Lilia Kopylova
| Lilia Kopylova | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Lilia Andreyevna Kopylova 18 June 1978 Moscow, Soviet Union |
| Occupation | Dancer |
| Spouse(s) | Darren Bennett (1999-present) |
Lilia Andreyevna Kopylova (Russian: Лилия Андреевна Копылова; born 18 June 1978) is a Russian professional dancer.
With her husband Darren Bennett she has been competing as an amateur since July 1997 and as a professional since May 2003. The couple has achieved considerable success in the Professional Latin style of dancing, both nationally in the UK and internationally.
Lilia Kopylova started ice skating aged four, winning the title of Junior Moscow champion aged nine.
In 1987 she started training as a dancer. Her first dance partner was Mikhail Botashev, a Danish champion, and in 1990 they won a Lambada competition; and a year later, they were the first Soviet pair of their age to be allowed abroad to dance. They won the 1990 Danish Open in Copenhagen, followed by success that same year in France and Italy.
In 1994, Kopylova represented Russia in the International dance championships in Denmark. In 1997 she was introduced to Darren Bennett and five months later, having moved to the UK, they won the International and British amateur Youth Championships in July 1997. The couple turned professional in 2003, and are now regarded as one of Britain's finest Latin American dance couples and make regular appearances on British TV. Lilia's favourite dances are the rumba and the foxtrot.
In November 2005 Bennett and Kopylova won the British Championships for Professional Latin, coming first in all five dances. In November 2006 they successfully defended this title against a challenge from Olga Rodionova and Paul Richardson, who had previously been competing for the USA but had recently registered as a British couple. Bennett and Kopylova eventually triumphed, again winning all five dances to retain the title.
Other competitive highlights include winning the Rising Star professional Latin title of Blackpool Dance Festival in 2003, and reaching the final of the professional Latin competition in the 2005 Blackpool Dance Festival.
...
Wikipedia