Riccardo Cocchi

Riccardo Cocchi was born in Terni, Italy, and began his dancing career at the age of six in his parents’ dance studio. Initially, he showed an appreciation for International Ballroom (Standard) dancing, later transitioning to Latin dance completely. He competed in amateur divisions with various partners for several years before forming a significant partnership with Joanne Wilkinson from Australia in 1998. With Wilkinson, he achieved two-time World Amateur Latin Champion titles, ten-time Italian Amateur Champion titles, Professional Italian Latin Champion recognition, and became a Professional Grand Finalist at the UK, British, and World Championships. This partnership lasted for ten years until 2007.

In the fall of 2007, Cocchi partnered with Yulia Zagoruychenko, marking a turning point in his career. Together, they quickly ascended in the ballroom world, reaching the finals of major world championships. They secured their first World Latin Dance Championship title in 2010 and their second in 2011. The partnership continued to be highly successful, with Cocchi and Zagoruychenko winning their ninth world title in Blackpool, United Kingdom, at the Winter Garden Pavilion on November 18, 2018. They achieved their tenth and final world championship in Miami, USA, on October 26, 2019. Their consistent performance led them to be ranked world number one for Professional Latin dance. Outside of competitions, Riccardo Cocchi and Yulia Zagoruychenko have performed in various shows globally, including “Dance Legends” in New York starting in April 2012, and guest appearances at events such as the Shining Star Cup in 2023.

Throughout his career, Riccardo Cocchi has accumulated numerous titles in professional Latin dance. He and his partner have been U.S. National Professional Latin Champions from 2008 to 2019, British Open Professional Latin American Dance Champions from 2016 to 2019, and winners of the International Championships England in multiple years. They also consistently won titles at the U.S. Open, WDC Fred Astaire Cup Competition, Dutch Open, and various Asian Open Championships across different countries and years.