Aric Yegudkin
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Aric Yegudkin | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 November 1985 |
| Alma mater | University of New South Wales |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 2005—present |
| Notable work | |
| Spouse |
Masha Belash (m. 2018) |
Aric Yegudkin is an Australian choreographer and professional dancer born on 14 November 1985. Yegudkin is best known as a professional dancer on the Australian Dancing with the Stars.
Yegudkin started taking ballroom dance lessons at 8 years old after his parents noticed him dancing to Michael Jackson songs. They chose ballroom for their son because they were Russian as was the local ballroom dance teacher.[1] Yegudkin competed as a Latin American dancer in dancesport competitions.[2] In July 2001, Yegudkin partnered with Masha Belash, and the two began competing together in the youth category of dancesport.[2] Together the pair won the Australian National Youth Latin American Championship three times.[2][3]
Yegudkin is an accredited Dancesport Australia instructor.[2] He also holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of New South Wales.[2]
Career
Yegudkin first competed as a professional dancer Australian Dancing With the Stars in season 3. He won his first season of the reality dance competition with celebrity partner Ada Nicodemou.[1] After winning their season of Dancing with the Stars, Nicodemou and Yegudkin competed against past winners Tom Williams and Kym Johnson in a special televised competition. Both couples performed three dances over two weeks for the panel of judges. Nicodemou and Yegudkin won the competition and were given the "Champion of Champions" trophy.[4] Yegudkin's other past Dancing With the Stars partners include Haley Bracken, Zoe Cramond, Rhiannon Fish and April Rose Pengilly.[1] For the fifteenth season of Dancing with the Stars, Yegudkin was partnered with presenter Emma Freedman in which they won on 7 September 2015.[5] In October 2016 Channel Seven announced Dancing with the Stars would not return, making Freedman and Yegudkin the final winners of the series on Seven Network.[6][7] After Network Ten revived the show in 2019, Yegudkin returned partnering Michelle Bridges in season sixteen and then Claudia Karvan in season seventeen.[8][9]
Yedgukin's Dancing with the Stars results are shown on the table below:
| Season | Partner | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Ada Nicodemou | 1st |
| 11 | Haley Bracken | 2nd |
| 12 | Zoe Cramond | 3rd |
| 13 | Rhiannon Fish | 2nd |
| 14 | April Rose Pengilly | 10th |
| 15 | Emma Freedman | 1st |
| 16 | Michelle Bridges | 7th |
| 17 | Claudia Karvan | 3rd |
| 18 | Ada Nicodemou | 3rd |
| 19 | Kylie Gillies | 9th |
| 20 | Mary Coustas | 3rd |
| 21 | Nikki Osborne | 4th |
Outside of television, Yegudkin has served as a choreographer and dancer in the Australian touring stage show Shake, Rattle 'n'Roll.[1] Yegudkin has also performed in productions of Burn the Floor and Dance, Dance, Dance.[1] In January 2017, Yegudkin and Belash announced they would be opening a dance studio in Sydney called Move by Aric and Masha.[7]