Nikolay, a ballet dancer born and raised in Russia, has always been an active child. The moment he heard music, he couldn't stop moving. His hometown, Perm, is surrounded by forests, and his father would occasionally take the family skiing in the woods. Although Nikolay once considered learning figure skating, fate led him to start ballet at the age of six.

In most people's minds, Russia is a country with a thriving ballet scene, but in reality, there are few boys who study ballet, as most ballet students are girls. However, Nikolay not only loved ballet but also showed exceptional talent. His teachers encouraged him to audition for a ballet school, and he was accepted into the Perm State Ballet School. Later, he joined the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre, earning numerous accolades, such as a gold medal at the Perm International Ballet Competition and a special jury award at the Varna International Ballet Competition.

After marrying a Japanese woman, Nikolay and his family lived in Russia for a while. In 2007, for various reasons, they relocated to Japan, where he joined the K-Ballet Company led by Tetsuya Kumakawa. He continued performing with the company until July 2015, when he transitioned to being a freelance dancer. Today, he aspires to become an excellent ballet teacher and is working hard to achieve that goal.

When Nikolay first moved to Japan, he realized the importance of learning Japanese, so he began studying at a nearby KUMON center. However, since KUMON's Japanese language materials were only available in English, Portuguese, and Chinese, with no Russian version, he had to use the English version. His English was not very strong, so he relied on both English-Japanese and Japanese-Russian dictionaries to help him study. Although it was very challenging at first, he persisted for more than five years. Now, not only can he speak Japanese fluently, but when asked about his experience, he responds with the Japanese proverb "石の上にも三年".

This proverb means that, no matter how cold a stone may be, if you sit on it for three years, it will eventually warm up. It's used to suggest that although the process of achieving something may be tough, if you have patience, you will eventually succeed. Nikolay uses his own experience of learning with KUMON to encourage others: with effort and persistence, a beautiful result is sure to follow. He hopes everyone will strive for their dreams and never give up!