About Richard Tymko
A top professional dance teacher in North America — multi-champion, choreographer, judge, and the driving force behind RU Dancing Academy in Calgary.
A Career Built on Excellence
Richard is recognized as a top professional teacher in North America. He has won several top teacher awards within Canada and the United States at dance events including Calgary, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Orlando, Portland, Las Vegas, San Jose, New Mexico, Dallas, New York and Nashville.
Several of his amateur students are World Grand Champions at Newcomer, Novice, Intermediate, Advanced and Showcase levels. Over the past 30 years, Richard has also coached couples ranging from juniors to adults who have attained World Championship status.
Competitive Dance Roots
Richard and his former partner began their dance partnership in the swing world, dancing in the Classic Swing Division. In the late 90s, they danced at swing events including the Portland Dance Festival, Sacramento's Capital Swing Dancers, the North West Pacific Swing Dance Championships, and the US Open.
They added country dances to their routines and competed in Showcase Division I, placing 5th at the 1997 UCWDC World Championships in Disneyland.
World Championship Team
Richard and his former partner choreographed and coached local country dance teams in Calgary to World Championships:
- In 1997, they formed the Rhythms Dance Team and competed at the World Championships in Nashville, placing 3rd.
- In 1999, the team achieved an astonishing 1st Place win at the UCWDC World Championships in San Antonio, Texas — out of 22 competitive teams.
- This dedicated team attained Canada's still only 1st Place Grand Championship in the Team Division.
Movie, TV & Stage Credits
Richard's credits include working as choreographer, coach, and dancer in:
- CW's Montana Mavericks — starring Katherine McNamara · Choreographer & Line Dance Scene
- CBC's Heartland — Seasons 17 & 18 · Personal Dance Coach for Jessica Steen / Choreographer
- Nora Roberts' "Montana Skies" — directed by Mike Robe, starring Laura Mennell, John Corbett and Diane Ladd
- Janette Oke's "When Calls the Heart" — directed by Michael Landon Jr., starring Maggie Grace and Stephen Amell
- AMC's "Hell On Wheels" — Season 1 Finale, starring Colm Meaney, Anson Mount and Dominique McElligott
- Brooks & Dunn — "Hard Working Man" — Music video filmed in Las Vegas
View full Movie, TV & Stage Credits →
Teaching & Coaching
Richard has mainly focused his talents on coaching and teaching, taking pride in his students' successes with social dance skills and competitive dance. His social group classes focus on having a good time while students of all ages learn timing, rhythm, footwork, posture and patterns.
Richard's Story
Richard Tymko was born in Edmonton, Alberta and began his dance career as a break-dancing teenager. Later, while living in Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, he became interested in Ballroom and Latin. On his return to Edmonton, Richard taught country and western styles of couples dance at local bars, community centres, and workshops across Canada and the US.
Embracing his Ukrainian heritage, Richard also loved traditional folk dance and was a member of the professional Edmonton-based folk dance group "Vinok". Richard has since returned to Vinok as a choreographer and expert in country dance. Richard moved to Calgary to further his dance career and is a Master Level Certified Judge on the United Country and Western Dance Council circuit.
About Isabelle
In August of 2007, Richard and Cindy were blessed with the birth of their baby girl Isabelle, who already shows signs of a love and talent for dance. Izzie has attended dance competitions since she was two months old in a stroller.
Isabelle danced at her first World Championships at the age of five — dancing against competitors of eight and nine years of age — where she brought home a 3rd Place World Championship. Pretty darn good for a first-time five-year-old!
