.S. as a foreigner—I started by teaching pole dance classes. Later on, I began renting spaces and added high heels and stretching classes, slowly building my own groups of students who connected with my style and energy. I always had the dream of opening my own studio, but I didn’t know when or how it would happen.
Then one day, I found out a local studio was closing. I decided to message and ask if the space would be available for rent. I went to see it, and as soon as I stepped inside, I felt it was right. It had the energy I was looking for. I didn’t expect the opportunity to come so soon, but something told me this was the time. So I took a leap and decided to turn that space into Dance Your Life Studio.
Finding the right space was a challenge—especially being new to the country with no local network—but it also taught me that sometimes opportunities show up when you least expect them. The key is being ready to say yes, even if the timing isn’t what you imagined.
Beyond that, building the studio from scratch, with limited resources and while balancing all the business and creative responsibilities, was hard. But what kept me going was the vision of creating a safe, expressive space where people feel empowered. That purpose gave me the strength to keep pushing forward.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Dance your life studio ?
Dance Your Life Studio is a place where movement meets emotion, and where everyone is welcome to be exactly who they are. We offer classes like pole dance, high heels, chair dance, barre, stretching, full body workout—and twerk is starting in May. Every class is open to all levels, and our focus is not just on technique, but on helping people feel confident, creative, and free in their bodies.
What really sets us apart is the atmosphere. It’s warm, supportive, and real. People walk in and say, “This feels like home.” That’s what I wanted to create—a space where you’re not judged, not compared, and not pressured to fit a mold. Just come as you are, with whatever mood or energy you have, and we’ll meet you there.
We speak four languages inside the studio—English, Portuguese, Ukrainian, and Russian—which makes the space even more open and welcoming. I’ve lived in Ukraine, the UK, and Brazil, and I’ve competed in pole dance competitions across Europe. That international experience shaped how I teach and how I see dance—as something deeply personal, expressive, and powerful.
More than a business, this studio is my heart. It’s a space built on creativity, connection, and courage. And I want everyone who walks through the door to feel that.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I definitely didn’t do this alone. I’ve been lucky to have people around me who supported and believed in me from the very beginning. My students played a huge role—they trusted me when I was just starting out, followed me from rented spaces to the studio, and reminded me every day why I love what I do. Their energy, feedback, and loyalty gave me the strength to keep going, even when things felt uncertain.
I’m also grateful for my close friends and family, who stood by me during the most stressful and emotional moments, always reminding me of my purpose. And to everyone who has walked through the doors of Dance Your Life Studio—whether for one class or many—you’ve all helped shape this journey. Your presence and support mean more than I can say.
Pricing:
- Standard drop in class (high heels , stretching , chair dance , twerk, full body workout , barre ) – 25$
- Premium drop in class (pole classes + all other classes) – 30$
- Standard 4 class package – 85$
- Premium 4 class package – 102$
- Private class – 100$
Contact Info:
- Website: https://danceyourlife.studio/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danceyourlife.studio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Mdm6ZTa2g/
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/jOWjaGCHoU
- Other: https://maps.app.goo.gl/qT6e9xt7PCRMuezM9
