[1] Born on September 11, 1981, in Belgorod, Russia, Zagoruychenko began Russian Folklore ensemble dancing at the age of four.

[2][1] As a child, she enjoyed watching and copying dancers on TV, so her mother agreed to enroll her in dance classes.

[5] They recently won their 5th consecutive US National Professional Latin Champions title at the US Open Dance Competition.

[7] Yulia cites other forms of dance besides Latin, as well as from other musicians, including Cyd Charisse, Fred Astaire, Diana Vishneva, Gaynor Fairweather, and Donnie Burns.

She is also inspired by musicians Jose Feliciano, Tina Turner, Andrea Bocelli, Christina Aguilera, and the dance companies Pilobolus and Alvin Ailey.