Alexey Mindel with his daughter Galina (photo from personal archive)
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Alexey Mindel is an almost ideal interviewee: he speaks freely, enthusiastically and easily. According to the horoscope - Leo, which is not at all surprising when you observe the breadth and... exactingness with which he treats himself and others.
“I’m kind of an adventurer. And I like to be the first. In any case, when I start doing something, I want to achieve leadership in it,” he says without undue modesty. “I can say that if If I didn’t want to make the best tournament, I wouldn’t be involved in the Spartak Cup if I didn’t want to make the biggest, most attractive network dance clubs, I would not do \"GallaDance\"\".
A maximalist to the core, he once put everything on the line. And lost everything: including own apartment in Yasenevo. But now, not without visible pleasure, he looks out of the window at Kutuzovsky, sometimes has breakfast at the Ritz hotel and flies first class to sunny Bali.
However, as usual, it all started not with business class, but with the work of a Komsomol organizer who organized school “lights” and discos for his classmates. However, Alexey not only watched others dance, but also danced himself. Ballroom dancing: started at the age of 10, finished at 19, successfully crossing the “A” class line.
Alexey began to show the makings of a future organizer at the age of thirteen. Then, in the pioneer camp, he organized his first "tournament". And, who would doubt it, at Mindel’s first tournament everything was “adult-like.” Almost like at the “Russian Open”: “For several years,” says Alexey, “I worked in a pioneer camp as the head of a ballroom dance club: I organized beautiful competitions at which we gave prizes, and choreographed a different dance for each pioneer detachment. I remember that the best pioneer detachment even danced a demonstration number. I think it was a lot of practice for me."
They say Alexey can be seen dancing today. But still, more often he can be seen on the floor with the presenter’s microphone. When asked where his oratorical abilities come from and whether this is the work of speech technique trainers, he answers jokingly: “No, everything is from nature, everything is from nature: beauty, becoming, and... speech.”
But Alexey still did not limit himself to the “gifts of nature,” and graduated from high school. By education, he is a certified teacher... of physics and astronomy. And although spectral analysis and thermodynamics have not been his profession for fifteen years, he still continues to study: “Now, if I lack any professional management skills, I work with a business coach, read special literature. Education is after all, not only my education, physics helps me systematize data, quickly make decisions, look for alternative solutions, which is very important in business."
Graduate of Moscow State Pedagogical University named after. V.I. Lenin, Alexey Mindel began to engage not only in the study of celestial bodies, but also in completely earthly managerial activities, already from the second year of the institute. But your star ticket to big business he pulled it out when in 1994, together with Natalya and Pavel Polosin, he began organizing the Spartak Cup. This tournament became his business card and found a response not only in the world of ballroom dance. However, after nine years successful work with the tournament, Alexey still decided to leave the project:
\"I was not interested in making a tournament for the sake of the tournament itself, or simply for the sake of collecting a large entry fee. There was a certain moment when I realized that the tournament had reached its ceiling in some way, and something needed to be changed in the scheme. I offered instead of a huge amount age groups and judges, invite the top ten referees, and the twenty-four best couples in the world, and make this tournament a spectacular program. So that the audience does not see a huge number of couples and an endless number of entries, but enjoys the dance of the best couples.
But, unfortunately, my idea did not find mutual understanding with the leadership of Spartak. I also understand them very well: they had children’s pairs, and these pairs had to be shown at the tournament. And my idea of making a children’s and youth tournament separately, in a more modest hall, and making one day at the Olympic Stadium, with greater media involvement and only with the best couples in the world, also did not find support.
Natalya and Pavel Polosin decided to continue the tournament in the same format. Our points of view on the development of the Spartak Cup diverged. Unfortunately, since I was involved in the development of this project, I sadly watched the decline of this tournament. I saw that the competition was losing momentum every year, that fewer couples were traveling. And \"Olympic\" is a hall that does not forgive mistakes: you just have to make one mistake in marketing, and that's it.\"
Alexey can talk about the Spartak Cup for a long time. It hurt. Especially now, when instead of the “Spartak” “Mindel” model of the nineties, two new tournaments appeared at once:
\"I have nothing to do with either one or the other tournament, and in this situation I do not want to support either one or the other tournament. But, to be honest, my heart hurts about everything that is happening now. Natasha ( Natalya Polosina - editor's note) began to hold the "Nikolai Ozerov Cup". The idea of organizing the Spartak Cup was born.
The Spartak Cup and Nikolai Ozerov are inseparable. And if the Spartak Cup was called the Spartak Cup named after Nikolai Ozerov, this would probably be an ideal option. But I understand, it seems, why Natasha does this. The name of Nikolai Nikolaevich Ozerov attracts, this is certainly legendary personality. But I am deeply convinced that if Natasha failed to work with Spartak, no matter what she called the tournament, given her organizational talent and respect among her colleagues, she would have gathered the couples, in any case. At least it would be fair to the organization that supported her for many years\".
However, he has almost turned the page of this favorite page in his life. Now there are new Pro-Am goals on his horizon. The network of Galladance clubs, which he organized in 2001 together with Olga Panchenko, thanks to thoughtful marketing and increased content of stars by one square meter parquet, has already managed to attract the attention of secular reporters. However, Galladance is in no hurry to position itself as a VIP club. “We treat our guests in such a way that both stars and non-stars feel the same,” he shares with our colleagues from the COMSTAR Community. “We have unspoken rule– all the “crowns” remain outside the door.”
Now Alexey Mindel is seriously determined to remove the elite label that stuck tightly to Pro-Am at the dawn of his Russian youth: \"The Pro-Am system is accessible to the middle class. In America, there are dance clubs in almost every quarter, in Moscow there are now, according to our estimates, no more than thirty. But I think anyone who can afford to dine at Yakitoria twice a week can afford to study individually with a teacher once a week and participate in the competition once every two months.”
It takes a lot of effort to convince the conservative Russian public of this: “We can conduct an experiment and ask the dancers how they feel about the Pro-Am system. And I know that many are skeptical about it. But I assure you that in three or four years, the situation will change, and dramatically. In three or four years, both the organizers, the dancers, and the functionaries will understand that this is the basis of the business, they will understand that Pro-Am is not necessarily a system for the rich and wealthy."
Well, Alexey himself has long been a secular person. Apparently, this is why his events always attract not only the rich and wealthy, but also just famous people: “I communicate a lot with stars,” he says, as if casually, “I work with Andrei Malakhov as a concert director, and this is also very interesting for me.” However, to my tricky question, would Alexey himself want to join the slender ranks of stars, he answers negatively: “Would I like to become popular? For what? As a character? I’m a producer. I’d rather be interested in doing some kind of project with a couple who would become a star. And in my circles I’m already quite famous, although, I won’t lie, I’m pleased when I see myself in gossip columns."
However, it is not without its shortcomings. He loves himself, but not to the point of passionate love, and demands from others. No less than from myself: “I can say that I’m probably not the easiest leader. But at the same time (should I say something in my own defense? - he laughs, thinks, and after a pause he continues seriously) people the people I work with are close to me."
This is probably why his employees also treat their boss with special care: “I remember how, after one Spartak Cup, my Internet went out in the office. At first I just didn’t understand what happened. It turns out that these are my the staff protected me from reading what was written there. And when I read it, I simply could not speak for three days. When you are inside the process and understand that what is written about the tournament is completely wrong. and you cannot speak out, as this will further inflame passions, it is emotionally difficult to cope with this. Moreover, it was for this “Spartak Cup” that we received the “Ovation” award for the first time in history, it was then, for the first time in history. , fifteen thousand spectators came to the tournament. Imagine what 15 thousand is! But now, of course, some things are easier to bear, because, regardless of the assessments from the outside, we all evaluate our work. -still within our company."
Archimedes' "Give me a point of support, and I will move the earth" - exactly about Mindel. His whole life is the organization of an eternal holiday. And for others to celebrate, he works 18 hours a day. And, oddly enough, he likes it! \"I simply wouldn't be able to work if it were otherwise\" Looking at Alexey, however, one gets the impression that he had just returned from some respectable beach in Sicily. But this impression is deceptive: “I have this habit. When I realize that I can’t do it anymore, I’m tired, everything annoys me, I go to the solarium.”
However, with such a schedule, only trips to the solarium will not save him, so sometimes he allows himself a week or two on the islands: “For me, rest is the sun, good food, good weather, good service. Therefore, I like to relax, as far as possible from Moscow: where there are few people, because all my work is about people." Alexey's vacation begins already on the plane, at the very moment when the flight attendant urgently asks all passengers to turn off their cell phones. “Now in four days I have to spend a total of 36 hours in flight,” says Alexey. “And I do it with joy, because I understand that this is the time when I can work on one of the projects, learn English, sleep , eat, read something. And at this time no one will call me."
When asked what else gives him pleasure in life, he answers immediately: “seeing his daughter.” Then he thinks for a second. \"Do you know what else gives me pleasure? Going somewhere in the morning, having breakfast at the hotel... But not alone, I can’t be alone, this is the worst thing that can happen to me. That’s probably why I really I like our corporate holidays. We have such a tradition - to celebrate my birthday with the whole company, from the cleaners to the top managers. And I am very pleased that we all get together on this holiday, because the company is my life, mine. brainchild.
For us New Year It’s still usually a hot time, and birthdays are just the low season. You know, we have so much fun every time!\" - Alexey plunges into pleasant memories, and only when I begin to be interested in the date of the general fun, does he realize the possible \"consequences\": \"Now the main thing is that DanceSport does not lead directly from there broadcast\". No, no, no, Alexey Mikhailovich, don’t even dream: agents of our information department can be hiding everywhere...
P.S.: I must admit that the very last question of this informative interview in every sense, although it was positioned as “stupid,” sounded indecently serious. Almost philosophical. Something like: \"Tell me, do you have any motto that defines your existence in this world?\". And do you know what he answered? \"And it was not such events that they failed!\".
GallaDance dance clubs recently celebrated their 13th anniversary. It is difficult to dispute the fact that at the moment GallaDance is the largest dance network in terms of geography, number of clubs, and recognition on the market. It is worth noting that GallaDance is the only dance company that received the “Brand of the Year” award, and over the 13 years of its existence it has established itself as a brand in the fullest sense of the word.
Olga Panchenko and Alexey Mindel
the site took the opportunity to meet with the owners of the GallaDance dance clubs: general director Alexey Mindel and President of the National Association of Clubs, Schools and Dance Studios Olga Panchenko.
Schools and dance studios in Moscow, and in the regions, huge amount. And every day there are more and more of them. Reveal the secret: what allowed you to become leaders and what distinguishes you from many other dance schools?
Alexey Mindel: From the very beginning, we conceived GallaDance as a company that provides high level dance training services. In dance clubs, in our opinion, an atmosphere should reign that allows people who were previously unfamiliar with dancing to learn to dance with pleasure and easily and find new circle communication. This is exactly what distinguishes our clubs from others.
Olga Panchenko: main distinctive features of our clubs is a club membership, which implies the presence of cards that give the opportunity to attend an unlimited number of group classes. Of course, this is a highly professional team of teachers who are constantly learning and regularly undergo training with invited experts. As a rule, our teachers are proficient in several dance styles. Much attention We also pay attention to our events: weekly parties, balls and other themed events, such as the upcoming charity dinner at the Ritz Carlton Moscow, which will be held on May 25 in support of the Wheelchair Dance Federation.
And, of course, I cannot help but mention the traditions that have developed in our company this year. And no matter what the new dance schools say, they still do not have a 13-year history behind them with their traditions, heroes, ups and downs. 
GallaDance Luzhniki - the first club of the dance network
Over the 13 years of operation, GallaDance dance clubs have managed to receive several prestigious awards, such as Brand of the Year, Luxury Brand Awards, Brand Awards, Fashion Awards, and were included in the Guinness Book of Records and the Russian Book of Records for the largest dance lesson in Russia. Now GallaDance has 14 clubs, 6 of which are located in Moscow, and 7 in other cities of Russia and Kazakhstan: St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Rostov-on-Don, Perm, Chelyabinsk, Almaty, Tyumen.
- There is an opinion that GallaDance is clubs exclusively for wealthy people.
Olga Panchenko: If we take into account that a person practices dancing 2-3 times a week, attends group lessons, and divides the cost of a club card by the total cost of group lessons used under this regime, then one lesson comes out even cheaper in cost than average cost classes in Moscow. Another thing is that not everyone can afford to pay for training three months in advance.
- And for those who cannot afford to get a club card, can you offer something?
Alexey Mindel: Three years ago we opened another brand - D-FUSION dance studios, designed specifically for this audience. When creating this brand, we tried to take into account all the needs of those clients who want to dance, but are not ready to pay for training in advance or who are not so interested in the club component. D-FUSION is a dance studio that provides training in a large number directions. It has its own system of paying for tuition and registering for lessons, designed for a younger audience. You can buy a ticket online, which you can immediately download to your mobile device. Thus, we were able to reduce the cost of serving guests, making this format more accessible, however, the quality does not suffer from this. We believe that the level of training and service here is higher than in other dance schools in Moscow.
Olga Panchenko: We are pleased to note that students of D-FUSION dance studios are also involved with interest in the club life of our company; they have the opportunity to attend some events held by GallaDance. For example, the D-FUSION team successfully performed at the traditional team competition GallaDance Cup. We entrust high hopes for the development of this brand, because this format is suitable not only for cities with a population of over a million, but also for small towns and residential areas of Moscow. 
Open day at the dance studio D-FUSION
- How do you see the future of the GallaDance management company?
Alexey Mindel: The question is more than relevant for us now. In the very near future, we plan to make a fairly big leap both in terms of geographic distribution and in terms of the number of studios and clubs. Our plans include opening GallaDance clubs in all cities with a population of over a million in Russia and the CIS and opening D-FUSION studios in cities with a population of 300,000 people or more. Olga Panchenko: This requires large capital investments, and therefore we are now in active search partners who share our ideology and want to take part with us in the development of the network.
- Do you need such partners to open clubs in Moscow? And, in general, are you going to open new clubs and studios in the capital?
Alexey Mindel: We believe that today there are a sufficient number of clubs operating in Moscow. Perhaps we can still consider some areas that seem promising in Moscow, but, in general, we are not going to significantly increase the number of GallaDance clubs in the capital. But, given our plans for intensive growth of the company, we are ready to consider the issue of selling one or more of the existing Moscow clubs and further work on the franchising system.
Olga Panchenko: Now the management company operates in two segments: b2b and b2c. In the medium term, we want to switch to the b2b (business to business) format, so now we are ready to attract new partners to develop the network. Ideally, in the future we would like to leave one club as a kind of testing ground for testing new technologies, and entrust all other clubs to our partners. 
Alexey Mindel, Olga Panchenko, teachers and students at the party, dedicated to the Day birth of the GallaDance club Barvikha, 2012
- Who can become your partner?
Alexey Mindel: First of all, these are people who are passionate about dancing, who are interested in it not only from the point of view of making money, but also from the point of view of developing the industry and the opportunity to apply their talents and their vision. Despite the fact that clubs operate according to very strict, prescribed rules, each owner still has the opportunity to bring something of his own and be creative.
Olga Panchenko: In addition, we have special programs for those partners who open clubs together with our employees. Special preferential conditions are provided for them. It is gratifying that our teachers and students become our business partners: Denis Kasper and Alexandra Petryaeva (owners of the GallaDance Monarch Center club), Denis Tagintsev and Yulia Pogrebinskaya, Dmitry Vasin (dance studio D-FUSION).
- Are there any additional benefits from partnership with management company GallaDance, besides those that you have already voiced?
Olga Panchenko: Club owners can be completely confident that club employees will be trained proper operation in clients who will receive a level of service worthy of them. In addition, clients will have the opportunity to participate in club-wide activities, which will stimulate their desire to engage in clubs. 
Olga Panchenko and Dmitry Krupnov during the charity event "Dance with your heart" at GallaDance WTC
- At one time, GallaDance were the first in this market in Russia. Is the leadership still there now?
Alexey Mindel: Undoubtedly. We understand that in our time it is impossible to be an exclusive monopolist, and we offer our clients the best. If you look at last competition GallaDance Cup, which was held only for students of our clubs, you can see that the number of participants was even greater than in open tournaments.
Olga Panchenko: Realizing that we cannot be monopolists, we created at one time National Association clubs, schools and dance studios, which helps develop not only GallaDance clubs. We are happy to share our knowledge, best practices and experience with members of the association. 
Alexey Mindel and Sofya Seminskaya during the charity event "Dance with your heart" at GallaDance WTC
How can potential partners find you? If someone has read this interview and decided to become your partner, what steps should they take?
Alexey Mindel: There is a special page on our website that tells about the conditions of franchising, and there are all the contacts of managers who can tell all the details and answer all questions.
Dancing - the best remedy from loneliness and stress, say the organizers of the GallaDance dance clubs Alexey Mindel and Olga Panchenko
Lifestyle dancing attracts many people different professions and ages, becoming an increasingly fashionable form of social leisure. The demand for dance services is leading to the opening of new clubs throughout the country. Among them, the dance clubs of Alexey Mindel and Olga Panchenko stand out for their format and the high level of not only teaching, but also related services.
Six years ago, Olga Panchenko and Alexey Mindel opened the first dance club in Luzhniki, which became both a business and a part of their soul. The initiative to create it belonged to Vladimir Ilyich Leshdin, Olga’s father.
Are there really that many adults who want to learn to dance?
Olga Panchenko: I have never met people who didn’t like to dance. There are many who don’t know how and are very embarrassed about it. And it’s especially pleasant when, after several classes at the club, a person begins to move, catch movements, control his body, and as a result, becomes liberated. This is amazing and amazing.
Our first club in Luzhniki is six years old, and this year we opened our third club in Olimpiysky. We create interiors with the help of professional designers, based on our aesthetic beliefs. We don’t just teach you how to move on the parquet, but create a certain atmosphere and mood. And I am very happy when I see how our students are imbued with this atmosphere.
The club at Luzhniki is known for its parties on Fridays, which sometimes last until four in the morning. Are you planning to do something similar at the new club?
Alexey Mindel: Here we plan for the first time in our country to organize something that has already become very popular in Europe and America. These are the so-called dance dinners. Ladies and gentlemen in evening dresses under beautiful music can taste delicious food and dance - a real social evening. And our teachers will always be ready to play the role of a partner.
How much do you think dancing can fit into the lifestyle of the average person?
Alexey Mindel: They really can! And we see this in many of our students. And for me, dancing is my way of life. I've been doing this for so long! As a child, I danced myself, then organized dance tournaments, and later it all grew into a business. By the way, when opening our first club in Luzhniki, we did not set any business goals for ourselves. We did this for friends and acquaintances who wanted to learn to dance. And when they realized that the club had become popular, a business emerged.
Olga Panchenko: For me, dancing is a part of life, and the best one, associated with very good emotions, mood, freedom, communication.
In one of your interviews you said that business woman It’s much easier to dance for an hour with a teacher than to run on a treadmill. This is probably why you have 30 male teachers in your club?
Olga Panchenko: I can tell you from my own feelings that after the treadmill there is no such feeling of lightness and joy, such good emotions. There is fatigue and a feeling of accomplishment that you have worked out, set some standards for yourself and fulfilled the standards. And after the dance hall you are always in high spirits, you feel light, healthy, and you leave literally dancing.
How difficult is it to attract dance stars and award-winning athletes to become club teachers?
Alexey Mindel: From the very beginning, we assumed that people would come to the club who, on the one hand, are very busy, and on the other hand, are accustomed to a certain level of comfort and service, but we did not at all set ourselves the task of attracting only stars to teach. When we hire a person, we first of all look at how sincere, friendly and hospitable he can be with our guest. And only then do we take into account his titles and star titles. Therefore, the club employs not only famous dancers, but also guys who, although they have not reached heights in sports, are very loved by the guests of our club.
Olga Panchenko: It is not so easy to find contact with a client, because each person needs his own approach. Exercise is not only movement, but also constant communication, unlike, for example, the gym, where a person is focused and immersed in himself.
Are you positioning yourself as an elite club?
Alexey Mindel: We do not position ourselves as an elite club. We started with this when we had a very small hall that did not allow us to accommodate everyone. That is why in Luzhniki in 2001 we conducted lessons on the basis of VIP-Luzhniki, which was dictated by the circle of students.
Olga Panchenko: From that time on, apparently, this reputation began. In fact, we have a very diverse audience, different categories of trainers, training options, club membership, which includes some privileges and discounts.
Alexey Mindel: We are pleased when people decide to call to find out our prices and are pleasantly surprised by them. Despite the fact that we provide the most best conditions comfort and service for our guests, our prices for lessons are average in Moscow.
Business duet
Alexey Mindel - organizer of the most prestigious Russian competition By ballroom dancing"Spartak Cup" (which presented such stars as Anna Bezikova and Dmitry Timokhin), general producer of the International Tournament "Glory to Russia" - the largest competition in which more than 5,000 dance couples participate. Part-time director of the famous presenter Andrei Malakhov. He heads the company Dance Promotion Group, which organizes the annual Russian Open Championship and an annual tournament in Kazakhstan.
Olga Panchenko is a co-owner of the GallaDance chain of dance clubs. The first, whose 6th anniversary was celebrated on February 17, 2007, is known to many as the Luzhniki dance club. Another one is in the Dream House design center in Barvikha.
Future plans for the development of the “dance empire” include the opening of two or three more clubs in Moscow.
Related business - suits, shoes, etc. are also among your interests?
Olga Panchenko: This is their integral part, because even with any gym there is always a store where you can buy more convenient form, shoes.
Alexey Mindel: Our business is creating conditions for dancing, good mood, stress relief. As for the sale of dance accessories, this is not a business, but rather an additional service for clients, creating greater convenience so that they do not have to travel around Moscow in search of suitable pair shoes
Do you have a problem communicating with celebrity clients?
Alexey Mindel: We treat our guests in such a way that both stars and non-stars feel the same. We have an unspoken rule - all “crowns” remain outside the door.
Olga Panchenko: Whoever comes to us always receives a very high level of service and respect. We welcome everyone and pay attention to everyone.
There are more and more dance halls, and they are not empty. So dancing is part of our everyday culture?
Olga Panchenko: Of course, the number of applicants is growing every year.
Alexey Mindel: We are doing everything possible for this. In addition, I believe that the number of people who allow themselves to free time dancing is an indicator of economic stability in the country. And now, especially in Moscow, it feels like people are dancing with pleasure.
Is it necessary to attend classes regularly?
Olga Panchenko: Differently. Someone comes to prepare for the Vienna Ball, for a wedding, for some event. And then he stays and continues to study.
Alexey Mindel: There are club members who spend five days a week with us. It happens that some people are going through a difficult period in their lives - then in the club they find a way to combat stress, a way to relax.
Do you have intra-club competitions?
Alexey Mindel: We have many traditions, one of them is holding an internal competition among club members, when we invite eminent referees, and they evaluate couples as if they were at a real competition. We do this every year. This year, for the opening of our club in Barvikha, we held the Russian-American ProA meeting for the first time, where two American couples came to compete with ours. In addition, every summer we hold a Danceclube Avordce ceremony, during which we select the ten most notable members of our club. Moreover, this has nothing to do with their social status and the size of their fortune, these are really those who showed themselves most clearly in club life. We have such nominations as “queen of dance”, “knight of dance”, “ best friend“- it is received by the club member who brought more of his friends to the club during the year. There is a nomination “keeper of tradition” - for the one who has been loyal to the club the longest.
Everyone dances!
The GallaDance club set a new record. As part of the “Learn to Dance” festival, held at Luzhniki this summer, 1,830 people simultaneously took part in a mass dance lesson. The new figure is included in the Russian Book of Records, and the documents are sent to the Guinness Book of Records.
Anyone could take part in the festival. Each guest, having purchased a ticket, tried his hand at dancing throughout the day. various directions- Latin American, oriental, European ballroom, Lindy and hip-hop, modern jazz and capoeiro, tango, flamenco.
A significant lesson was taught by GallaDance club teacher Evgeniy Papunaishvili (pictured) - a titled athlete, as well as a participant in the reality show “Dancing with the Stars” on the RTR channel (partner of Natasha Koroleva).
Is there competition in the dance business?
Olga Panchenko: Certainly! But we are one of the first. And perhaps it’s even easier for us in some ways.
Alexey Mindel: On the one hand, it’s easier, but on the other, we have to maintain this level every time. There are a lot of clubs, there is competition, many are starting to copy our organizational system. But to a certain extent, we can afford, at least for now, to call ourselves trendsetters. Many of our types of services and parties are often copied by others.
On the club's website there is an offer to purchase a franchise for your business. Has anyone already purchased it?
Alexey Mindel: Let's not rush things. It is important for us that along with our name, our followers also assimilate our standards. Indeed, we have developed a proposal that fully describes our business. Now the first franchising agreement is at the signing stage, there are also offers from other cities. But we’re not in a hurry yet, because the brand and name itself are very dear to us. And we carefully select our partners.
Is the opening of a club in Barvikha connected with an attempt to attract its elite residents to dance?
Alexey Mindel: In general, everyone wants to dance, including the rich. Among our club members are not only the wives of oligarchs and millionaires. Let's just say that we train successful people... Olga Panchenko: Accomplished top managers who earn decent money and are able to provide themselves with quality leisure time. Some people deny themselves fitness center cards and come to us, others come to both the fitness club and us. We have a very wide audience. We have ballroom, Latin, modern, and oriental dancing, there is yoga. For this purpose, there will be six dance halls in Luzhniki, three in Olimpiysky, and one large transforming hall in Barvikha. We are able to satisfy almost all wishes.
Do you have any star students?
Alexey Mindel: Natalya Koroleva, Elena Starostina, Marina Alexandrova, Tatyana Arno, Irina Ponarovskaya, Alina Kabaeva, Andrei Malakhov, the wife and daughter of Valery Syutkin, Ekaterina Liepa, so we can say that our elite went into dancing. Many are constantly studying, while others, due to their busy schedules, only have time to prepare for some event. For example, Dima Bilan took only a few lessons for his act.
What are your plans?
Alexey Mindel: Opening two or three more clubs in Moscow, after which we will open a regional network.
Did you focus on international experience when creating your dance clubs?
Alexey Mindel: When we wrote the concept, we took into account both American and European experience. As a result, we came up with a system that combines all the best that has already been developed in this area. At the same time it turned out completely new product, focused on our people. The club takes into account the frantic rhythm in which Moscow lives. This is not New York and Europe. We had to develop a whole range of marketing moves. We took into account all the conditions, added our ideas, and it turned out what you see now in our club. And the system is a significant success.
Irina Ovcharova
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Participant name: Alexey Mindel
City: Moscow
Education: Moscow Pedagogical state university them. V.I. Lenin
Job: owner of GallaDance Guru Center
Found an inaccuracy? Let's correct the profile
Read with this article:
Alexey Mindel started dancing at the age of 10. Over the next decade, he showed the makings of an excellent dancer, as well as an organizer. At the age of 13, he organized a tournament in a pioneer camp, where everything was quite serious.
Today he also continues to dance, but most often Alexey can be seen as a leader on the floor. He admits that he has always been eloquent by nature.
Biography
After school, he entered the Lenin Moscow Pedagogical State University to study as a physicist.
In 1994 he became director of the Spartak dance center. He held this position until 2001. His area of activity included organizing and producing the International Ballroom Dance Cup. He can be proud of such titles as laureate of the Ovation and Exercise awards, and Milledance Show.
Alexey is a co-founder and co-owner of the network of dance clubs GallaDance since 2001 in the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan. He has won such awards as Fashion Awards, Brand of the Year 2008, Brand Awards, Luxury Brand Awards.
The network of clubs exists and develops thanks to perfectly thought-out marketing. There are a lot of stars on the floor, and therefore she simply cannot go unnoticed. Also this organization You can't call it a VIP club, but that's not Galladance's main mission.
Alexey admits that his whole life is scheduled minute by minute. Sometimes you have to work 18 hours a day without rest in order to organize a real holiday for others. But Mindel doesn't complain at all. On the contrary, he says that he cannot imagine his life any other way.
Participation in the show “Now I’m the Boss!”
Alexey Mindel in 2018 became a participant in the project “Now I’m the Boss!” on Friday TV channel. He will have to change places for 3 days with Elena Kozhenova, who is developing the ML Dance studio. She has never been at the helm of such a powerful business project, and therefore difficult challenges await her.
We need to find an approach to clients and agree on cooperation with the singer and blogger. Alexey should help Kozhenova to improve management dance studio, introducing new technologies and rules into its activities.
Personal life and interests
- Alexey has a daughter. She's already an adult. They don’t spend much time together, but these minutes bring special pleasure to the dancer’s life.
- According to some information on the Internet, Alexey Mindel is the director and assistant of Andrei Malakhov. How relevant this information is now is unknown.
- He notes that even a banal breakfast in a cafe can lift his mood for the whole day. They have a tradition of celebrating Alexey’s birthday with a friendly group of relatives.
- Alexey visits the solarium quite often. This has already become his habit, although those around him have the impression that he was vacationing abroad at resorts.
- In fact, Mindel visits the islands, but not so often. He allows himself a week of relaxation at a warm resort, noting that there must be warm sun, delicious food and a high level of service. He tries to move as far away from Moscow as possible during his vacation, because he gets tired of the bustle of this metropolis. At this time he turns off his mobile phone.