Episode 29 - Daria Gendina
Listen to the full episode:
In this episode, Morana speaks with Vienna-based frame up teacher Daria (Dasha) Gendina. Daria shares her journey from 15 years of competitive figure skating to becoming a frame up teacher in Vienna. She talks about how her sports background shaped her movement style, her path through training and teaching, and what it took to build a frame up community from scratch in a new city.
The conversation covers her approach to teaching beginners, combining acrobatics, flow, and ballet-inspired details, as well as her views on consistency, filming as part of the learning process, and developing an individual style. Daria also reflects on competitions, student progress, and her plans to continue growing frame up in Austria.
Daria’s instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gendosska/
00:00 – Introduction
01:00 – From figure skating to dance
02:10 – Life in competitive sport and its pressures
03:00 – Discovering strip plastic and frame up
04:30 – Training, camps, and early teaching experience
05:30 – Moving to Vienna and starting from zero
06:50 – Building a community and first student groups
07:40 – Filming classes and why continuity matters
09:00 – Competitions, performance, and mixing styles
10:30 – Teaching beginners acro and confidence building
12:00 – Advice for new frame up dancers
13:10 – Differences between students in different countries
14:00 – Choreography, music, and improvisation
15:40 – Personal inspirations and favorite works
17:00 – Memorable teaching moments
18:00 – Training volume and life as a full-time teacher
19:00 – Future plans and growing frame up in Vienna
20:00 – Final message to listeners
