The year that changes a person’s life is a significant milestone in their personal journey. Performing an interpretation of it through dance is a different sort of challenge. But that’s what four Ukrainian Eurovision and national final stars were asked to do in the latest episode of Tantsi z zirkamy 2021.
Jamala, MÉLOVIN, Oleksandra Zaritska and Dmytro Kadnay have all taken to the dancefloor once again for the Ukrainian version of Dancing with the Stars / Strictly Come Dancing.
Jamala and MÉLOVIN dance to life-changing moments
Jamala chose 2016 as her life-changing year, which was when the singer won Eurovision with “1944”. Her song referenced the deportation of Crimean Tatars by the Soviet Union in the 1940s. Jamala’s own great-grandmother and her five children were among those who were deported.
It seemed natural that Jamala should honour this particular year and moment by performing a traditional Crimean Tatar dance to “1944”. Although Tantsi z zirkamy, like other national editions of Dancing with the Stars, has a focus on ballroom and Latin dancing, other dance styles are also showcased.
Alongside her professional partner Anton Nesterko, Jamala dressed in traditional Crimean Tatar garments and brought this side of her heritage to life. The Eurovision winner also took to the microphone to sing part of “1944” in the middle of the performance.
Sadly, the judges were not completely won over by the routine. They awarded the pair 25 points out of 40, which put Jamala and Anton tenth on the leaderboard (out of 13 remaining couples). Nevertheless, when the public vote was combined with judges’ scores, Jamala and Anton were declared safe and will be back to dance again next week.
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Eurovision 2018 star MÉLOVIN and dance partner Elyzaveta Rusina performed a cha-cha-cha.
MÉLOVIN decided that 2021 was the year that changed his life. More specifically, he referenced his coming out as bisexual at Atlas Weekend festival in July. However, the routine wasn’t about rainbows and pride. Instead, it took on a religious theme and the pair danced to “It’s A Sin” by the Pet Shop Boys.
Talking about the meaning behind the use of religious imagery, MÉLOVIN noted on Instagram:
“Religion often advocates the oppression of love! But not here, not in our pair, not on this project and not in my Universe.”
The pair earned 22 points from the judges, which unfortunately put them dead last on the leaderboard. But with a strong fanbase behind him, MÉLOVIN was voted through to next week.
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Oleksandra Zaritska and Dmytro Kadnay continue to impress
Oleksandra Zaritska performed a foxtrot in the latest episode of Tantsi z zirkamy. The life-changing year the singer honoured was 2014, when she participated in The Voice Ukraine and started to become a known figure in the country and abroad.
The singer danced to “Плакала” (“Cry”). Oleksandra released the song in 2018 as part of the group KAZKA, who participated in Ukraine’s national selection Vidbir on two occasions.
Oleksandra and partner Yuriy Meshkov provided one of the standout performances of the night. They were awarded 31 points, which put them in joint first position on the leaderboard.
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Dmytro Kadnay, who participated at Vidbir with his band KADNAY, has set himself up as an early frontrunner in the competition. This week, the Ukrainian singer chose 2007 as his life-changing year, which is when his career began.
Dmytro performed a fiery paso doble with his professional partner Alina Lee. Wearing a white matador costume, Dmytro brought a bit of Spanish flair to the routine.
After finishing top of the leaderboard in the first two episodes, Dmytro took a slight dip this week. He ended up in joint fourth position after the judges awarded him 29 points.
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Eurovision stars on Tantsi z zirkamy 2021: Weeks 2 and 3
Below you’ll find a roundup of the dances that Jamala, MÉLOVIN, Oleksandra Zaritska and Dmytro Kadnay performed during episodes two and three of Tantsi z zirkamy 2021. You can review our previous article for the results of week one.
Note that there was an extra fourth judge in week three of the competition, so these scores are out of a total of 40. Week two scores are out of a total of 30.
Jamala
Professional partner: Anton Nesterko
| Week | Dance | Score | Position on Leaderboard |
| 2 | Salsa | 17 | 5th (joint) |
| 3 | Tatar | 25 | 10th |
MÉLOVIN
Professional partner: Elyzaveta Rusina
| Week | Dance | Score | Position on Leaderboard |
| 2 | Waltz | 13 | 13th |
| 3 | Cha-Cha-Cha | 22 | 13th (last) |
Oleksandra Zaritska
Professional partner: Yuriy Meshkov
| Week | Dance | Score | Position on Leaderboard |
| 2 | Broadway | 16 | 7th (joint) |
| 3 | Foxtrot | 31 | 1st (joint) |
Dmytro Kadnay
Professional partner: Alina Lee
| Week | Dance | Score | Position on Leaderboard |
| 2 | Argentine Tango | 21 | 1st (joint) |
| 3 | Paso Doble | 29 | 4th (joint) |
What do you make of Jamala and MÉLOVIN’s dance interpretations of their life-changing years? Are you enjoying Oleksandra Zaritska and Dmytro Kadnay’s routines on Tantsi z zirkamy 2021? Let us know in the comments below!
Read more Dancing with the Stars / Strictly Come Dancing news here
Melovin needs professional help. Urgently
Is Melovin referring to all religions when he says that it’s oppressive?
Which ones are not?
The cross in the background suggests Christian religions.
i mean, he’s from ukraine so don’t you suppose he’s talking about his experiences with religion in ukraine specifically since the performance is about his life?
That makes sense…maybe I was just confused why he would find it oppressive, or what the dancers in the background were doing, though maybe it deals with differences between Orthodox Christianity and the other denominations that I’m not aware of lol.
Anyway his and Jamala’s performances were great!
It’s not that complicated. He’s talking about gay people and how oppressive religion can be to them, ruining lives. That’s it.
I don’t think anything is that simple; I think a dangerous misconception is that complicated issues can be reduced to black-and-white scenarios. If my religion is ruining my life, then why am I most accepted in my parish community despite having same-sex attractions? Regardless, I won’t deny the Church is still learning how to dialog about these issues, and unfortunately congregation members and even clergymen have led people with SSAs to feel unwelcome in the past, maybe even Melovin.
Btw we wouldn’t say “Christian religions” since all the denominations fall under the same religion!
Yeah, there are varying degrees of homophobia – but anything other than full equality is not good enough. Hate the sin, love the sinner. That’s the best most churches can offer. No, thanks.
Also, I am confused. Under the Samuel Luiz article, you said that you were not a member of the gay “movement” and that you did not necessarily agree with the “choice” of being gay. For your own sake, I hope your church is not responsible for putting these dangerous thoughts in your head.
Not everyone who has SSAs agree with the movement or its ideals. Quite a few people I know would say the same 🙂 Don’t worry, we’ll be fine!
I’m curious to know just what it is you disagree with, and why.
Ooh, not sure if this would be appropriate or called for in this server, but I could try and give a summary. I tried becoming involved with the LGBTQ communities at college, but they seemed too oversexualized, whether through parades or even daily conversation. It didn’t help me feel any better about my attractions, and many of my friends who had similar experience said the same thing. Just to clarify the misconception, the Church doesn’t condemn SSAs themselves, rather the acts. If anything, the Catechism condemns more heterosexual acts such as lust or excessive passion, adultery, and especially rape. But the Catechism… Read more »
Thank you for answering my question. It makes me sad that you have let these man-made rules make you uncomfortable with who you actually are. You even seem unable to call yourself gay. I genuinely worry for you, and am furious with the church for making you, and others, feel this way. Please understand this – there is nothing wrong with you just as you are. As nature made you. Gay relationships are no less worthy, meaningful, loving or deserving of respect than hetero relationships. It is possible to be gay and happy. I encourage you to talk to people… Read more »
As I see from their results, Jamala holds strong! She might have a chance to be in the top5… Melovin can actually dance well but the judges and televote don’t seem to favour him AT ALL
wow Jamala gave me chills. Very different performance to what we’re used to see in this show (more ballroom/latin dances).
Melovin was outstanding, judges must be conservative,
Jury was respect his coming out story, but they told that he does not try at all and don’t have basic dance skill
It’s so incredible how other DWTS shows in other countries look much more professional and modern compared to the Italian edition. I don’t usually watch it, but my parents do and it’s honestly filled with trash and it’s just not about the dancing anymore, but more about creating gossip and scandals. It took me just one video of the Ukrainian version to see the BIG differences between them.
the judges really want melovin out dont they