BY KAREN BOSSICK

Get a sneak preview of the upcoming Sun Valley Ballroom performance and a complimentary ballroom dancing lesson to boot on Wednesday.

Sun Valley Ballroom will offer both at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 29, at Ketchum Town Square.

Sun Valley Ballroom will return to The Argyros for the second straight year on Saturday, Aug. 22. The 7:30 p.m. performance will feature returning and new professional dancers who all perform in world-renowned dance competitions.

It is presented by international ballroom champion dancer and instructor Vasily Golovin and Mindy Meads, who founded Sun Valley Ballroom last year in hopes of sharing her enthusiasm for such shows as “Dancing with the Stars” with others.

This year’s performance will benefit The Spot theater company in Ketchum.

“We are thrilled to partner with Mindy and Sun Valley Ballroom for this extraordinary evening of dance,” said Yanna Lantz, Spot co-founder. “Ballroom is bold, technical, glamorous and fearless—exactly the artistry we love celebrating at The Spot! Brett (Moellenberg) and I can’t wait to introduce these world-class performers to our community for a night of elegance and full-out showmanship.”

If you think ballroom dancing is simply about swirling around the stage to a waltz, think again. Sun Valley Ballroom includes the flirtatious cha-cha, the exotic samba, the passionate rumba, the dramatic paso doble and the energetic jive, along with the classic ballroom dances like the waltz, tango and foxtrot.

Performers at The Argyros will be dressed in eye-catching wardrobes as they showcase bold moves.

Returning dancers include Russian-born Blackpool Dance Festival Amateur Champion Arina Grishanina and Alexander Chernositov, who competes in the international Latin American dancing field. He earned the Blackpool Champions title with Arian in 2025.

Other returnees include Tatiana and Yegor Novikov, Blackpool Vice Champions in 2025.

New this year, Sun Valley Ballroom welcomes three additional international champions: Austin and Liza Joson, who have been on “Dancing with the Stars” and are the U.S. Professional Latin Silver medalists; Tal Livshitz and Ilana Keselman, World Dance Amateur World finalists and 2023 Pro-Am World Smooth Champion  Curtis Collins and Beverly Durand, who won the 2024 Masters Division title at the Open Swing Dance Championships.

“These dancers love what they do,” said Meads, who served as CEO of Land’s End, Victoria’s Secret Direct and Aeropostale, during which she took dance lessons at the Fred Astaire studio in New York City. “Their athleticism and performances are beautiful. It is a sensational evening for everyone.”

Her co-creator Golovin, born in St. Petersburg, Russia, has competed internationally for more than 20 years, winning Russian National Champion, European Champion and Latin World Champion. He has earned the Top Teaching award at several California competitions and is among the most highly acclaimed ballroom coaches in Idaho, offering dance lessons in Ketchum and Boise.

For tickets to the Aug. 22 performance, go to https://ci.ovationtix.com/35937/performance/11821762