Drobiazko & Vanagas - Ice Stars & Ice Flames

R i t a

Born: December 21, 1971
Birth Place: Moscow, Russia

P o v i l a s

Born: July 23, 1970
Birth Place: Siauliai, Lithuania

C o m p e t i t i v e H i g h l i g h t s:

1992-2002 Lithuanian National Champions
2000-2002 Grand Prix Final Bronze Medallists
2000 World Bronze Medallists
2000 European Bronze Medallists

Rita and Povilas have competed at every world championship since 1992. They have competed at the 1992, 1994, 1998 and 2002 Olympic Games.

ritapovilasred1.jpg (26377 bytes)

T h e i r S t o r y:

(The following is from a newsletter/information packet written/compiled by Sundeep Pandya.)

(mostly a quote...) One of the most talented and popular young couples to emerge onto the ice dance scene in recent years are Lithuania's very own Margarita (Rita) Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas. Their style of dancing has always been acclaimed for being exciting, fast and technically demanding together with a charismatic flair that only they can demonstrate on ice.

Rita was born in Moscow on 21 December 1971, and started skating at the early age of 6. A promising athlete, she progressed quickly and partnered Povilas at the age of 16 having previously danced with Oleg Granionov.

Povilas, on theother hand, had very little experience of ice dancing when he teamed up with the shy, yet attractive, Rita at the age of 18. He was born in Siauliai, Lithuania on 23 July 1970, and started skating at the age of four because of his mother's involvement in the sport. Povilas's mother is currently the Lithuanian national coach.

He took to single skating, becoming National Champion six times before making the switch to dance when he joined the Tatiana Tarasova school and later partnered Rita. Many coaches were amazed with his switch and now claim that Povilas was born to be an ice dancer with a rare quality that is hard to find in both partners. Krisztina Regoczy, world ice dance champion in 1980, has gone as far as saying that Povilas is the best male dancer to appear on the scene since Christopher Dean.

Povilas takes up the story of how he and Rita met: "It was in the days of the old Soviet Union and all boys were required to go to the Soviet Army. I did not want to go so far from my home but I had no choice but to go to Moscow. So I went and was given the choice of either being in the army or taking up skating full time because I could skate. I decided to skate and was partnered with Rita. Again, I did not want to do dance but I had no choice. I had decided that after the term of national service was over, I would return back to Lithuania to study economics."

"For Rita, I was very green, not at all worth her former partners. At the beginning there were tears and conflicts. It is only now that I realise how patient and forgiving Rita was."

"Right up until the end of my two years in Moscow, Rita thought I was to return home and that she would have to find a new partner. But because Lithuania was the first country to obtain independence from the Soviet Block, it was a dream for me to represent my home country. It was difficult at the beginning beause there was much friction between Russia and Lithuania and with Rita being Russian, it caused problems, but now we are happy."