Sasha and Olga Bylim arrived in the United States in 1996, with one suitcase and very little money. But they possessed prodigious dancing talents, a tough-minded work ethic, professional expertise and ambition. It’s a typical immigrant’s dream, and in this case the dream came true: the Bylims have turned their thriving dance studio into a Cinderella success story, recently becoming the #1 Fred Astaire Dancing Studio in the New York/New Jersey region.

The Bylims began dancing together, in the Ukraine, when Olga was 15 and Sasha, 17. Trained as schoolteachers, but with ballroom dancing as their hobby, their success as amateurs (they were Ukrainian National Champions) brought them to competition in Canada and then to the United States where they have become U.S. citizens. They have been Tarrytown residents for 5 years, where their daughter, Olesya is a junior in the Sleepy Hollow High School. Since their arrival, they have brought over fellow Ukrainians, highly trained dancers, who, like the Bylims, are eager to grow professionally and artistically. The youngest of their 6 instructors (3 couples) has been dancing for 15 years; instructors, Eugene Yeremenko and Marisa Yatsemko, who actively compete on the professional circuit in Latin-American dance, are Fred Astaire National Rising Star Champions.

Having been in business for over 10 years in Tarrytown, an opportunity to design a state of the art dance studio became available, and their new space opened in Sleepy Hollow on April 2. where ballroom and Latin dance instruction for adults is the Bylim’s specialty. Their busy studio is living proof of how each dance style is valuable as a social skill, a fun form of exercise, or, for those who might like to get involved in competition, a way to feel glamorous.

“Most of our customers are accomplished professionals in their own businesses,” Sasha explains. “But, after a few tries, they quickly grow their dance skills and feel good about themselves in a new way. Many of them come to the studio for the first time and laugh to think of themselves competing on a stage, but many of those who laugh at the beginning actually enjoy being in the spotlight,” he admits. “Even those who have never danced before find it fun, interesting, challenging, and see progress week after week -- just like the stars who learn to dance on Dancing with the Stars.”

After 34 years of experience, Sasha and Olga believe that everyone can learn to enjoy social dancing; “with professional guidance, everyone is capable,” Olga emphasizes. “You can still go onto the dance floor with a few basic skills and make them grow over the years.”

The Bylim’s new space has a 1400 square foot ballroom dance studio, a classroom for group classes and other private instruction, changing rooms and plenty of parking at the building’s two lots. They have installed a “floating floor,” the best type of dance floor for dancers’ joints and muscles because it is both unattached to a concrete base and is cushioned underneath with rubber padding.

With 120 active adult customers plus several teenagers eager to learn, the Bylims have plans to expand their instruction to younger ages. They urge would-be-dancers not to worry about having a partner to take lessons. There are male instructors for women and female instructors for men. Of course, couples do enjoy the experience together, and some seek lessons to gain much-needed dance coaching for their childrens’ weddings. Studies have found that ballroom dancing is excellent exercise and can actually be helpful in keeping the mind active, since brain and muscle coordination are key to learning dance patterns. Others tell the Bylims, “Instead of therapy, I love to come and dance.”

Tarrytown resident, Sarah Gillespie, who, with her husband Ron, has taken lessons at Fred Astaire for years and competes for the sheer pleasure of performing, is full of praise for the Bylim’s studio, “By far, the Bylims have the most professional group of instructors and the nicest people for me to dance with. I love dancing because it gives you a feeling of grace, a way of communicating with others and, though it may not technically keep me young, I like to believe it does.”