Berlin, Germany, hosted the 2019 WDSF World Championship Senior 1 Standard on Saturday. 192 couples started the competition. The silver medalist couple of 2017 World Championship and number two on the current World Ranking List, Dmitry Vorobiev – Oxana Skripnik (RUS) reached their first title together by winning all five dances of the World Championship final. The result was also clear for the silver medalists, as the winners from last year, Fabian Wendt – Anne Steinmann (GER) were ranked second in all dances of the final. Corentin Normand – Laura Lozingue (FRA) won the bronze medals.
Chisinau, Moldova, hosted the 2019 WDSF European Championship Youth Latin. 55 young couples started the competition and filled the whole venue with their explosive energy and superb talent. In front of the home crowd the current number ones on the World Ranking List, Vladislav Untu – Polina Baryshnikova (MDA) won the title by winning all five dances in the final. The 2017 World Champions in Junior 2 Latin, German Pugachev – Ariadna Tishova (RUS) won the silver medals and Marian Hlavac – Tereza Maturova (CZE) won the bronze medals. The top two couples of the European Championship didn’t celebrate their success too long after the competition on Saturday, as they participated the WDSF Youth Open Latin on Sunday, and repeated the result by ranking first and second.
In addition to title events, there were also World Open competitions during the weekend. Madis Abel – Aleksandra Galkina (EST) were ranked winners of the World Open Standard in Berlin. Timur Imametdinov – Nina Bezzubova (GER) won the World Open Latin and Edgars Linis – Eliza Ancane (LAT) stepped on the highest podium of the World Open Standard in Cambrils, Spain.
Congratulations to the Champions, medalists, and finalists in all events!
World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) President Shawn Tay met with Ser Miang Ng, Executive Board Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), on 18 April in Singapore to discuss a range of topics related to WDSF’s role as a valued member of the Olympic Movement.
President Tay said he was delighted to meet with Mr. Ng, and the two had very positive and productive discussions.
During the meeting, the pair discussed a number of wide-ranging issues, including: the governance, roles and responsibilities of the WDSF as an IOC Internationally Recognised Sports Federation; the possible inclusion of the dance sport discipline Breaking in the Summer Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the development of the WDSF’s other disciplines.
President Tay said he valued the input from the long-time Olympic and sports administrator and added that he looked forward to continued dialogue with Mr. Ng in the months ahead.
The IOC Executive Board on 27 March approved a proposal by the organisers of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 to include Breaking (in addition to Skateboarding, Sport Climbing and Surfing) on the sports programme for their edition of the Games. The full IOC Session will vote on the proposal at its next meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland from 24-26 June, with a final decision set for December 2020 following the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
The following conditions have been unanimously approved with the intention to minimize the potential risk of manipulation at World Opens which award high ranking points.
The applications of the World Opens must be submitted to WDSF by the National Member Body (NMB) at least four months in advance of the intended event. The same cancellation policies apply as with other World Ranking Tournaments.
The Chairperson is appointed by the Sports Commission. For appointment of Adjudicators, organisers can select either of the following options:
a) Organisers provide a list of 20 Adjudicators for the Sports Commission Judges Selection Committee to select 10 Adjudicators to be appointed. If an ideal panel of 10 Adjudicators cannot be formed with this preferred list of Adjudicators from the organiser the Sports Commission will nominate up to five Adjudicators from outside the list. The other five remaining Adjudicators will still be nominated from the list provided.
b) 10 judges to be selected by the Sports Commission Judges Selection Committee
The Sports Commision explains: ”Engaging the organisers’ own Adjudicators can no longer be allowed as the number of World Opens is significant, and the concentration of the same Adjudicators needs to be avoided. At the same time the appointment of a diverse spread of quality Adjudicators needs to be supported. In order to ensure the organisers will not suffer as a result of these new conditions the options have been offered. With this measure in place the Sports Commission will have the ability to exclude Adjudicators whose skills or performance are in question.”
The names of all Adjudicators and the Chairperson must be published on the WDSF website not less than 42 days (6 weeks) prior to the event. The penalty of CHF 300 for failing to publish the names in due time will take effect immediately, and for repeated failures to publish the names the Presidium will not grant the World Open to the same NMB for one year.
For proper management and monitoring, all entries to the World Open must be submitted through the WDSF CRS (Competition Registration System) or through API system which has been approved by the WDSF Technical Committee.
The number of participating couples has been reduced to 42 (Youth and Adult) from 10 different countries instead of 48 as a qualification to host subsequent World Opens, and the change will take effect immediately. Couples competing in WDSF Senior categories can participate but will not be taken into account for the total number of competing couples to qualify for application for a World Open by the NMB.
All WDSF World Opens granted from now on will be called WDSF World Open (New Series). Athletes will be able to know that under this Series the Adjudicators are selected by the Sports Commission.
All granted WDSF World Open organisers can now review the new conditions and advise the WDSF Office if they would like to change to the New Series by complying with all the new conditions as specified in the World Open (New Series) application form.
The beautiful city of Nice on the French Riviera, hosts WDSF International Open Standard and Latin at Sallé Leyrit. International Open Latin has attracted close to 30 couples on the starting list on Saturday, while International Open Standard has 23 couples competing on Sunday. In addition to these two competitions the event includes eleven WDSF Open competitions to all age groups, from Juniors to Senior IV couples.
St. Petersburg (RUS) hosts WDSF International Open Standard and Latin, WDSF Open Ten Dance and WDSF Youth Open Standard and Latin. This three-day event which begins already on Friday will take place at Holiday Inn Moskovskie Vorota. International Open Latin on Saturday has 53 couples on the starting list, representing 17 countries. International Open Standard on Sunday has 48 couples from eight countries participating. Total number of starts during the three days is 1245. The organiser has written on the event website: ”Many surprises await ahead!” We’ll just have to wait and see what they are!
Siauliai (LTU) hosts WDSF Open competitions for Junior I, Junior II and Youth age groups in both Standard and Latin. The two-day event, which celebrates 25th anniversary this year, lets dancers and couples widely from the very beginner national level to the experienced international level a chance to compete in the same venue, at Siauliai Arena, during the same day. We are sure many of the youngest dancers will meet their idols, while the most experienced ones can show the beginners an example on and off the dance floor.
There is an event also on Asian territory, as Singapore hosts WDSF Open Latin on Sunday. SGDF, the Singapore DanceSport Federation, has the event listed as one of the three National Ranking Events, and athletes are recommended to participate in order to accumulate ranking points. The event will surely attract many of the couples of the region to the Parkroyal Hotel.
Good luck and good dancing to all the couples on different dance floors during the weekend!
The goals of the International Dance Day are to promote dance and to make people and opinion leaders aware of the value of dance in all its forms across the world, to enjoy dance in all its forms for its own sake, and to share the joy of dance with others.
Every year a message of an outstanding choreographer or dancer is circulated throughout the world. The intention of the International Dance Day Message is to celebrate dance, to revel the universality of this art form across all political, cultural and ethnic barries, and to bring people together with a common language – dance.
This year the International Dance Day message has been written by Dancer, Choreographer and Educator Karima Mansour from Egypt.
At the beginning there was movement… and since the dawn of time, dance has been a strong means of expression and celebration. Found on the murals of Egyptian Pharaohs and inspiring dance makers to date. Dance was used to evoke the many gods and goddesses of dance with all what they represent in meaning and concepts like balance from which justice is connected, musicality, tone, individual and cosmic consciousness and more.
I read once that: "Dance in the times of the Pharaohs was thought to elevate the spirit of the dancer and of the audience of spectators or participants. Music and dance called upon the highest impulses of the human condition while also consoling people on the disappointments and losses in a life."
Movement is a language spoken by us all. Movement is a universal language that belongs to everybody If only we open our senses and listen. Listening is what is required, listening without interference, listening without judgment, listening in silence and allowing the movement to pass through the body in the moment, because everything inside us and around us is in motion, constant motion. This is when the body doesn't lie because it is listening to its truth and manifesting it.
By listening to our heartbeat, we can then dance the dance of life, which requires movement, agility and adaptability, a constant shifting choreography.
In this day and age where connection & connectivity have taken on new meanings and where we are at our lowest point in our ability to connect… Dance remains to be the most sought-after action to help us re-establish that lost connection. Dance brings us back to our roots, in the cultural sense but also in the most immediate sensory, personal, individual, down to the core and heart way, whilst still enabling us to be social animals. For it is when we connect with ourselves when we listen to our inner rhythm, that we are really able to establish a connection with others and communicate.
Dance is where culture is shared and borders fall into the space of inclusion and unity, through the unspoken language of universality.
The body is an instrument of expression, a vessel for our voice, our thoughts, our feelings, our history, our being and existence, our yearning to express and connect that manifests through movement.
Dance is a space that allows oneself to connect with their truth, for that, a quiet space is required. Dance allows us to connect and feel whole and it is only in that feeling that we find peace and with peace comes silence and it is through silence that we can hear, listen, speak and through stillness that we learn to dance our truths and this is when dance becomes pertinent.
Movement and dance is where we can move from the vertical to the horizontal, from up to down and vice versa. Movement and dance is where chaos can be created and re-organized, or not. Where we are able to create our own realities and fleeting, ephemeral moments one after the other. Moments that can touch us and remain in our memories, to inspire and change us and others for life. That is the power of true expression and thus the power of dance
Dance is a healer. Dance is where humanity can meet.
I invite people to go beyond borders, beyond identity crisis, beyond nationalism and beyond frames. May we free ourselves of those limitations and find the movement and momentum in that universal language. I invite everybody to dance to their heartbeat, to their inner truth because it is from these internal movements, that lead to internal revolutions, where real change happens.
WDSF International Open Latin final in Nice (FRA) was tight and exciting until the end. The winners, Vinzenz Doerlitz – Albena Daskalova (GER) won three dances and were ranked second in two dances, while the runners-up, Artem Martynov – Julia Khurtina (RUS) won two dances and were ranked second in three. Nikolay Levchenkov – Marie Denigot-Hamon (RUS) ranked third.
WDSF International Open Standard was just as tight. Stepan Podduev – Margarita Sibeleva (RUS) ranked first by winning three dances, while the runners-up Alexandru Ionel – Patricija Belousova (GER) won two and ranked second in three. Luciano Donato – Adele Diodati (ITA) ranked third.
In St. Petersburg (RUS) the Russian couples performed strongly in both WDSF International Open Latin and Standard. Semen Khrzhanovskiy – Elizaveta Lykhina (RUS) won the Latin competition, Vladislav Nikishin – Polina Golubeva (RUS) ranked second and Tomer Zveniatsky – Stefany Tzukerman (ISR) ranked third. The top three couples of the WDSF International Open Standard represented Russian Federation. Matteo Del Gaone – Ekaterina Utkina (RUS) won the gold medals, Maxin Pugachev – Kira Oxas (RUS) won silver and Semen Khrzhanovskiy – Elizaveta Lykhina (RUS) had a successful double-podium weekend and ranked third in Standard.
Siauliai (LTU) hosted WDSF Open competitions for Youth, Junior II and Junior I age groups. Karolis Burneikis – Izabele Sekaite (LTU), current number 10 on the Youth Standard World Ranking List, had a successful weekend as they won the WDSF Youth Open Standard and ranked second in Latin, right behind Robert Veide – Amanda Rebeca Padar (EST).
WDSF Open Latin in Singapore had 16 couples on the starting list. The top two couples represented Vietnam, as Nguyen Doan Minh Truong – Nguyen Trong Nha Uyen (VIE) were announced as winners and Nguyen Trung Kien – Pham Hong Anh (VIE) ranked second. Tsan Gary – Tan Shannen (SGP) ranked third.
Congratulations to all couples!
The competition season continues already on the first two days of May in Nizhny Novgorod (RUS), with WDSF Open Latin on Wednesday and WDSF Open Standard on Thursday. During the weekend there will be Asian-Pacific Championship and WDSF World Open Standard and Latin plus WRRC World Cup Rock’n’Roll in Shijiazhuang City (CHN), WDSF World Open in Copenhagen (DEN), WDSF International Opens in Bucharest (ROU) and in Kaunas (LTU), and WDSF Opens in Les Roquetes, Barcelona (ESP) and Trnava (SVK).
WDSF Associate Member, World Rock’n’Roll Confederation (WRRC) in collaboration with the Chinese DanceSport Federation has scheduled World Cup Rock’n’Roll in China for the upcoming weekend, for the first time in history.
The setting looks good. The three competitions, Main Class Freestyle, Main Class Contact Style and Juniors, have gathered 57 world class Rock’n’Roll couples representing 14 countries to Shijiazhuang City. Top three couples of the Main Class Freestyle World Ranking List have registered, the current ranking number one on Main Class Contact Style is there, too, and top four couples of the Juniors World Ranking List can also be found on the starting list. The event takes place at Hei Bei Stadium starting at 13:20 local time (07:20 CET) on Saturday.
It will be a multi-disciplined event, as 2019 WDSF Asian Pacific Championship Standard and Latin will also take place on Saturday. The event continues on Sunday with WDSF World Open Standard and Latin.
The second WDSF World Open event of the week will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark. The traditional Danish event has been held since 1978, and more than 30 countries were represented in 2018. Together with many WDSF Open competitions, the venue (Lyngbyhallen) will be celebrating the first weekend of May with excellent DanceSport.
The weekend will be completed with two WDSF International Open events, in Kaunas (LTU) and Bucharest (ROU), and with two WDSF Open events, in Les Roquetes, Barcelona (ESP) and Trnava (SVK).
Shijiazhuang City (CHN) hosted the 2019 WDSF Asian Pacific Championship in Standard and Latin. For the second year in a row Qiu Yuming – Wei Liying (CHN) were crowned as Asian Pacific Champions in Standard. The couple won the title with a margin of two points over the runners-up and silver medalists Yuan Shaoyang – Qi Chongxuan (CHN). Patrick Rucinski – Tatiana Veselkina (CAN) won the bronze.
The result of 2019 WDSF Asian Pacific Championship Latin was even more impressive. The title winners, Yan Bangbang – Du Yujun (CHN) won the title with a margin of 7,15 points over the runners-up Li Jiaming – Li Ziwei (CHN). The difference in scores after the semifinal was 9,306 points, and the silver medalists clearly pushed during the final round, but this time their perfomance earned them the silver medals. Nam Gi Yong – Shin Nara (KOR) won the bronze.
History was made in DanceSport as the World Rock’n’Roll Confederation brought World Cup Rock’n’Roll to China. The multi-disciplined event turned out to be an interesting experience for the spectators. There were three World Cup competitions scheduled for Saturday in Shijiazhuang City, and Rock’n’Roll, Standard and Latin competitions were held alternatively during the day. The first World Cup Rock’n’Roll winners on Chinese territory were Alexey Kondrashin – Darina Kozlova (RUS) in Main Class Free Style, Dmitriy Maslov – Elizaveta Novak (RUS) in Main Class Contact Style, and Noa Lilih – Polina Rykova (CRO) in Juniors.
On the second day of the event, World Open Standard and Latin were held. Some of the top couples had travelled to China and the Chinese spectators were able to enjoy DanceSport in full. Evaldas Sodeika – Ieva Zukauskaite (LTU) won the World Open Standard, Alexey Glukhov – Anastasia Glazunova (RUS) ranked second and Madis Abel – Aleksandra Galkina (EST) ranked third. The new Asian Pacific Standard Champions, Qiu Yuming – Wei Liying (CHN) ranked fourth. The winners of World Open Latin were Armen Tsaturyan – Svetlana Gudyno (RUS). Andrey Gusev – Vera Bondareva (RUS) ranked second, Jakub Lipowski – Diandra-Aniela Illes (POL) third, and the new Asian Pacific Latin Champions, Yan Bangbang – Du Yujun (CHN) fourth.
WDSF World Open event was also held in Copenhagen (DEN). World Open Latin on Saturday turned out well for the reigning Ten Dance World Champions, Konstantin Gorodilov – Dominika Bergmannova (EST), who won the tight competition before Guillem Pascual – Rosa Carne (ESP) and Malthe Brinch Rohde – Sandra Sorensen (DEN). The home crowd was pleased to see Danish couples reaching the podium on both competitions, as the World Open Standard turned out well for Dmitri Kolobov – Signe Busk (DEN), who won the competition before the two Russian couples, Igor Kruglov – Ekaterina Kazmirchuk (RUS) and Evgeny Sveridonov – Angelina Barkova (RUS).
The two WDSF International Open events were held in Bucharest (ROU) and in Kaunas (LTU). In Bucharest, the both disciplines were won by the Romanian couples as the International Open Latin winners were Mihai-Vlad Paraschiv – Irina Elena Tudorache (ROU) and the International Open Standard winners were Marco Sirocchi – Dora Kilin (ROU). In Kaunas, the both disciplines were won by the Lithuanian couples as the International Open Standard winners were Vaidotas Lacitis – Veronika Golodneva (LTU) and the International Open Latin winners were Jokubas Venckus – Migle Klupsaite (LTU).
WDSF Open winners from last week in Adult age group in other events were: David Ovsievitch – Katarina Stefkova (GER) and Nikita Anikeev – Elina Kokotova (RUS) in the event hosted by Trnava (SVK), and Alexandr Rodygin – Alexandra Chinenkova (RUS) and Rinat Sunitulin – Maria Peregudova (ALB) in the event hosted by Nizhny Novgorod (RUS). In addition to the events in Slovakia and Russian Federation, Les Roquetes, Barcelona (ESP) hosted a WDSF Open event in Youth and Senior III age groups.
Many congratulations to the Continental Champions, medalists, and winners and finalists of all the events of last week!
The WDSF Continental Championships are continuing already next weekend, when it’s time for the 2019 WDSF European Championship Standard and WDSF European Cup Latin in Salaspils (LAT). The WDSF Communications Team will be there on site, and will update the Live Blog, Social Media channels and DanceSportTotal YouTube channel from Friday to Sunday. The event will be available live on Flodance.
This years SportAccord is being held on the sunny beach of the Gold Coast, Australia. Unfortunately we have meetings from sunrise to sunset so sunbathing on the beach will not be one of the items on the agenda.
After traveling for 48 hours to arrive including 15 hours of flight delays, I was finally able to check in and get a good nights sleep. Ready for a full week of meetings.
We started this Monday morning with the IMGA (International Master Games Association) annual general meeting. The important parts for DanceSport in this meeting was the progress of the European Masters Games in Torino, Italy from the 27th of July until the 4th of August. DanceSport will be participating on the 2nd & 3rd of August. This proves to be a very exciting event for all our Senior competitors.
The next World Master Games which our Senior competitors have the possibility to compete in will be held in Kansai, Japan from the 14th-30th of May 2021. In the meantime there will be the Pan American Master Games in Rio de Janeiro from the 4th-13th of September 2020 for our athletes from the Americas.
Our next Annual General meeting was the ARISF (Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations).
The ARISF president Mr. Raffaele Chiulli within his President's report addressed the issue that we all are facing that this generation of young people have so many options on their time. Whether being Social Media or Gaming. This has created a big problem for all sports as young people are less and less physically active. One of ARISF’s strategies has been to remind our youth that “How you compete is even more important than if you win or lose”. To remember that it is the journey and all of the things you learn and experience through sport that is what you take with you later on in life.
Kaveh Mehrabi who heads the IOC's athletes programmes did a presentation about the different athletes projects which the IOC has been working on. All of these projects can be found on the website under www.olympic.org/athlete365.
One of their new projects has been Refugees/Migration projects. This is important for them to make sure both refugees and migrants alike have the same opportunities to participate in sport as everyone else.
One Key message which the IOC representatives mentioned several times throughout all meetings today was “Non-Discrimination”. They want to make sure that all athletes have the opportunity to participate with equality and with no political discrimination. Specifically mentioning the unfortunate injuries that happened in India where which Pakistanian athletes were targeted. Political fractions and differences should be kept out of sport. This was the message.
There were also many other brief meetings throughout the day and also at the official dinner to promote and inform other Federations and IOC members about out fantastic sport. One of which was Ban Ki-Moon, the former UN Secretary General. It was a pleasure to see him so interested in sport.
The first long meeting was the annual general meeting of ASOIF. (Association of Summer Olympic International Federations)
Paris 2024 gave a great presentation with a lot of amazing points. I will try to highlight a few of the things that I found defining.
The first motto “Sport Changes Lives”. Not only the athletes, but all involved in taking part in every aspect of sport.
The aim of Paris 2024 is to awaken the athlete within.
I was thinking to myself, what a great message. Doesn’t matter which sport you follow, but to really feel that you are part of every performance from every athlete.
They also explained that this will be the first time they will introduce -Virtual Reality- Where from the comfort of your own home you can link into the athlete you are watching and compete against them online.
They want to produce “Revolutionary Games”. Spectacular & Sustainable.
They gave a great introduction why they chose the 4 new sports to be included into the Paris 2024 Olympic Games where Surfing, Sports Climbing, Skate Boarding and of course our very own Breaking. Their vision of connecting with today - connecting with young people together with the urban feel was very important within their considerations.
For me this presentation was so inspiring I immediately wanted to join the organising committee of the Olympics 2024. :) I wish everyone involved in DanceSport could have seen it.
If the WDSF is successful when the next vote is taken by the 115 members of the IOC during their next session in the end of June then the athletes possibly participating in the Olympics can look forward to a once in lifetime experience in Paris.
At the SportAccord opening ceremony Dr. Thomas Bach made a huge point about the new Digital Age we have already moved into.
For the first time ever at the last Winter Olympic Games, 5G was used in filming the different sports as well as the mobile phone being the most used digital device.
He continued by saying that the digital future is a huge opportunity to reach more people with the values of sport and the magic of the Olympics.
He finished off his speech by reminding us that; Sport without values is just entertainment.
But, Sport is so much more than meer entertainment.
The quote of the day from Paris 2024!!! Excellence is not an option, it’s a commitment!!!
Our first meeting with the Urban Games to make sure everything was on track with our inclusion into the Games from the 13th-15th September 2019.
The DNA being Sports + festival with 3 core values. Excellence, Universality & Inclusivity.
The location for the Urban cluster will only be 3-4km from the heart of the city which gives the opportunity for everyone to see both the city and the Games.
The city expects to have an audience of 30.000 per day for the games.
Our President Mr. Shawn Tay introduced the idea to include other disciplins throughout the day before the Breaking events in the evening. This will be exciting to see if other athletes can have the possibility take part of this great project.
Our next meeting was with the organizing committee from the World Games 2021 in Birmingham, Alabama.
Everything was confirmed to be moving nicely towards a very successful and dynamic event in 2021 for Breaking, Standard, Latin & Rock ’n’ roll.
Our next meeting was a joint IOC/ARISF Workshop where there were numerous presentations.
A clear message on how each federation can use Social media even more to expand and promote their sport.
There was a great presentation about Anti-Doping and the IOC recommended provider ITA (International Testing Agency) They provided more information on how the testing is carried out. Not so interesting for us athletes as we concentrate on staying clean and not the testing, but it was very important for the federation as IOC compliancy is very important.
The final presentation was about gender equality and the importance of it together with numerous reports on the progress of gender equality within the IOC and all of their commission.
Many other casual meetings with IOC members, Including Poul-Erik Høyer the President of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) a fellow “Dane” living now in Singapore. Other meetings also took place with city organizers and many other influential people to help the WDSF forward with all of their projects.
Today the IWGA (International World Games Association)held their annual general meeting. With the games being closer and closer Birmingham, Alabama (the host city) gave a presentation about the ongoing progress up to the games and the facilities which will take place in July 2021. The 4 sports we have included from Dancesport on the program are Standard, Latin, Rock ‘n’ Roll and Breaking.
The biggest surprise was the unveiling of the next host city in 2025 which will be in Chengdu, China. After the unanimous vote to host the next games there, the conference room was invaded by a Chinese delegation of more than 20 people including the Panda Mascot as a thank you for the forums support and trust that their city could be the host of such a prestigious event. It was very impressive.
All in all this week has been very fruitful for WDSF and Dancesport as a whole. Many meetings and many contacts to put WDSF on the sporting map.
I give a huge thanks to the others in the WDSF delegation for their company and professionalism throughout the whole event. Thank you for the opportunity to give the athletes not only a voice and a vote, but the chance to be visual. Both to be seen and heard.
Mr. Shawn Tay WDSF President Mr. Jean-Laurent Bourquin WDSF advisor Mr. Guillaume Felli WDSF General Manager
See you all soon and to those dancing this weekend, good luck,
Saturday night in Salaspils was not only about Standard, it was also about Latin. The 2019 WDSF European Cup Latin had 24 couples starting the first round. As the evening schedule had the European Championship Standard and the European Cup Latin in turn, the loud Baltic crowd had so much to enjoy. And they delivered!
The reigning Ten Dance World Champions, Konstantin Gorodilov – Dominika Bergmannova (EST) received another huge trophy to their trophy case, as they dominated the whole competition from start to finish. However, the battle for the silver medal was very tight between the Russians Maxim Elfimov – Evgenia Churikova and the Italians Vito Coppola – Oona Oinas. Although Vito and Oona scored better in three dances and tied in one, the first dance (Cha Cha, which started the final as the first solo dance) was the one which determined the silver medals to the Russians. In the end, the difference in scores after all five dances was only 0.05 points. Jokubas Venckus – Migle Klupsaite (LTU) ranked fourth, Zsolt Sandor Cseke – Malika Dzumaev (GER) ranked fifth and Maksym Kravchenko – Paula Kukute (LAT), the home crowd favourites, ranked sixth.
The European Cup was not the only Continental Cup during the weekend. Guizhou (CHN) hosted the 2019 WDSF Asian Cup Latin on Saturday, and Standard on Sunday. The 2019 WDSF Asian-Pacific Champions from last week continued their strong season and took home their second titles in a week. Yan Bangbang – Du Yujun (CHN) dominated the Asian Cup in Latin while Qiu Yuming – Wei Liying (CHN) won all five dances and secured the Asian Cup title in Standard.
In Baricella (ITA), Andres Liiv – Kristin Vaha (EST) won the WDSF International Open Standard and Andrey Gusev – Vera Bondareva (RUS) won the International Open Latin. At the same time in Moscow (RUS), Dmitry Pleshkov – Anastasia Kulbeda (RUS) won the gold medals of the WDSF International Open Standard, while Dmitry Kulebakin – Daria Sviridenko (RUS) dominated the International Open Latin.
In Toronto (CAN), Karl Aniscenko – Dayana Nikon (CAN) were presented the gold medals of the WDSF International Open Latin. In Zabrze (POL), Armand Fazullin – Klaudia Iwanska (POL) won the WDSF Intenational Open Latin. The competition calendar for the weekend was completed with WDSF Open competitions in Kharkiv (UKR) and in Livorno (ITA).
The title events continue already next weekend with the 2019 WDSF World Championship U21 Ten Dance in Yerevan (ARM) and WRRC World Cup Rock’n’Roll and Boogie Woogie Main Class in Moscow (RUS). And, a week after that we will report live from Paris (FRA), from the 2019 WDSF European Championship Latin and 2019 WRRC European Championship Rock’n’Roll Main Class Freestyle.
RvVLw_VsXhQ|Gorodilov - Bergmannova, EST | 2019 European Cup LAT Salaspils | R1 C
An exceptional DanceSport athlete in his youth in England, a Finalist in the British Open Standard Championship in 1965, first a British Army Officer and then a Chartered Accountant by profession, Peter became involved in DanceSport politics and administration in 1964 in England. His involvement in USA Dance goes back to 1980s after he moved to the United States. He served as an outstanding National President there on three occasions: initially from 1988 to 1993, for a second term in 2008 to 2009 and again from December 2015 to July 2016.
Mr. Pover also served as a longstanding Member of the WDSF Presidium, including as an Ordinary Member, as Vice President from 1995-1997 and President from 1997 to 1998.
Always willing to board an airplane to Europe or Asia for the good of WDSF, Peter was one of the chief negotiators who achieved WDSF's first breakthrough agreements with the International Olympic Committee in 1995 and 1997. During all this time he also held a senior position at the prestigious Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. and was proud to have known and advised five U.S. Presidents and numerous other senior public officials in the United States.
Somehow he also found time to adjudicate and Chair WDSF Panels, and at one point this WDSF Chair famously worked on his hands and knees through the night helping to lay down a dance floor in a crisis before a WDSF World Ranking Tournament.
A bon vivant, Peter was also a loving father and husband, and, quietly, a strong member of his church.
His legacy to DanceSport was to help lay a strong foundation for our Olympic aspirations at the world level, and at home to guide USA Dance through many changes, always a "happy warrior" and always an evangelist for our sport, increasing the public knowledge and media exposure of Standard and Latin DanceSport.
With his energy and enthusiasm he enthralled his audiences, and his joy was evident in everything he did.
The WDSF Presidium extends its deepest sympathy to his wife Ida and his family, and pays solemn homage to his memory.
The only title event of the week is the 2019 WDSF World Championship U21 Ten Dance in Yerevan (ARM). 43 couples representing 20 countries have registered to the title event held at Pharaon Hotel and Entertainment Centre. The reigning World Champions, Semen Khrzhanovskiy - Elizaveta Lykhina (RUS) (in photo) are not on the starting list, but the silver medalists from 2018, Oleg Chzhen – Alina Ageeva (RUS) are.
Some of these young and energetic Ten Dance couples are also participating the WDSF World Open Latin on the same day, making the most of their trip to Armenia. That competition is the only WDSF World Open event during the weekend and we can spot some familiar names on the starting list, for example the silver medalists of the European Cup Latin last week, and the number one couple on the World Ranking List.
There are six WDSF International Open events on two continents during the weekend. Frankfurt (GER) hosts a three-day event at Eissporthalle Frankfurt with 11 World Ranking competitions including the WDSF International Open Standard on Saturday and Latin on Sunday. The organiser sent us some photos of the venue from last year and it looks massive with many dance floors side by side!
Olomouc (CZE) hosts the WDSF International Open Latin with 50 couples on Saturday and International Open Standard with 53 couples on Sunday. There are also 12 other World Ranking competitions being scheduled at Hotel Flora.
Ponzano Veneto, in the Province of Treviso (ITA) hosts 11 WDSF Open competitions, WDSF International Open Latin with 48 couples, and WDSF International Open Standard with 40 couples at Palacicogna on Saturday. Seraing (BEL) also hosts a WDSF International Open Latin and Standard, together with five WDSF Open competitions. The event takes place at Bois de l’Abbaye Sports Hall on Saturday.
Tbilisi (GEO) hosts WDSF International Open Latin together with WDSF U21 Open Latin on Saturday and WDSF Youth Open Latin on Sunday. Last, but not least, Yi Chang (CHN) hosts WDSF International Open Latin on Saturday, International Open Standard on Sunday, and WDSF Open Standard and Latin for Junior I and Youth age groups during the weekend.
WDSF Open events will be hosted on two continents aswell, as San Antonio (USA) host WDSF Open Smooth and WDSF Open Standard competitions for Senior I and II age groups and WDSF Open Latin for Senior II age group during a two-day event which starts on Friday. Los Angeles (USA) hosts WDSF Open Standard competitions for Senior I, II and III age groups and WDSF Open Latin for Adults and Senior II on Sunday. And, in Europe, Larissa (GRE) hosts WDSF Open Standard for Adult and Youth, and WDSF Open Latin for Adult, Youth and Under 21. The event in Larissa takes place on Saturday.
Our associate member, WRRC, is having World Cup Rock'n'Roll Main Class Free Style and World Cup Boogie Woogie Main Class and Juniors in Moscow (RUS) on Saturday.
Ten WDSF events on three continents, including a World Championship for couples under 21 years of age, and the WRRC event in Moscow once again give an opportunity for dancers from Juniors to Seniors to test their skills together with their peers on the parquet. We wish them all the best for the weekend! For the organisers we say good luck and all the best success with your events!
The anticipated World Championship Under 21 Ten Dance in Yerevan (ARM) had 42 couples on the starting list. After a seven-couple final, Oleg Chzhen – Alina Ageeva (RUS) were announced as the new World title holders in Under 21 Ten Dance, as they secured their win by winning all ten dances in the final on Saturday. The couple has previously won the European Championship title in Youth Ten Dance in 2017, bronze in 2017 World Championship Youth Standard and silver medal in World Championship U21 Ten Dance and Latin last year.
The silver medals were presented to Yaroslav Kiselev – Sofia Philipchuk (RUS), who won all the three World titles (Standard, Latin, Ten Dance) in Junior II age group last year. They have their first year in Youth in 2019. The bronze medals were presented to Akim Pekunov – Masa Kastelic (SLO).
WDSF Associate Member, WRRC, organised a World Cup event in Moscow (RUS). Rock’n’Roll Main Class Free Style ended with two Russian couples on the podium, as Ivan Kudryashov – Margarita Charkovskaya (RUS) received the gold medals and Alexey Kondrashin – Darina Kozlova (RUS) took home the silver medals. The bronze was presented to Tobias Bludau – Michelle Uhl (GER).
World Cup Boogie Woogie Main Class had a new couple on the highest step of the podium, as Masi Saurén – Anna Tyutyunyuk (FIN) (in photo) won their first ever World Cup title. ”We changed the tactics for this competition, and it worked! We haven’t succeeded completely in the previous competitions but this time everything worked well for us. We have been waiting for this moment for many years and now it is finally here” the couple said after the competition, seemingly overwhelmed of the result.
The other two places on the podium went to the Swedish couples Jonathan Haug – Emma Danielsson (silver) and Viktor Edlund – Wilma Edlund (bronze).
Anton Graßl – Magdalena Schmid (GER) won the World Cup Boogie Woogie Juniors, Paul Siegl – Nicola Götzner (GER) ranked second and Fedor Klimov – Diana Leonteva (RUS) ranked third.
In other WDSF World Ranking competitions, the WDSF World Open Latin (in Yerevan) winners were Armen Tsaturyan – Svetlana Gudyno (RUS).
In Frankfurt (GER), the WDSF International Open Standard winners were Tomas Fainsil – Violetta Posmetnaya (GER) and the International Open Latin were won by Marius-Andrei Balan – Khrystyna Moshenska (GER).
In Olomouc (CZE), the WDSF International Open Latin winners were Tomas Gal – Sabina Karaskova (CZE) and the International Open Standard winners were Kostadin Vasilev – Roberta Scuderi (BUL).
In Ponzano Veneto (ITA), the WDSF International Open Standard were won by Eros Sciamanna – Anna Angelika Jaglinska (POL). The WDSF International Open Latin winners were the recent European Cup Latin winners, Konstantin Gorodilov – Dominika Bergmannova (EST).
In Seraing (BEL), the WDSF International Open Latin winners were Vito Coppola – Oona Oinas (ITA) and the WDSF International Open Standard were won by Andres Liiv – Kristin Vaha (EST).
In Yi Chang (CHN), the WDSF International Open Latin winners were Andrey Gusev – Vera Bondareva (RUS) and the International Open Standard were won by Francesco Galuppo – Debora Pacini (ITA).
In Tbilisi (GEO) the WDSF International Open Latin were won by Daniil Ulanov – Kateryna Isakovych (CYP).
Many congratulations to all couples!
We are slowly turning our eyes to Paris (FRA), where there will be two European Championships hosted during the next weekend. The 2019 WDSF European Championship Latin and the 2019 WRRC European Championship Acrobatic Rock’n’Roll Main Class Free Style take place at Stade Pierre de Coubertin on Saturday. The WDSF Communications team will be there on site and we will report you through our channels from Friday to Sunday.
The Adjudicator Congress for some of the newest disciplines (Hip Hop, Disco Dance and Stage Dance) under the WDSF, was held in Belgrade on May 17th.
After a whole day with lectures in Judging system, Ethics, Criteria for judging, Foundations for Hip Hop, New revised rules for Stage Dance and development for Disco Dance, the exams took place. Now almost 30 Adjudicators from 11 countries are waiting for the results and hopefully many will pass the tests.
The organisers were delighted to see that there were many female participants, it is obvious that these disciplines bring a clear possibility to strengthening the gender equality as well.
With Adjudicators coming from different disciplines, also Standard and Latin, the dialogue and discussions during the day were very interesting and educational. With the differences and with many similarities the participants clearly saw we all are dance and we all are in the sport system of dancing, together.
WDSF has, with this Congress, started the development of Adjudicators and securing the number of judging officials for the upcoming competitions, which is a great step forward in having more dances joining together in our WDSF family.
An Adjudicator Congress for Hip Hop, Disco Dance and Stage Dance under the WDSF, was held in Belgrade on May 17th.
After a whole day with lectures in Judging system, Ethics, Criteria for judging, Foundations for Hip Hop, New revised rules for Stage Dance and development for Disco Dance, the exams took place. Now almost 30 Adjudicators from 11 countries are waiting for the results and hopefully many will pass the tests.
The organisers were delighted to see that there were many female participants, it is obvious that these disciplines bring a clear possibility to strengthening the gender equality as well.
With Adjudicators coming from different disciplines, also Standard and Latin, the dialogue and discussions during the day were very interesting and educational. With the differences and with many similarities the participants clearly saw we all are dance and we all are in the sport system of dancing, together.
Thru this Congress, WDSF continues with the development of Adjudicators and with securing the number of judging officials for the upcoming competitions.
The first edition of the World Urban Games (WUG) is scheduled for 13-15 September in Budapest, Hungary and the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) is proud to be a part of the programme through Breaking.
The qualification system for Breaking at the WUG was recently approved, with a quota capping the number of participants at 32 – 16 b-girls and 16 b-boys.
There will be two qualifying events for Breaking at the WUG:
2019 WDSF World Breaking Championships, Nanjing (CHN) 23 June 2019
2019 Outbreak Europe, Bratislava (SVK) 25-28 July 2019
For more information on the qualification system click here.
The World Urban Games 2019 will feature six competition sports and two showcase sports. The six competition sports are Breaking, 3x3 basketball, BMX freestyle park, freestyle flying disc, parkour and freestyle roller skate. The showcase sports are indoor rowing and laser run.
The World Urban Games, a property of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), aim to be the “the ultimate global showcase for a new generation of urban sport.” The WUG will be held every two years and will feature an exciting mix of sports that blend music, dance and other aspects of urban culture.
