Biography and creative career
He was born in Moscow on December 11, 1981 in a family of engineers. Zhenya was the third child of Robert and Lyudmila Papunaishvili. Besides him, his parents had two more eldest sons: Mikhail and Alexander. Little Zhenya grew up as a restless and very energetic child. In order to direct his energy in a peaceful direction, the parents decided to take the five-year-old boy to two sections at once: football and dance.
He enjoyed doing both sports and choreography. However, Evgeniy hid his passion for the art of dance from his peers, fearing ridicule. But he was able to overcome this fear and from the age of 12 he performed rhythmic gymnastics with his classmates at his school. From the age of 14, Evgeniy was engaged in choreography and dance training in various studios on a professional basis, earning not only money, but also prizes at various dance competitions.
However, such successes did not influence the choice of a higher education institution. In the late 90s, Evgeniy continued the family tradition and entered the Moscow Automobile and Highway Institute, where his mother graduated, and where his older brothers were already studying. He believed that dancing could not be the main job for a man.
He successfully combined his studies at a technical university with participation in Russian and international dance competitions. In 2002, at the open international Latin American dance championship in Finland, Evgeniy Papunaishvili took first place.
The biography of a talented young man is a series of continuous successes, behind which it is not always possible for an outside observer to see the colossal physical labor that Papunaishvili puts into each of his dances. At the same time, he began teaching at the Gala Dance dance studio, and after some time became a co-owner of the D-Fusion chain of dance studios. At this time he was only 21 years old.
The young performer's career is developing rapidly:
- In 2003, he received an engineering degree and devoted himself entirely to his favorite activity - dancing and choreography.
- In 2004, Evgeniy became a semi-finalist at the Moscow Latin American Dance Championship, after which there were no less successful performances in other Russian and international dance championships.
Evgeniy’s popularity increased every year, confirmation of his skill was the holding of the largest dance lesson in Russia, in which Zhenya conducted a master class for 1830 people. For this unique incident, he was included in the Guinness Book of Records, and from that time on, dancing became his main professional activity, bringing not only great income and fame, but also requiring incredible physical and mental dedication.
Dancing
In 2002, when Evgeniy turned 21, he began teaching at the Gala Dance studio. Soon he became a co-owner of the D-Fusion network of budget dance studios in Moscow. Papunaishvili’s biography is a series of victories and achievements related to the art of beautiful movement to music.
Evgeniy Papunaishvili in his youth
Having conducted the most massive dance lesson in Russia (simultaneously for 1830 students), Evgeniy got into the Russian and Guinness Book of Records, becoming even more famous. Finally, he realized that this occupation was his main and worthy profession, with which he would go through life. It is also a serious sport that requires incredible effort and patience.
The choreographer opened his studio - the Evgeniy Papunaishvili Dance School.
Evgenia Papunaishvili Dance School
It is noteworthy that Evgeniy built it without yet having his own home. The dancer explained this by personal priorities - art is more important to him than housing, and he rents an apartment and does not yet see any tangible problems in this.
Now he is one of the most expensive choreographers in Russia. Latin American, European, ballroom dancing, Caribbean mix, Argentine tango, all modern styles from hip-hop to electro - the dancer is fluent in all of this.
Evgeniy Papunaishvili in the TV show “Amazing People”
The choreographer became recognizable after participating and repeated victories in the “Dancing with the Stars” project. The tall, artistic dancer (with a height of 185 cm, Evgeniy’s weight reaches 75 kg) from the first releases of the program attracted the attention of millions of television viewers. Since 2007, Papunaishvili has been a regular participant in the show, who has developed his own support group among fans.
Ksenia Sobchak and Evgeny Papunaishvili dance “Rumba”
His partners are movie, pop and show business stars. Evgeny danced with Natasha Koroleva, Irina Saltykova, Yulia Savicheva, Ksenia Sobchak, Albina Dzhanabaeva, Alena Vodonaeva, Tatyana Bulanova, Glafira Tarkhanova, Glyuk'oZa. In 2020, Evgeniy again became a participant in the “Dancing with the Stars” project. His partner was actress Svetlana Ivanova.
In 2020, the dancer took part in another popular sports show - the circus program “Without Insurance” - in a creative duet with gymnast Leila Gruzdeva.
Evgeniy Papunaishvili in the program “Alone with Everyone”
In 2020, Evgeniy Papunaishvili became a guest on the program “Alone with Everyone,” where he shared details of his biography with viewers, talked about his childhood and complexes about dancing, about his first victories and records, and about his personal life.
Stellar openness
After the release of the popular television show “Dancing with the Stars,” Eugene became incredibly popular, but this did not make him inaccessible and closed to fans and fans.
The star of Russian sports dances has a page on Instagram, to which more than 120 thousand people have subscribed. Evgeniy willingly communicates with subscribers and journalists, answers all questions and listens to criticism addressed to him. Evgeniy Papunaishvili created a page on this popular network to popularize dance classes and his dance school. Evgeniy built a modern, spacious room for dance classes with his own money before he had his own home. He considers dancing to be the main thing in his life and devotes all his strength to it. Today, Papunaishvli is rightfully considered the most expensive dance teacher and choreographer in Russia. He perfectly performs almost all types of sports dances :
- European;
- Latin American;
- ballroom;
- Caribbean mix;
- Argentine tango;
- hip-hop;
- electro-dance and other modern dance styles.
Since 2007, he has been actively appearing on television in dance shows. The first successful project was the program “Dancing with the Stars,” which made him recognizable to a huge audience.
Television career
Evgeniy Papuanishvili’s television career began with participation in one of the most successful television projects “Dancing with the Stars”, in which he acted as a professional partner and mentor of famous actresses, singers and TV presenters, among whom were :
- Natasha Koroleva;
- Ksenia Sobchak;
- Svetlana Ivanova;
- Irina Saltykova;
- Tatyana Bulanova;
- Albina Dzhanabaeva;
- Glafira Tarkhanova;
- Glucose;
- Alena Vodonaeva.
He took part in almost all seasons, and his partners, thanks to his unique teaching gift, were able to take prizes. The only failure in this sense was the duet with theater and film actress Glafira Tarkhanova, who failed to reach the finals. In a duet with singer Glukoza, Zhenya took first place. Working with such a partner helped Alena Vodonaeva take second place in the dance show; working with actress Svetlana Ivanova led to third place in the 2020 season.
In the history of this project,
Evgeniy became the most popular professional dancer who demonstrated not only the highest class skills, but also exceptional individuality.
Evgeniy not only demonstrates his dancing art to TV viewers, but also constantly tries himself in new roles. He took part in the television show “Without Insurance,” successfully performing with professional gymnast Leila Gruzdeva.
His project “I Can!” turned out to be interesting, in which singer, artist and bodybuilder Sergei Glushko, better known as Tarzan and the husband of Natasha Koroleva, performed with him.
Internet users remember the incredibly incendiary salsa in the dance studio, which journalist and writer Andrei Korzun performed with Evgeniy. This dance duet was created as part of an online dance training program that Papunaishvili conducted online for everyone who wanted to learn dance moves.
Evgeniy Papunaishvili: biography
Evgeniy Papunaishvili is a famous dancer, choreographer and participant in the “Dancing with the Stars” project, who attracts the audience’s attention to his dance thanks to his charisma, artistry and emotionality.
Dancer and choreographer Evgeniy Papunaishvili
Professional skills allowed the dancer to become a participant in the program “Without Insurance”, as well as become a member of the jury of the TV show “Amazing People”. He began his choreographic career while still a high school student, and today he is already the owner of a network of original dance schools.
Dancer's personal life
Until recently, Evgeniy was considered one of the most eligible bachelors in Moscow, who was credited with dizzying romances with all his partners in the show “Dancing with the Stars,” including Glucose. Throughout the project, Evgeniy spent a lot of time with his partner, which gave viewers and journalists a reason to draw a conclusion about the tender feelings that arose between them. However, upon completion of the project, Glucose did not leave her husband, and the relationship did not go beyond friendship between the famous pop singer and a successful dancer.
Evgeniy Papunaishvili himself, whose personal life has become the object of close interest of a large circle of people since his appearance on television, denies all speculation. He only confirms his affair with Ksenia Sobchak, which was not an easy hobby for him. They began to talk about their relationship in the glamor press before they started dating, publishing photos together. Viewers also expected that Ksyusha would finally get married. However, upon completion of the project, the romance ended and the marriage was never consummated.
The dancer’s nationality and natural temperament create the image of a frivolous heartthrob in the eyes of others. Evgeniy himself has repeatedly said in his interviews with journalists that he is looking for one and only woman with whom he would like to walk hand in hand through life.
Carier start
Considering the fact that dancing has been Evgeniy’s favorite pastime since early childhood. As a teenager, he began to take part in all sorts of major international tournaments, where he won one victory after another. In particular, Evgeniy won the open international tournament, which was held in Finland. The dancer also managed to win an award in Moscow. At that time, no one had any doubt that Evgeniy would have a bright career ahead, full of triumphant moments.
At the age of 21, the young man, who had already become a multiple winner of various festivals, decided to stay in teaching, teaching young boys and girls the skill. He started at Gala Dance. But he didn’t work there for very long, as he was soon able to open his own budget dance studio, D-Fusion. This happened in the Russian capital. It was then that he was finally convinced that he was created for this type of activity. And now no one will say for sure that dancing is not an activity for men, because training requires incredible endurance and fortitude from a person. Not everyone can endure the entire journey.
