About Me
My name is Luca Teodor Butnaru, and I’m a ballroom dancer representing Romania in the Standard division under the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF).
I started dancing when I was a kid, without really knowing where this path would take me. At first, it was just curiosity: music, movement, energy. Step by step, every competition, every training session, taught me discipline, perseverance, and the joy of pushing myself beyond limits.
The First Steps
I grew up competing locally and nationally, learning how to handle both victories and defeats. From the very first local events to national championships, every competition taught me something: how to work harder, how to deal with failure, and how to keep going.
When I formed a partnership with Julia, my current partner, was one of the turning points. Together, we built a partnership based on trust, discipline, and a shared goal: to represent Romania on the biggest floors in the world.
2024 – A Year to Remember
If I had to describe 2024 in one word, it would be breakthrough. It was the year when years of work came together:
- WDSF Under-21 European Champion – Cambrils, Spain (March 30, 2024)
- WDSF Under-21 World Champion – Wuhan, China (April 27, 2024)
- Gold medals in every U21 competition we entered in 2024
Standing on those podiums, hearing Romania’s anthem, was a moment that made every sacrifice — long training hours, missed weekends, and constant travel worth it.
Stepping Up
After our Under-21 success, we moved into the Adult Standard division. The level is higher, the competition is stronger, but that only motivates us more:
- Current WDSF World Ranking: #15 in Adult Standard
- Total Points: 3685 (as of June 2026)
- Strong results in high-level competitions across Europe and Asia.
Recognition
In 2024, together with Julia, we were nominated at the Romanian Sports Gala, winning the “Young Hopes of Romanian Sport” Award, an acknowledgment of our results and of the work behind them. It was one of those rare moments when we slowed down, looked back, and realized how far we’d come.
Behind the Scenes
Results don’t happen by accident. Behind every title, there are hours of practice and a lot of discipline:
- We train four hours a day, six days a week.
- Our team is much bigger than just the two of us — we also train with other professors and top coaches from around the world to refine our technique and broaden our perspective.
- We regularly attend training camps across Europe and beyond, learning from some of the best in DanceSport.
- Every training session has one goal: to be a little better than we were yesterday.
Looking Ahead
The journey continues. Our goal is to climb higher in the Adult Standard rankings, represent Romania on more podiums, and keep growing as dancers and athletes.
For me, dance is not just about titles or rankings. It’s about telling a story on the floor, sharing emotions without words, and constantly testing my own limits.
This is just the beginning.