Larisa Angela Bakurova (, , commonly shortened to , ''Ruìshā''; born February 21, 1985) is a
Ukrainian-born
Taiwanese actress and model.
Bakurova is the first naturalized Taiwanese citizen of Ukrainian descent.
Early life
Bakurova started training for
rhythmic gymnastics
Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform individually or in groups on a floor with an apparatus: hoop (rhythmic gymnastics), hoop, ball (rhythmic gymnastics), ball, Clubs (rhythmic gymnastics), clubs, ribbon (rhythmic gymnastics), ...
at age 3. At age 6, she entered
Deriugins School in Kyiv. She has won numerous national competitions until she got injured at 16.
She won Miss
Kyiv
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
at the age of 18.
She graduated from
Odesa National Economics University with a master's degree in economics.
Career
Besides her modeling engagements, she has appeared in supporting roles in the
Taiwanese drama
Taiwanese drama (, also known as T.W. drama) refer to dramatic programming of television programming extended stories usually dramatizing relationships through the general range of ten to forty one-hour episodes. They are produced in Taiwan and ha ...
''They Kiss Again'' and the film
''Don't Go Breaking My Heart''. In 2012, Bakurova starred in the film ''Young Dudes'' directed by
DJ Chen Yin-Jung.
In 2020, she started her own rhythmic gymnastics gym Rising Star RG in Taiwan. Besides coaching, she would also invite professional rhythmic gymnasts such as
Anna Bessonova to host workshops.
Since 2023, she led her female gymnastics team to
Miss Valentine competition for junior female gymnasts.
Personal life
In 2013, Bakurova obtained the Taiwan
Permanent Resident Certificate and began the
naturalization
Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...
process. She married a Taiwanese national in 2015 and gave birth to daughters in 2016 and in 2022.
On January 24, 2019, Bakurova became the first naturalized Taiwanese citizen of Ukrainian descent, which required a long process to
renounce her Ukrainian citizenship since Ukraine does not have a
consulate
A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth countries, a ...
in Taiwan.
就是要當台灣人！瑞莎領身份證爆哭：一家人都同國籍很幸福
/ref>
Filmography
Television
Film
Music Video
References
External links
*
Official facebook
*
1985 births
Living people
Ukrainian female models
Ukrainian film actresses
Ukrainian television actresses
Taiwanese female models
Taiwanese film actresses
Taiwanese television actresses
Naturalized citizens of Taiwan
Immigrants to Taiwan
Ukrainian emigrants
Odesa National Economics University alumni
21st-century Ukrainian actresses
21st-century Taiwanese actresses
{{Taiwan-actor-stub