George Mason’s very own Mikhail Samsonov, a senior this year who began dancing in May of 2000, has recently earned fourteen first place prizes at his third dancing competition. Mikhail, more commonly known as "Misha," has been dancing for over a year now with his partner, Yana Blinov. Yana is a sophomore at James Madison High School in Vienna, and together they dance a lengthy 10 hours a week in order to perfect their technique.

The most recent competition Misha and Yana performed in was the Mid-Eastern U.S. Chapter, USABDA, or the Fall Festival Championships. This competition was held in Arlington on Saturday, November 10. The exhausting practices four times a week prior to the competition made it remarkably rewarding for the dance couple, as they won first place in fourteen out of fifteen dances. They won first place prizes in the following dances: Tango, Waltz, V.Waltz, Foxtrot, Quick Step, Cha Cha, Rumba, Jive, Samba, and the Paso Dobl. Misha and Yana won second place in a joined competition of dances for the Tango and the Foxtrot. Of the many dances Misha has learned, he claims that the Tango is his absolute favorite. "When I dance Tango, I have to have a volcano inside my body that erupts whenever I change my position to promenade," said Misha.

Misha’s outstanding performance on Saturday paved the way for his dancing future with Yana at the National Competition next year. The dancing pair plan to hold onto their winning streak.