Michael Malitowski

Overview

Michael Malitowski was less than 8 years old when he first came onto the dance floor. Ever since he remembers hearing the music, he could not stand quietly in one place. Dancing became his greatest passion. His parents quickly noticed a unique talent, a natural predisposition, and above all, the commitment of the young dancer. Therefore, they supported him from the beginning. To this day, Michael reiterates that it his family to whom he owes his success.

The Beginning

Michael first began dancing in studios around his home town. It turned out that neighboring friends of the Malitowskis' had a daughter that also shared the same passion of dance as Michael. Her name was Iwona Golczak. The choice of partner was a hit for the young boy - Michael and Iwona danced together for 14 years! They were 4-time Polish Champions, and in 1999, won the Under 21 Latin British Open Championships in Blackpool, England.

Professional

In October of 2002, Michael made a decision that would amount to one of the greatest careers in the history of dance. Together with Joanna Leunis, a Belgian coming from Liège, a couple who has won all the major titles in the Professional Latin category and delighted thousands of fans around the world was formed. The couple officially appeared in Autumn of 2002, representing Poland.

Their first tournament was held in the Netherlands, the WDDSC World Professional South American Showdance Championship of 2002. Their debut brought them victory. Starting with a good result, the Polish duo did not stop advancing. In 2003, they became Champions of Poland, won the Professional Rising Star at the UK Open Championships, and gathered more victories in the Netherlands, Ireland, Indonesia, Singapore, China and France. In 2004, Leunis and Malitowski entered the final of the Blackpool Dance Festival, and once again become champions of the World Professional South American Showdance Championships.

In subsequent years, the pair strenuously went ahead and showed increasingly better results. In 2008, for the first time, Michael and Joanna stepped onto the highest position of the podium at the Blackpool Dance Festival. The event took place on May 28 which will be memories remembered by the couple forever. Leunis and Malitowski became reigning champions of this competition for eight years running. The couple also took first place at many other international Championships worldwide.

In 2011, Joanna and Michael began to represent England where they believed it was here that they could bring their dancing to an even higher level.

In April 2012, the couple was invited to perform in the show Dance Legends. They also participated in The World Super Stars Dance Festival.

After their eighth consecutive win at the Blackpool Dance Festival on May 27, 2015, Michael and Joanna announced their retirement from competitive dancing. A short while after this, the couple announced that they were expecting. In 2016, a beautiful baby girl was born, Lia Michelle.

More Success

Unlike many dancers, Michael was interested not only in the motor dimensions of dance, but the overall experience, in which the body needs to replenish the mind. Precisely for this reason, when his international career began to gain momentum, he decided to start studying at the University of Zielona Gora. He earned a master's degree in Socio-Cultural Animation in 2004, just weeks after he took third place at the Professional Latin World Championships in Miami!

It is no wonder that Michael spent more than 300 days a year on the dance floor at the most famous arenas in every part of the world. Thousands of fans applauded him in various locales including the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London, the famous Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, the Olympic Center in Sydney, in the cities of Yekaterinburg and in Moscow as well as in the sport arenas of China, Japan and Malaysia. These are just some of the hundreds of places visited each year by the global ambassador of Latin dance.

Michael's Unique Approach

Michael's unique approach to Latin American dance developed during many years of cooperation with the charismatic coach, Professor Ruud Vermeij. Their partnership allowed Michael to not only learn how to dance Professionally, but to also develop in a unique way both physically and mentally. Such are the goals of Michael as a dance teacher. It does not matter whether he instructs at a camp full of lectures and demonstrations with coaches and referees from all over the world, or if he is instructing just a few Amateurs. He always shows a dance that inspires the mind and body, allows you to express emotions, establishes deeper relationships and communicates better with the environment.

"Dance", Michael says, "must not only be pleasurable to the eye, but should also be an extraordinary experience, causing the deepest of emotions." Therefore, any appearance of Michael as an instructor, combined with the release of an incredible load of pure, true power, natural dynamics of professional precision, classical and modern choreography, hard work and pure fun, encourages all who dance to find their own individual style. "Only in this way, you can dance to give real pleasure and really change lives", Michael says.

School of Dance

Michael is one of the directors at DansinnHeavenly, the largest and most prestigious dance studio in Hong Kong, as well as the headquarters of the dynamically growing franchise of Dansinn dance studios, which Michael also co-created. Dansinn is a project that fully allows one to implement a plan to create exceptional dance schools, places where everyone feels the dance and finds pleasure, beauty and emotion.

Dansinn is a global network of schools of dance, famous for its many names among master teachers, a brand run by a master and innovator of Latin American dance, Michael Malitowski.

Media

Michael has been featured on worldwide sport channels including Eurosport and the German ARD and ZDF broadcast. He was invited as a star and as an expert on television around the world. Michael was invited to participate in such popular programs as the BBC hit Strictly Come Dancing (UK) and the Polish, Italian, Dutch, American, and Ukrainian Dancing with the Stars.

Due to huge popularity in Asia, television broadcasts in China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan also invited Michael to not only perform one dance, but further participate in the programs.

Malitowski was also invited to be an adjudicator on the Polish version of Dancing with the Stars.

Accomplishments

• 8-time Blackpool Dance Festival Professional Latin Champion (2008-2015)
• 9-time UK Open Professional Latin Champion (2007-2015)
• 9-time International Professional Latin Champion (2005-2011, 2013-2014)
• 2-time WDC World Professional Latin Champion (2008-2009)
• WDC German Open World Professional Latin Champion (2014)
• 8-time World Cup Professional Latin Champion (2005, 2009-2010, 2012-2014)
• 2-time Kremlin Cup Professional Latin Champion (2007, 2012)
• 6-time European Professional Latin Champion (2007-2012)
• Dutch Open South American Professional Showdance Champion (2003)
• UK Open Professional Rising Star Latin Champion (2003)
• 4-time Polish Professional Latin Champion (2003, 2005, 2009-2010)
• 2-time WDDSC World Professional South American Showdance Champion (2002, 2004)
• 4-time Polish Champion
• Under 21 Latin British Open Champion (1999)
• Master's degree in Socio-Cultural Animation
• Recipient of the Carl Alan Award for Best Performance
• Dance Legends performer
• The World Super Stars Dance Festival performer

Media

• Featured on worldwide sport channels including Eurosport and the German ARD and ZDF
• Featured on many television programs in China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan
• Appeared on Strictly Come Dancing (UK)
• Appeared on Polish, Italian, Dutch, American, and Ukrainian Dancing with the Stars
• Polish Dancing With The Stars Adjudicator

Dance Partners

• Joanna Leunis (2002 - 2015)
• Iwona Golczak (1989 - 2002)

Instructors

• Ruud Vermeij

Entrepreneurship

• Instructor
• Choreographer
• Adjudicator
• Supadance Ambassador
• DansinnHeavenly, Dance Studio, Co-Director
• Dansinn Franchised Dance Studios, Co-Creator
• M&J Champion Wear Clothing Line, Designer