Daughter of former Strictly star and rugby player, aged just 8, wins prestigious national dance award

Mila Cohen, whose parents are Kristina Rihanoff and Ben Cohen, was named one of the ‘juvenile soloists of the year’ in the under 12s category at the Le Classique Industry Awards.

Each year, six top dancers from each age and dance category are nominated at the Le Classique de Danse competition at Blackpool’s iconic Winter Gardens Ballroom.

Mila has trained with her mother since she founded her dance school, Bespoke Ballroom, back in 2019.

Not only was Mila one of the six nominees in the ballroom and latin category, but she was the youngest winner of the award. She was pictured with the reigning Strictly Come Dancing champion Vito Coppola while collecting her award.

Kristina, who is a world-renowned dancer and judge, told the Chronicle & Echo: “Winning this award was a very special moment for our local dancing community, and it’s proven that Northamptonshire has plenty of local talent.

“It’s not just about my daughter, it’s the fact that Northampton has very strong and talented dancers.”

In the half a decade since the dance school was founded, Bespoke Ballroom has already produced a number of national finalists and champions.

Alongside Mila, another Bespoke Ballroom student was also nominated in the junior soloist under 16s category. Annalise Walker is a regular finalist in all major national championships, which Kristina believes shows there is a place for the young people of our county to dance at the highest level.

Next month, Kristina is inviting children of all ages to join her beginners ballroom classes – in which she and her team of professional teachers train young people to the “highest level possible”.

This opportunity does not come up often, as Kristina was unable to invite newcomers to the studio last year as the sessions were already packed.

Kristina and Ben wanted to take the opportunity to express how proud they are of their daughter, who has already seen great success at eight years old as she follows in her mother’s footsteps.

For more information on training with Kristina Rihanoff, visit Bespoke Ballroom’s website here.