Despite this, she learned complex dance techniques and gathered the courage to perform in front of thousands of spectators.
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After the performance, Irina received a “yes” from all three judges – exactly the evaluation she expected.
Before going on stage, Irina said she works as an HR manager in IT, so she spends most of the day sitting. However, as an adult, she decided to finally fulfill an old dream.
“If I could rewrite my life now, I would definitely give myself the chance to dance earlier. But since I can’t rewrite it, I can create it here and now,” said the contestant.
She did not hide that she was worried about her appearance and thought not all viewers would appreciate her performance positively. Still, Irina hoped that at least one person in the hall would like her dance.
“There will be people who say: ‘Why did she, being so fat, go on stage?’ But I hope there will be at least one person in the hall who will say: ‘Ira, I liked your dance!’ That will be enough for me,” she admitted.
On stage, the 46-year-old Ukrainian performed a passionate oriental dance and demonstrated a complex isolation technique – moving a certain part of the body while the rest of the torso remains still.
The performance made the biggest impression on judge Olena Kravets. She admitted to being stunned by Irina’s skill, especially knowing that the woman has been dancing for only three years.
“I am shocked. I just didn’t expect that such a result could be achieved in three years. Considering her weight, it is very difficult,” said Kravets.
Later, the judge called Irina a true artist and even compared her to a witch, marveling at the energy of her performance.
“Irina, you are wonderful, so artistic. My God, you are a real witch! I am incredibly happy for you. I am very glad that three years ago you decided to start dancing, and later you had that crazy idea: ‘Why not try to participate in Ukraine’s Got Talent?’ It even gives me chills. What a feeling!” said the judge.
Meanwhile, Stanislav Boklan reacted to what he saw with humor. He emphasized that during the dance he did not pay attention to Irina’s weight at all.
“Listen, it’s magical, wonderful, enchanting, very feminine. They mentioned some kilograms – I didn’t see them. I saw a person who enjoys what they do,” said Boklan.
Artem Pivovarov was also impressed by the contestant. He emphasized that her energy is so strong that he would not want Irina to leave Ukraine.
“I really don’t want you to leave Ukraine. You would be grabbed immediately here. You are just full of energy and so cool that I want you to stay here,” said the performer.
Irina admitted that until the very last moment she did not believe the judges would evaluate her performance positively because she does not consider herself a professional dancer.
“I started dancing at 43. At that time, I weighed 115 kilograms. I work remotely as an HR manager in IT. It’s a sedentary job – I hardly move at all. I raised a child, and then I started dancing,” she said.
It is known that Iryna Karpenko-Golcova is originally from Baku, Azerbaijan. As a child, she dreamed of dancing, but due to the family’s difficult financial situation, she could not attend dance lessons. Later, studies, children, and career took the most important place in her life.
When the large-scale Russian invasion began, Irina lived in Irpin with her daughter. Later, the family moved to Volyn. It was there that the woman decided not to postpone her dreams any longer and signed up for her first online belly dance lesson.
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Irina’s performance:
